Portugal

I’m going to share my stories from my trip to Portugal here on my personal blog. For more of the practical information about how to get around and navigate, check out the post on my website, http://jumpoutyourfishbowl.com/portugal/

The image on the left is me at the Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal.

Imagine me, flying from the US to Portugal, arriving 12 hrs before anyone else in my party. The flight was excellent. International flying is the way to go. Look at all the food I got, plus a bottle of water. And there was free wine/beer available. Glimpses of royalty:: pinky out.

But this was a little different. I tried to learn Portuguese, but it's actually a tough language. So I tried my best, but in a foreign land without knowing the language made me a little nervous. Luckily, I found a lot of supporting websites that comforted me in their ability to speak English. And I hate being that person, demanding the local to speak my language, but it wasn't too bad, actually. This blog definitely made me feel more comfortable.

 I had reserved an AirBnb for the first couple of days in Lisbon, but the host could not give me an early check in because the previous guests had not checked out. I arrived around 9:15am, and by the time I got through customs and collected by bag it was 11am. I decided to store my luggage somewhere and join a walking tour.

Finding the luggage storage place was . ..Interesting, we shall say. First I had to carry my bags up the stairs from the train station because there wasn’t an elevator. I later learned there was an elevator on the other side (arg). I come up to the street level (super paranoid because every trip advisor said to be wary of pickpocketers), everyone is speaking Portuguese and I can’t decide who to ask to help me. I had the address and I purposefully picked one near the walking tour starting place (on hindsight, I should have picked on near the ending location), but the street names can sometimes be hard to see. They are written on the sides of the buildings, and for some reason my GPS was not working and I couldn’t find the street I was looking for. I finally asked one guy who spoke English and proceeded to drag my 50 lb suitcase, plus rolling carryon down the wrong street. I stopped again and asked a local. She didn’t understand English, but she could understand my Spanish. She told me to go the opposite way and turn left. Sweaty, but hopeful, I finally found the place. There’s no greater joy than dropping your bags off and being free to explore.

I missed the 11am tour, so I booked the 2:30pm tour and had some time to kill. The metro system was super easy to navigate, so from the airport I caught the Red line to Alameda, then transferred to the Green line to Baixa-Chiado. The tour met by the big statue in the square. I grabbed some Tapas at a nearby restaurant in Baixa-Chiado, while I waited for the tour to begin. There's a ton of Cod fish in Portugal. I tried it, but still can't get into it. But if you love Cod, this is the place for you! 

Being all alone in a new county, it was nice to be on a tour with other tourists. For 3 hours we walked around Lisbon (Jaime was an awesome tour guide!) and learned about the history and culture. We walked up a massive hill so bring your walking shoes for this county. Leave your heels at home, ladies!!

After the tour, I went about getting my key to my Airbnb. I definitely recommend doing this in the daytime, before night falls, as it’s harder to navigate a foreign place in the dark. I totally got lost in Alfama and my host had to meet me somewhere and traverse the tricky path back to the place. I got the key, and then she walked me back to Baixa-Chiado, since she was fortunately going that way anyway. We took the flattest path possible, as my eyes were becoming larger and wondering how I was going to drag all my stuff, by myself, back to the house. We found a good drop-off location where the cars could go. So, it’s important to note that the streets are so narrow and some streets are blocked by permit (a physical barrier comes out from the ground), so only certain cars can get through. For some of the Uber drivers, they couldn’t get to where I wanted to go, and for some reason people would point to a fork in the road and tell you to go straight, so there was room for improvement in directions, so it’s super easy to get lost there. No one wants to be lost dragging a suitcase, so I was a creature of habit. Once I found a way I knew, I stuck to that so that I could get back home.

Sweat, faith, and tears got me and my bags through the cobblestone, stairs, and narrow streets. Every other person passing me told me there was a car coming, and me not having anywhere else to drag my bag. In future trips I will pack a much smaller bag, but I was bringing things over from the US as gifts, so I was above my weight threshold in 1 bag. Never give up!!! I finally reached the apartment. I thought the arduous portion was behind me. Nope! 3 flights of narrow stairs left to go. Let me tell you, when I got inside my apartment with both bags and locked the door, I felt like Rocky at the top of the Art Museum stairs. I may have even jumped up and down. No Lie.

So the next day was spent recovering from Jet Lag and exploring the city. I loved Baixa-Chiado and knew it like the back of my hand, by the end of the trip. And if you are free at night it’s cool to grab a gelato and listen to the street musicians.

Now, if you go a little away from Chiado you will hit Rossio (the R’s in Portuguese are pronounced like a hard H) and you will most likely be offered drups. Just say no. Remember 8^th grade health class? Just say no. Seriously, even if that’s your thing, I don’t think a mysterious plastic baggie from a stranger is a great idea. Drugs are illegal to sell, but lightly policed since it’s legal to do. Don’t be alarmed, just something to know. The more you know. . . 

I didn’t have any issues with pickpocketers, but I was glad I was aware of them. I used a cross-body bag and never kept valuables in my tiny female pockets (argg, I get so annoyed at how small female pockets are, but that rant will be in a separate post).

We did a separate tour of Alfama with [Ricardo] Dias and that was very interesting too. You have to try the Ginja while you are in Portugal, it’s a drink they are known for. Personally, it taste like cough syrup to me, so not a fan, but when in Rome .. .. at least taste it. You can get it for about 1 Euro.

We got rained on during our tour and of course this was the one time I didn’t have a Poncho. I ended up buying an umbrella, but now I have a small travel umbrella, so I’ll take the win.

The  food was great; seafood was awesome. There’s a place called the Time Out Market which has everything.  Grab a table and everyone can get whatever food they want. They also have music playing in the background. Everywhere you go you can get Tapas (small plates) so it’s a great way to try things. TripAdvisor is used pretty heavily there, so check it out for amazing restaurants. And if it says make a reservation, make a reservation, because they have no problem turning you away even if there are empty tables. We never felt rushed, even being there past closing, and the wait staff and owners were always very friendly. My favorite waiter was Telmo, who always tried to play me with my Portuguese, but I know I was his favorite customer.

For the soda-drinkers: they will try to pass 7-up for Sprite, like they do Siera Mist in The States. Be prepared. Enjoy your Sprites before you get to Portugal, they are a dime a dozen, but Coke is pretty easy to find. I even had a Fanta, but it was more lemony.

And for the Brown people: everyone will swear you are from Angola. There are a couple of countries in Africa that speak Portuguese: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Equatorial Guinea. I didn’t take offense, I take the compliment that they understood my Portuguese. Take the win!

You would think that while I was out of the country I could avoid talking about one person in particular living in DC, but nope, he somehow managed to come up in jokes during the tours when explorers talked about making Portugal great again. Fortunately, we were on the same side of beliefs, so I didn’t have any trouble, but remember to stay away from controversial topics in foreign lands; especially if you are outnumbered.

There are plenty of places you can venture to from Lisbon on a day trip. We visited Sintra to see some of the unique castles and also went to Cascais and saw the most Western point in Europe.

One of our last nights in Lisbon, we checked out the area of Barrio Alto. This is like New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It is absolutely packed. I was pleasantly surprised. People were mixing their own business and not too sloppy. Of course you had the overpartiers falling over, but they stayed in their lane and their friends helped them it. Tons of people in the small narrow streets, with tons of clubs near by eachother. You are allowed to drink outside so people easily pay for their beverages and chat outside. Hundreds of people and music bouncing from club to club. The scene is a little young, but it’s nice to be out and about and meeting people. When the clubs close at 2am (ish, everything is ish here) people walk to the Pink Street, which is open much later. 

We checked out a club called B.Leza which had live African music the night we were there. So, you pay a cover 10Euros and get a ticket, which is actually a voucher. So then you can get your 10Euros worth at the bar. It was a bit confusing and written in Portuguese, but luckily our group figured it out! Great memories. We turned it early compared to everyone else, but it was like 4am!

The next day we took the train to Porto, Portugal, which is a short flight or a 3.5 hr train ride from Lisbon. Porto is very different from Lisbon. It’s more of a business city, wider streets, more modern. Porto is known for their wine, so while you are there, it’s a good thing to do a wine tasting or go on a wine tour. I believe Taylor’s and Croft offer a free tour and tasting.  Everywhere you turn you can see a church or tower. The architecture is phenomenal.

We did a boat tour in Porto to see the 6 bridges. The boat ride itself was very nice and I was able to get some awesome picture from those angles. Also, I definitely enjoyed walking across the Pon Luis bridge the day before. You can get some great views of the city.  But I will mention some shadiness of which I was not too fond. So, the website indicated that the 6 bridges boat tour was sold out. We decided to go downtown and catch a tour by signing up in person. We get there and they say they still have tours available, so we make our purchase. They then tell us the next boat is in 20 minutes and we have to go to the river and LINE UP. We head to the river to line up and THEY tell us the next boat is in 2 hours and we need to SIGN IN. Luckily, we got the last boat of the day, but imagine if we didn’t and we were leaving the next day. To me, that’s not right.  We get on the boat, and you have got to be kidding me, but the speaker was speaking ONLY in Portuguese. Now, I am all for speaking the local language, but when I paid for the tickets in ENGLISH, and checked in in ENGLISH, it’s kinda messed up to not have an English version. Halfway through the trip another customer mumbled something about them having headsets for English translation - where? how do you get one?. Yeah, my review will reflect all of this.

Ignoring that, it as nice to relax on the river and see the sights. It's an hour ride, and in perfect weather, a perfect activity to do with your travel partner/group.

My favorite place in Porto was the Livraria Lello bookstore. It was absolutely amazing!!! The architecture was super cool and we learned that J.K. Rowling was inspired there while writing Harry Potter. (She lived in Porto for a while as an English teacher). The bookstore is just so different from anything else I had seen. With your entry voucher, you can use it towards the purchase of a book. 

There are several beaches “nearby” with the closest being Matesinhos. It’s not the best beach, any local will tell you, but since it was so cold we weren’t going in anyway, so it was nice to touch the Atlantic and visit for a while.

Porto was nice, but my heart belongs to Lisboa. We took the train back to Lisbon and flew out from there. Dinner and roaming the streets of Baixa-Chiado one last time. 

I had an amazing time in Portugal, and would definitely recommend it. I think it’s an “under the radar” country, when we talk about Europe. Everyone always talks about Paris and Madrid, but it’s definitely a place to go.

I was so very thankful that most people spoke English, but they also knew at least 3 other languages. I’m eternally grateful for Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Davidson for teaching me Spanish, but I definitely see value in more continued lessons.  Regardless of what country you go to, I think it’s the polite thing to attempt to learn a few phrases in their language. People that did not speak English were happy to speak to me in Spanish (it was almost like a challenge for them) and I was glad I had that in my back pocket.

***A couple of years ago I posted general tips for traveling through Europe. You can read those here .

***I used 'we' a lot. Hopefully you have deduced I was not alone. My blog, my stories, muhahahahahha. Just kidding, I try to respect everyone's privacy. The other group mates also had an excellent time.

What is Wrong with the World? "I AM ! "

On October 25, 2010 I, along with hundreds of others, had the grand experience of watching a film screening of "I AM," a documentary helping to explain what is wrong with the world today and what we can do about it. The director of the film is Tom Shadyac, who has also directed such films as Patch Adams, Ace Ventura, and Bruce Almighty. After the film Tom and co-producer Jackie Zampella answered questions from the audience.

(Pictured: left - Jackie Zampella, co-producer
right - Tom Shadyac, director & writer)

The film repeatedly asks the question "What is Wrong with the World?" and the prevalent and astounding answer is that "I AM" is the answer to that question. That each of us has a responsibility to help make the world a better place than we found it.

The creation of the movie is an interesting story. In short, Tom was in an accident that nearly killed him. He was on the verge of death, and mentally drained and depressed. At some point he reached his very bottom, perhaps his tipping point, and realized that he was not going to go out like that. There was at least one more thing that he wanted to say. And it was nothing but his faith in God that got him out of that bed and gave him the energy to begin the journey of a lifetime. He was setting out to find out what was wrong with the world. And, being a director, he was going to answer the question in the form of a film.

He interviewed hundreds of people - scientists, philosophers, people of various faiths, over 700 hours of film, and compiled it together in the <2 hour film that we watched. The impact can not be described in the words I can write in my blog, but I can share some of the interesting stories that I remember (and took notes on) from the journey.

Some of the interesting studies that were done occurred at the Institute of HeartMath. They were showing the link between the human heart and other living beings. That we are cosmically connected in some way. For instance, they connected yogurt up to electrodes, and with a person sitting nearby, there was noticeably more energy in the yogurt when a sharp emotion (shout or laughter) happened in the nearby person. As if the person was giving off some type of signal to the yogurt. And another study where a person's saliva was analyzed with the person being clear across town. The actions and body responses of the person matched those of the person's saliva, superficially separated. He tested married couples in separate rooms. When one spouse had a bright light shining in their eye, the other spouse's eye had a similar reaction even though they were in a separate room and could not see or hear what was going on.

The purpose of these exercises was simply to illustrate that we are not just individual beings going about our merry way; that our actions and interactions do affect other people, whether we realize it or not. The more that we act as though we are independent and don't need or affect others, the more harm we may be doing.

The film addressed Toms depression and why it is that people get so down on their lives. One of the problems is that when we are in a low time or dark situation that is how we see the rest of our future. The key is to remember that that is just where you are right now, in the present time. If you don't believe it will get better, it is much harder for it to.

I love what he said - "We really need a new definition of normal." There are ideas, at least in the USA that the great American Dream is to have more land, more space, and more material possessions. We are possessive of land - the more you own symbolizes that you have "made it." Sports players, Celebrities, and the most famous of people live in million square footage mansions with BMWs or expensive cars for every day of the week. They buy expensive clothing, outrageously priced jewelry, and import steak for dinner, just because they can. We build up fences around our masses of land to keep our lives private and protected. We don't say hi to our neighbors, we talk on cell phones while riding the bus or train; anything to prevent us from having to have an actual conversation with another human being that we may not know.

The more "stuff" we have, the more we seem to move away from being an equal partner in the community. And that is exactly what we need to get back to. In the film, someone mentioned that a plant that takes more water than it needs will drown. Human nature is probably very capitalistic - we want what we want and we don't care who doesn't have anything. Wouldn't it be better if someone did not have to be poor or hungry because I wanted to eat? If there is more than enough food why should I get 2 loaves of bread and the other person none? What is so wrong with me only taking 1 because that's all that I need? We have become a society where we take it JUST BECAUSE WE CAN; with no regard for the fact that more than you need is a waste.

There is a "delusion of consciousness." We are actually being held hostage by our possessions. Think about it - the bigger your house, the more you have to dust, the more time it takes or you have to hire help. The more cars you have, the more you have to maintain, the more you have to protect, the bigger fence you have to build. When you have a ton more than what you could possibly need you are always worrying about what to do with it, where to put it, and where to put the remains when they go bad. Living simpler is an improvement we all can make.

Lastly, the point was made that an alcoholic will not recover until he or she admits their own responsibility. "I Am" is about us all taking responsibility for the world not being the place we need it to be. We all need to stop pointing fingers at others and step up and do the things that we need to do. We can't compete with the Tsunamis of money, instant gratification of material objects, and the desire of greed and having it all; but hopefully we can lead by example.

I AM the problem, and I AM going to help towards the solution.


To find out more about the film check out Tom's website: "I AM" the documentary. It will release in February 2011. I'd love to hear your thoughts!