Lisboa in 2022

Our bags came, Liam’s just after midnight on Monday morning and mine arrived around 10am Monday. I had just gone to the mall to get another outfit. I will be returning anything I didn’t wear (I think, I do love the items and they weren’t expensive, but they are a little small).

So, Monday....I was supposed to do a segway (sitway, where you sit instead of stand) tour but the host never showed. I’m trying to get it refunded. I tried both locations. Instead I just walked around the market area and had the most delicious gelato. We ordered pizza for dinner… typical.

Tuesday was Carnival here (Fat Tuesday). Liam was off so we spent the day together. We got breakfast down in one of the barrios and then walked around for a while. We were going to do a scavenger hunt but I wasn’t feeling great so we came back to the hotel. After a nap we got dressed for our fancy dinner and met Andy at the wine shop downtown. Liam was in such awe at the amount of vintage port available. He only bought one but I know he wants more. I got two bottles of wine and he also bought a bottle of olive oil. We went to dinner way out near the ocean. It was a tasting menu, which I normally don’t enjoy. This one was not too bad though. I tried everything (even the roe and meat pate). I really enjoyed this one dish, which they called tacos but they were nothing like tacos at home.

Wednesday I went to Belem to eat pastries. It was a short drive but still not in Lisbon. The pastry was good but apparently it wasn’t what my friends wanted me to try. Oh well. I came back into the city and got onto my tram for the tour. I booked a tram tour plus two bus routes. The tram was awesome, we got to see the little alleys and hide-y-holes of the barrios. I loved this so much. I just don’t have the stamina to walk up and down all of Lisbon’s hills. After that I got a coffee and walked over to the square where the bus routes started. I thought it would be two different routes but instead it was just one long route but in two distinct places. I took a lot of photos yesterday. We went all through Lisbon (not the hide-y-hole places) and then down to Belem. I got off at the Torre de Belem and grabbed some post cards and a cute tee shirt. Then I took an Uber back to the hotel and promptly fell asleep. Liam came in at about 6pm and he also immediately fell asleep. We ordered KFC, again, typical. Then, we went back to sleep.

We’ve slept in the same bed, throughout the night, three times here. This is unusual. We do have a small chaise that I can sleep on, and have, but it’s not nearly as comfy as the bed. Normally in hotels we get two queen beds, or a pull out couch. We just don’t sleep well together. It’s been very nice waking up with him next to me. We’ll have to try harder at home.

Today we had hotel breakfast together and then he left for work. He’s just said “working in an office is exhausting”, such a privilege we have these days. I showered and got dressed in my cutest outfit and went into the city to meet my photographer. I branched out and signed up for an AirBnB experience where this girl takes me on a tour of Barrio Alto and takes my picture. Like a photo shoot. It is not something I would have ever done before. I don’t really like my body so I normally just take seflies.

She led me through 3.5kms of alleys, hills, and painted streets while giving me a wonderful history lesson on Lisbon and Portugal. Honestly, I enjoyed the lesson more than the photos but at $40 for 90 minutes it was a deal. She ended the trip by ensuring I had a bite of the pasteis de nata (the pastry suggested to me by my friends). It was not bad but I don’t really like custard. I ate about half. She took over 2000 photos. Of what??? It was fun though and I hope I get some good pictures of the experience since I didn’t take any at all and we saw really cool things.

Tonight is dinner out with lots of Liams co-workers. I wasn’t supposed to go but he got me an invite. I’m only going because I think it’s important to him. He won’t ever say that it’s important but I can tell.

Tomorrow is our return to the US covid test and then I plan on visiting St Anthony’s Church and statue. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prayed to him over the years, asking for help to find something I’ve lost. I never knew he was from here. For some reason I always equate Saint with Italian. Then after that I have my tile painting class. Tiles are a thing here, remainders from when the Muslims ran Portugal back in the day.

That’s my time in Lisbon. We leave the hotel at some ungodly hour on Saturday. We’re going home through Madrid. Oh how I wish we could venture into the city. I so badly want to visit Madrid. Maybe next time.