Cumprimentos
de Lisboa, Portugal! We are sitting at a nice café for a seafood lunch at
the corner of black, cobble-stoned streets on a steep climb up to the Castelo
de Sao Jorge. I had my first plate of bacalhao (salted cod fish). And Dallen
had an octopus salad(!). He claimed it was really good. We’re just taking our
sweet time, drinking espresso, and enjoying the Fado music – two guitarists are
plucking on their strings while a singer a melancholy ballad. At times he’ll holler
and blow kisses to the women passing by on the street in front.
Dallen
has been learning Portuguese quickly. Starting from a rudimentary level,
getting a grasp on some basic vocabulary, and struggling admirably but after
these three weeks he’ll have come a long way, I’m sure. Two of our roommates
are Brazilian and we’ve gotten some practice in with them. Dallen and I try to speak to each other in
Portuguese about half of the time. He doesn’t understand, but it’s okay, I’m not
saying anything super important anyway.
Here's a picture of two puppies riding on the front of a motorcycle.
Here's a picture of two puppies riding on the front of a motorcycle.
Our accommodations
at the hostel are very nice – according to my standards. I’ve stayed in hostels
in Barcelona, Paris, and Istanbul. This one is, by far, the best. The
Independente Hostel is located at the top of a steep hill, and across from the
Miradouro on Rua de Alcantara in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. The hood is
supposed to be a hopping spot for nightlife on the weekends. The Miradouro is a
pretty park with fountains, nice small tile work that you see all over Lisbon’s
sidewalks, tall green trees, and a stunning view of the city and ocean bay. The
Hostel occupies three stories with a good kitchen, comfortable seating in the
living room, and the restaurant below
seems like a popular place to eat for people who aren’t even staying at
the Hostel. It’s got a comfortable, safe, and positive vibe about it. Dallen
and I stumbled across a grocery store today and we’ll be able to make some
sandwiches for dinner. Last night we played chess. Our game was so bad for lack
of good strategic foresight that I don’t think either of us could proudly say
that we won.
Today
we’ve been wandering around to get a feel for the city. So far, we’ve visited a
couple cathedrals. One of them was built in the second half of the 14th
century. We admired stunning religious paintings, architecture, and design. I
have really savored the cathedral visits to pray and worship.
Otherwise, I’ve taken some good pictures and "mozzied" along. I caught some film footage of Dallen with an old lady surrounded by about fifty pigeons. They were covering her because she was feeding them bread. And she gave some to Dallen, at which point, they proceeded to assault him. Ha!
Otherwise, I’ve taken some good pictures and "mozzied" along. I caught some film footage of Dallen with an old lady surrounded by about fifty pigeons. They were covering her because she was feeding them bread. And she gave some to Dallen, at which point, they proceeded to assault him. Ha!
It’s been really good to take it slow and observe. Walking
the narrow streets I’ve noticed the tile work on the buildings, the “fenicular”
like the trolleys they have in San Francisco, California, and the rustic,
intimate feel of Lisbon. It’s fairly small – with nearly 500,000 people. I’m
starting to see where the influence came in the layout and construction of the
former Portuguese colony – Maputo, Mozambique – where I live currently.
We’re planning to take a 3 hour train ride to Porto on
Thursday! Ate mais tarde. Um abraco!
– SD and DT.
– SD and DT.
No comments:
Post a Comment