Dia 2: Rio Tejo do Lisboa

Bom dia da Lisboa! (Good morning from Lisbon!) Now if you remember, this morning I was rushing to finish my post so that I could head down to the continental breakfast. The reviews for the complimentary cafe da manha for this hotel were emphatically positive, so I had to see it for myself. I appreciate that breakfast runs until 11am, which makes it doable on days when you have jet lag. Upon seeing the spread of fruit, juices, yogurt, granola, and breakfast meats and cheeses, wowee! I was amazed. There is a beautiful coffee machine which took me a moment to figure out but then produced a nice cafe au lait. Then, I was lucky to sit at the best spot in the breakfast nook overlooking the street. I savored breakfast and even was able to make a simple sandwich of fresh sliced bread, deli ham, and cheese with an apple to save in my room for a late lunch.

I decided to walk to the Gulbenkian museum, a recommendation from Luis at the front desk. The museum is located in a city garden by the same name (Jardim Calouste Gulbenkian). On my way, I observed the architecture and shops. There was a bakery that looked to have the delicious bread that I ate at breakfast. There were several coffee shops and cafes open with people having a small cup of coffee and a smoke - Lisbon is apparently a great coffee city. Once in the garden, I noticed the ducks and turtles, and many young people, possibly students, sitting on the benches reading or studying. The museum was unfortunately closed today, but that's okay. I didn't end the day without a museo, and I can always see Gulbenkian tomorrow.

At that point, I decided to start walking towards the Tagus River (Rio Teja). I promenaded in the general direction of the Time Out Market, a recommendation from Luis. Once I saw the water, I continued downhill, descending many cobble-stone streets with narrow sidewalks and snapping pictures of old windows with plant-laden balconies and interesting graffiti. (Side note: Lisbon has more graffiti than any other city that I have seen. I am going to research to see if this is due to a growing emergence of street art?)

Once at the river's edge, the first view you see is....the Golden Gate Bridge! Well actually, the Lisboan suspension bridge is named Ponte 25 de Abril in honor of the Carnation Revolution of April 25th in the 70s, and looks almost identical to California's GGB with its red hue and curvature.

Today was a particularly beautiful day on the edge of the water. Feeling fatigued, I sat in the shade at a cafe table and ordered an Aperol Spritz and a gazpacho from the waitress. At 4 euros for the gazpacho and 8 euros for the drink, I thought the prices to be reasonable for such a touristy area. Portugal is known as one of the more reasonably-priced countries in Europe for tourists. Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish soup, and with Spain and Portugal sharing the Iberian coast, there is no doubt that Portugal would have some Spanish-type food fare. I also thought of my dad's garden and how many of his fresh vegetables would blend perfectly into a gazpacho in the summer.

After gaining some energy from my rest in the shade, I walked back up the hill to the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) where I saw exhibitions and paintings from Portuguese artists. Then, content with my day's exploring, I took the metro back to Chalet d'Avila and loaded my resusable card prior to passing through the tourniquet - the fare was only 1,50 euros. It pays to keep and use the same card. Once back in my room, I fell into a deep 5-hour sleep. The jet lag must have hit me hard.

When I woke up, I did some research on Portugal and found that there are 8 countries that speak Portuguese, including some former colonies in Africa. Since Brazil was once its colony, Brazilians make up approximately 5% of Portugal's population with the rest being native Portuguese, according to a recent census. Finally fully awake after this research, I got dressed for dinner, heading out after 9pm. The other people on my floor must be on the same timeline because I heard the shower running down the hall and people leaving to head out. Once again, I went to a restaurant just down the street and had garlic pasta noodles with large prawns still with the heads on and a glass of prosecco.

Almost all of the seafood I see on Yelp in Portugal is still in its shell or skin, meaning it's very fresh (fresca?). The waiter was Venezuelan and told me his father is Portuguese. I told him my mother is Portuguese. The Portuguese word for 'delicious' is delicioso/deliciosa by the way, just like in Spanish. (I had to ask the waiter for the word because I haven't gotten to that level of Duolingo yet.) After dinner, I walked past the restaurant and was pleased to find two new restaurants that aren't on Yelp but that I will be happy to try - one had snails (caracois) on its specials' menu, and one was called "Green," as it's a vegan restaurant, yay! I wonder if it serves Green wine also, which is supposed to be one of Portugal's specialties in addition to port wine. I went back to the Deja vu outdoor cafe for a night cap before heading back to my teeny room to wind down and write this post.

I will check in with you tomorrow.

Boa noite,

Alana