Lisbon 2–The treasured city

The following takes place between Days 161-162, May 7-8, 2011

After the quick breeze through of Porto, it was back on the bus for me towards Lisbon. And good timing too as just as the bus was pulling out of the city did the rain start pouring down. I wouldn’t have gotten much done in Porto that day it seems.

The one thing that really was annoying about Porto, which I alluded to previously, is that there is no central bus station. Each bus company runs out of its own office so it’s not exactly user friendly. You don’t get the opportunity to shop around for the best times and/or prices. You basically choose the bus company and take what’s available. Luckily for myself and the two girls I was with, the next bus to Lisbon was leaving in ten minutes so it wasn’t that much of a wait.

Lisbon–A City of Contrasts

The following takes place between Days 155-157, May 1-3, 2011

I admit that not only have I been completely neglecting updating the blog, but I’ve also been half dreading writing this post, and the others about Portugal as I have a good friend back home from Portugal. I really want to do his home country justice.

And wow. What a country. We’ll start with the capital as that’s where we are currently situated. I just fell in love with this city. Sure, my Portuguese leaves much to be desired but at least it’s close enough to Spanish that I can get by. “No fala Portuguese. Solo ingles o Español" was a phrase I said many times. I tried though! I caught onto the way they said numbers which is a pretty important skill to have.

Ah! Back to the city though! And what a city. What a city indeed.

Overseas Birthday

The following takes place on Days 153-154, April 29-30, 2011

A curious pattern seems to be emerging, I’ve noticed, when it comes to me and travel days. They become almost a complete waste. Take for instance my travel from Barcelona, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. First I was extremely bummed out that I had to leave behind Jordi and Esteban. At least there’s a huge reason to come back to the area. Second, I get extremely exhausted sitting on a bus for an extended period of time. I left Barcelona at just before midnight and, after a quick transfer in Madrid, arrived in Lisbon at 4:30pm the next afternoon. When I successfully navigated the metro system and found my hostel in the center of Restoradores Square I had been on the move for over 17 hours.

So what did I do with what was left of the day? The same thing I seem to do with every travel day. I plucked down on my bed and did absolutely nothing.