Sooooo much to take in. All of these things that I'm seeing are amazing. The sheer size of them all is enough to make your head spin!
Today was a loooonnnnnggg, hot and awesome day.
Started early in the morning. After having a horrific night due to the 1st migraine I've had in over a year, I woke up exhausted. Stupid headache. I wanted to get at least one good night's sleep in so I could kick the jet lag. That didn't happen, but luckily, the headache did not return today and I was able to nap in between trips. Thank god, otherwise I would've been useless.
Anywho, grabbed some breakfast @ the hotel, which was meh. But eggs n bacon were needed to provide energy for the day. I hopped on the metro (which is thankfully only a couple of blocks away) and went to the grayline for my trip of the day.
We headed to the medeival village of Obidos first. It is a small village that holds 200 people & their homes and is surrounded by an ancient wall and castle. It is considered very romantic as the houses are all white-washed with different colored trims and different flowers adorning the streets and walls. The streets are tiny and narrow and only a few can hold cars. But there are lots of little restaurants and bars for the tourist, as well as many tile shops to buy all kinds of art and various knick knacks. :) I picked up a set of salt & pepper shakers that are shaped like pigs. I couldn't resist. They are made of porcelain and hand painted in blue. Really adorable. I'm not really a tchachcki or knick knacky kind of girl. But I figure one day, I'll have my own house and can say - hey I got these when I was in Portugal! :) Obidos is just beautiful. Up in thountains and its own little world. I'd love to go back there some day and spend some more time as we only had about 45 minutes. But I managed to take a TON of pics, of course. ;) I learned that one of my mottos was the perfect thing - Always take the road less traveled. - when you get away from the touristy areas, you find the true beauty of a place. Sometimes not so much beauty, but the truth of the place itself. In this case, it was all beautiful and I'm so glad I got to go.
It was on to Alcobasa Monastery. A huge gothic church that was built alongside a monastery.
All this time I was worrying about my camera batteries cuz the bastard goes through batteries like water and Ihad to change them right after Obidos. I knew we had so much more to see, so I was trying to hold back my snap-happiness. That's not easy as Gothic Architecture is one of my favorite things ever, other than castles of course - lol. I'm such an architecture girl. I'd rather be outside seeing buildings than inside museums looking @ paintings. I'm weird, I know.
Anyway, Alcabaca has a really cool story that is loved by the people of Portugal. King Pedro I was married to a woman when he met the love of his life, Ines de Castro. They never acted on their love for each other. But when his wife died, they had several children together without ever getting married. The church frowned on this and it was a big deal in the 14th century, so they had her beheaded. The people were outraged by this and actually crowned her queen when she died so that she could be buried alongside Pedro when she died. So while it is a sad story, they are now together in tombs in the church of Alcabaca.
The church is HUGE. I mean I can't even explain the scale of it. It is also considered to be one of the biggest churches in Europe. The ceilings are unbelievably high and the church is very plain. There are few statues or ornamentations on the walls. Even the windows are stark and plain. They said that this is so that people could connect directly to God. It is really very striking and beautiful despite the lack of details.
The two tombs of Pedro & Ines are across from each other near the altar. The details on their tombs are so intricate. Many of the details and statues on the tombs have been destroyed as Napoleon came through and wanted to desecrate the church. In trying to do so, they cut off many of the heads of the statues. More on Pedro's tomb than on Ines'. Its very sad.
After seeing Alcabaca, we went into Navares for lunch. Navares was a fishing village on the Atlantic ocean. Still is to this day. We had lunch provided for us as part of the trip. It was great. We had Hake (which is a fish) traditionally made with salt and breading. Yummeh! With potatoes, salad and a rice pudding of sorts. Lots of wine was being passed around. i sat with a couple of people from the states. A couple from texas and a couple from Chicago. They were all here for a Pharmacist Congress. They were all very nice and were very interested in my singing and again - that I was there alone. There was also a woman from Romania @ our table. She spoke English very well. The other tables were full of people who spoke Portugese, French and Spanish. The guide was speaking in 3 languages - Portugese, French and English. Nuts. I can't believe how easily these guides do it! We all asked how she learned and she said that it is pretty much a requirement for everyone in Lisbon to learn English and Spanish and most learn French as well. Talk about good schooling. We barely learn one language in the US!
Navares is not the prettiest town. So I didn't take pics while I was there. We were up higher away from the water anyway, so we could'nt see much from the restaurant, but we saw a lot from the bus. And again, I was saving batteries. :) Plus, after seeing Cascais an Estoril, you can't really compare the beauty of it.
After lunch it was onto Batalha (pronounced Batalia like Natalia). Batalha is also a huge Gothic church. I think it looks similar to Notre Dame with flying butresses and the like. The details in this church were far more abundant and absolutely gorgeous. Especially on the outside. Stained glass windows, high ceilings, though not quite as high as Alcobaca. So awesome. I was so giddy. Of course, by this time, it was hotter than hell outside and people were starting to get tired. We left @ 9:00am and it was about 3:30. The heat and the sun can be opressive and really take a ton of your energy.
After Batalha, it was on to Fatima! FINALLY! Fatima is @ the top of a mountain. And it is beyond comparison. We stopped at the "factory" which is where they sell holy water from Fatima, religious relics, rosaries and all kinds of touristy things. They have it further away from the actual site as so many go there to pray and they don't want to be disrespectful. When we got to the main site which is where the shrine and square and actual site of Mary's appearance was, there was a mass going on. I got to sit and listen to them singing and just take in the peace that you can't help but feel. I walked around the square and took tons of pictures. I also drank from the waters of Fatima which appeared when Mary did for the first time.
For those of you who don't know. The site of Fatima, Portugal is where Mary, Mother of Christ appeared to 3 little shepherds. 2 girls and one boy. She appeared to them 6 times and told them to pray for the world and their sins. When she appeared the first time, a spring of water also appeared. The water is considered holy water. And you can fill your own bottles or containers with it. it is safe to drink, so I drank some to protect my throat and my voice in the future. :)
There is a shrine, which is the main church and a square that is absolutely huge. It hosts thousands of people every year who make a pilgrimage to the site. Many stay on their knees and do not stand at all while in the square. I saw many people doing that today. There is a smaller site where Mary actually appeared to the children which is where the mass was held. There is also a site to burn candles. Not light them, burn them. You throw them into a large fire in memory of loved ones. And then there is a new chapel that has been built to hold the thousands of people who visit every year on May 13th, to celebrate the anniversary of the 1st appearance.
It is all stunning and awe-inspiring. I went into the shrine after attending mass and burning a few candles. The peace is unparalleled. The 2 shepherds are buried there as well. The brother and sister Jucinta & Francisco both died very young, only a few years after the last time they saw an appearance. Lucia live until a few years ago. She was 97. The shrine is all white and so calming. By that point I was exhausted and so overheated. To be able to sit in peace and pray for my friends and family left me renewed.What an experience!
Tomorrow I have a day to myself in Lisbon, I'm all done with my planned excursions and tours. I want to go to Cascais on my own on Wednesday. So tomorrow I go up to Castelo Sao Jorge and the Se Cathedral as well as Belem Monastery. Since I won't be killing myself to get around all day, I'm hoping to go out to dinner @ another Fado club. :) Only 2 more days before I head home...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Lisbon Day 2
Wow. Parts of this place are truly beautiful and parts are so impoverished. Its kinda sad. The contrast between the two is obvious and stunning. One thing for sure though, the people of Portugal are very friendly and very kind. I was surprised how unpretentious they are. And so many speak English, its crazy. Of course, at this time of year, there are so many tourists. I've found mostly Brits and Ozzies on my tours and walking around. A few Germans as well. I've met lots of nice people so far. Thank god I'm not shy, otherwise I'd be bored all by myself. ;)
Today I woke up kinda late since my system is all off-kilter. It was sooooo hard to get up. Oi. But I did eventually. Since I don't want to spend exorbitant amounts of $ while I'm here, and the supermarket next door is very reasonable, I went and got some sandwich food to make some sammies to take with me while I walked around the city. It is very very hot too, so lots of water needed to be consumed.
After a quick bite for breakfast and figuring out where the hell the metro station was, I was off to Rossio, which is considered more downtown and the center point for most sights in Lisbon. The metro was a short ride and I found myself in the Baixo-Chiado district which is where Rossio is located. It is lovely there, all old buildings made of marble and granite. And the first thing I went to do was take the Elevador de Santa Justa which is a giant elevator in the middle of nowhere that you can take up to see the whole of Lisbon. It was designed by Eiffel's apprentice, so you can imagine how beautiful it is. All iron and metal. It is really beautiful. As I was standing in line, I met a few girls from Georgia who has just come from Lithuania and were on their way to Madrid. Random that they had just been in Lithuania. lol. They were really nice and we got to talk alot while waiting for the lift. We all took pics of one another up on the top. The view was stunning today as the skies were virtually cloudless. It was gorgeous.
I walked around Rossio square and found a Starbucks. lol. I didn't get anything there, but I am really surprised how many things they have here that we have @ home. And yes, today I got brave and tried the Cheeseburger flavored Ruffles. They weren't bad. A little odd, but not bad. After walking around a bit, and sitting in the shade to eat my sammich, I headed up to where the grayline is located - Marques de Pombal for my excursion to Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Cascais and Estoril.
My tour guide was awesome. Her name is Dora and she was our guide for last night's tour of Lisbon and Fado music. She has great little stories to tell here and there and is a lot of fun. She was speaking Spanish, Portugese & English throughout the entire ride. That's nuts! My brain gets all scrambled when I try to speak 2 languages, nevermind 3!
The ride to Sintra was short. A totally full bus of people. We split up when we got to Sintra as some had free time in Sintra as part of their trip and some of us had a trip up to Pena Palace. My trip included Pena Palace which was AMAZING!!! I get really over-excited when I see castles so I took a bajilion pics! lol! The castle was built in the 19th century and was originally a 16th century monastery. It is called a fairytale castle and is therefore filled with all sorts of beautiful tiles and gargoyles and paintings. All of the original furniture and gifts that the royal families received while there are still there and you see them all when you go in. It is gorgeous. All kinds of things like Limoges porcelain, Indian and Chinese items and a really cool room all with Stained Glass Windows collected by Ferdinand the II when he lived in Germany. The castle looks alot like Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. But Pena was built 30 yrs before. It is really magical. The outside especially. The Portugese are famous for their tiles, and this is obvious all over the castle. There are also little touches of moorish art and culture as the moors were in Portugal for a long time. There are moorish castles all over the place here. The most interesting thing though, is that there are touches of masonic symbols everywhere. Ferdinand was a supporter of the templar knights and masonry. VERY interesting stuff. There are indications everywhere with animals that symbolized masonry in the walls and symbols on the ceilings interspersed with other art. There are also 2 gates in the palace, the gate of death and the gate of life which symbolizes the balance in life. They are beautiful as well.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd rather see a castle than a town anyway. lol! So I was glad that I got to go up to Pena, which is @ the top of the mountain in Sintra rather than walk around Sintra for a few hours. ;) Though on the way down, I saw two blue Roans pulling a coach and I wished I had gotten to see them up closer. I had a blue roan once and I loved her so. *sigh* I also was LMAO the whole way down the mountain cuz a local boy jumped in front of our bus and flipped us off - lol!!!
After Sintra, we made our way to Cabo da Roca which is littlerally the end of Europe. It is the outermost and Southernmost part of Europe before it becomes the Atlantic Ocean. It is absolutely stunning. I don't have the words to describe it. All cliffs and water in the sunset. Beautiful.
Then is was off to Cascais which is all beaches on the water. It is just gorgeous to see. We drove by Boca do Inferno, but I didn't really get to see it as we just drove by it. But I liked Cascais so much that I think I'm gonna go there for the day on my last day here. There is much to see and do there and I'd like to have more time to explore. The views of the ocean and bay are so calming. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough for me to go later this week.
Estoril is right next to Cascais and is home to the largest Casino in Europe. It is very schmancy as many of the royals wanted to be close to the royal family so there are palaces and homes of dukes and royals everywhere. It is also worth exploring. But by this part of the trip, the damned jet-lag was giving me a migraine and I was ready to go home. I skipped dinner tonight cuz I was so exhausted. I've never been one to get jet lag. But this is just kicking my ass. Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure that.
On the way home, my tour guide was telling us that since Portugal was neutral during WWII, many spies came to Estoril to play in the casino. And Ian Fleming was inspired by one of the spies he met @ the casino. So much so, that he got the idea for the James Bond series. isn't that cool???
My Room is very nice, but the ac doesn't go on till you stick the card in the main switch slot which also operates the lights. So when you first get in, its on the hot side. That doesn't help my headache at all.
OH! And I think that I forgot to mention that when you are in a Fado House and the performers are singing, you have to remain completely silent. It is in respect for the performer and what they are trying to convey through the song. Fado is very emotional and to truly feel it, silence is required. I think that is awesome. There was a moment when the instrumentalists began playing and someone started talking obnoxiously and they just stopped. It was fantastic. I'm glad they did it. Musicians are so often unappreciated and disrespected.
I've uploaded a ton of photos from today on my facebook! Go check em out!
One other thing to share - people wear Harem pants here ALOT! Its weird. And I hope they aren't becoming a fad again. They just aren't attractive. lol!!
Today I woke up kinda late since my system is all off-kilter. It was sooooo hard to get up. Oi. But I did eventually. Since I don't want to spend exorbitant amounts of $ while I'm here, and the supermarket next door is very reasonable, I went and got some sandwich food to make some sammies to take with me while I walked around the city. It is very very hot too, so lots of water needed to be consumed.
After a quick bite for breakfast and figuring out where the hell the metro station was, I was off to Rossio, which is considered more downtown and the center point for most sights in Lisbon. The metro was a short ride and I found myself in the Baixo-Chiado district which is where Rossio is located. It is lovely there, all old buildings made of marble and granite. And the first thing I went to do was take the Elevador de Santa Justa which is a giant elevator in the middle of nowhere that you can take up to see the whole of Lisbon. It was designed by Eiffel's apprentice, so you can imagine how beautiful it is. All iron and metal. It is really beautiful. As I was standing in line, I met a few girls from Georgia who has just come from Lithuania and were on their way to Madrid. Random that they had just been in Lithuania. lol. They were really nice and we got to talk alot while waiting for the lift. We all took pics of one another up on the top. The view was stunning today as the skies were virtually cloudless. It was gorgeous.
I walked around Rossio square and found a Starbucks. lol. I didn't get anything there, but I am really surprised how many things they have here that we have @ home. And yes, today I got brave and tried the Cheeseburger flavored Ruffles. They weren't bad. A little odd, but not bad. After walking around a bit, and sitting in the shade to eat my sammich, I headed up to where the grayline is located - Marques de Pombal for my excursion to Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Cascais and Estoril.
My tour guide was awesome. Her name is Dora and she was our guide for last night's tour of Lisbon and Fado music. She has great little stories to tell here and there and is a lot of fun. She was speaking Spanish, Portugese & English throughout the entire ride. That's nuts! My brain gets all scrambled when I try to speak 2 languages, nevermind 3!
The ride to Sintra was short. A totally full bus of people. We split up when we got to Sintra as some had free time in Sintra as part of their trip and some of us had a trip up to Pena Palace. My trip included Pena Palace which was AMAZING!!! I get really over-excited when I see castles so I took a bajilion pics! lol! The castle was built in the 19th century and was originally a 16th century monastery. It is called a fairytale castle and is therefore filled with all sorts of beautiful tiles and gargoyles and paintings. All of the original furniture and gifts that the royal families received while there are still there and you see them all when you go in. It is gorgeous. All kinds of things like Limoges porcelain, Indian and Chinese items and a really cool room all with Stained Glass Windows collected by Ferdinand the II when he lived in Germany. The castle looks alot like Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. But Pena was built 30 yrs before. It is really magical. The outside especially. The Portugese are famous for their tiles, and this is obvious all over the castle. There are also little touches of moorish art and culture as the moors were in Portugal for a long time. There are moorish castles all over the place here. The most interesting thing though, is that there are touches of masonic symbols everywhere. Ferdinand was a supporter of the templar knights and masonry. VERY interesting stuff. There are indications everywhere with animals that symbolized masonry in the walls and symbols on the ceilings interspersed with other art. There are also 2 gates in the palace, the gate of death and the gate of life which symbolizes the balance in life. They are beautiful as well.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd rather see a castle than a town anyway. lol! So I was glad that I got to go up to Pena, which is @ the top of the mountain in Sintra rather than walk around Sintra for a few hours. ;) Though on the way down, I saw two blue Roans pulling a coach and I wished I had gotten to see them up closer. I had a blue roan once and I loved her so. *sigh* I also was LMAO the whole way down the mountain cuz a local boy jumped in front of our bus and flipped us off - lol!!!
After Sintra, we made our way to Cabo da Roca which is littlerally the end of Europe. It is the outermost and Southernmost part of Europe before it becomes the Atlantic Ocean. It is absolutely stunning. I don't have the words to describe it. All cliffs and water in the sunset. Beautiful.
Then is was off to Cascais which is all beaches on the water. It is just gorgeous to see. We drove by Boca do Inferno, but I didn't really get to see it as we just drove by it. But I liked Cascais so much that I think I'm gonna go there for the day on my last day here. There is much to see and do there and I'd like to have more time to explore. The views of the ocean and bay are so calming. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough for me to go later this week.
Estoril is right next to Cascais and is home to the largest Casino in Europe. It is very schmancy as many of the royals wanted to be close to the royal family so there are palaces and homes of dukes and royals everywhere. It is also worth exploring. But by this part of the trip, the damned jet-lag was giving me a migraine and I was ready to go home. I skipped dinner tonight cuz I was so exhausted. I've never been one to get jet lag. But this is just kicking my ass. Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure that.
On the way home, my tour guide was telling us that since Portugal was neutral during WWII, many spies came to Estoril to play in the casino. And Ian Fleming was inspired by one of the spies he met @ the casino. So much so, that he got the idea for the James Bond series. isn't that cool???
My Room is very nice, but the ac doesn't go on till you stick the card in the main switch slot which also operates the lights. So when you first get in, its on the hot side. That doesn't help my headache at all.
OH! And I think that I forgot to mention that when you are in a Fado House and the performers are singing, you have to remain completely silent. It is in respect for the performer and what they are trying to convey through the song. Fado is very emotional and to truly feel it, silence is required. I think that is awesome. There was a moment when the instrumentalists began playing and someone started talking obnoxiously and they just stopped. It was fantastic. I'm glad they did it. Musicians are so often unappreciated and disrespected.
I've uploaded a ton of photos from today on my facebook! Go check em out!
One other thing to share - people wear Harem pants here ALOT! Its weird. And I hope they aren't becoming a fad again. They just aren't attractive. lol!!
Lisbon Day 1
God I'm tired.
Took a 10:30 flight to Ponta Delgada, Portugal. It was long. Not in actual time - only about 5 hrs. But there were many kids on the plane who enjoyed screaming and kicking chairs. Yah. So I probably got about 20 mins of sleep total. That and it was totally full and therefore cramped and not comfy. But that is ok. Not too much turbulence, thank god. I was REALLY worried about all of those storms over the Atlantic. It was a little shaky, but I can deal with that.
@ Ponta Delgada we had the same plane but had to get off and let them refuel, etc. It was very odd. Ponta Delgada is an island off of the mainland of Portugal. It was a very small airport and really windy. They have outdoor airports here like in Rome. Ones where you get off the plan on the tarmac and they rush you into buses and take you over to the actual terminal. It was good to get the fresh air, but by then I was ready for the trip to be over and get to Lisbon.
The trip was about 2 hrs so we landed @ 11:30 am. Which is about 7:30 am Boston time. Customs was easy and my luggage was the first to come off the plane. YAY! The airport was UBER crowded cuz one of Portugal's teams had just come off a plane and there was press EVERYWHERE! It was nuts. Not sure which team, but they were all happy. So they must've done well. lol!
I took a taxu straight to the hotel cuz I didn't have the energy to try to find the Aerobus and try to navigate the city on foot. Good thing too, cuz the exhaustion was overwhelming me and I was seriously questioning why I did this. I get like that when I'm tired. I get all emo and weird and doubtful. It sucks. But my hotel is nice. Not gorgeous, but quite lovely and spacious. There is a grocery store RIGHT next door which is great. Their bottled water is super cheap and they have yummy sandwiches and many brands of things that we have in the US. They have cheeseburger flavored Ruffles. I find myself intrigued! lol! I my be brave enough to try them by the end of the trip...
So, exhaustion set in and I had about 4 hrs before I had to get ready for Lisbon by Night & Fado music. So I took a nap. Smart move Gils! :)
When I woke up, I was still feeling whelmed. Less than overwhelmed, but still whelmed. But I got picked up for the tour and started feeling a bit better. I needed to get acclimated, and this is one the best ways to do so. Book a tour through the grayline. Srsly, they are always good. I did many tours w/ them in Paris and made some great friends with people who were on the same tours as I was. I was worried today though cuz there was only 1 couple on the bus w/ me and they didn't speak English. But a couple more people got on the bus from Australia and the US, so I felt alot better. Being the social butterfly that I am, I started speaking w/ the ladies from Oz. They were very sweet and said that Fatima was wonderful and that I would enjoy the tour. We went around Lisbon's downtown area - Rossio and Baixa Chiado and saw some cool things that I want to do. We also went by the Belem monastery which is this amazing ancient building. Gorgeous. I'm gonna go there on my own. There is a very famous pastry shop right next to it and I was told that I HAD to try it. :)
After driving around a bit, we went to the Fado house - Timpanas. The inside was amazing. I wish I could explain it. It was like an old cottage w/ a stage. I think that's the best way to describe it. It was very small with tables scattered everywhere and a small stage. There were 2 hours of acts and yummy dinner w wine and dessert provided. The first act was a group in traditional clothing and they came in w/ an accordionist and playing various traditional instruments, I loooove folk music. Being a Lithuanian Folk Singer gives me a great appreciation of other cultures' music and traditional arts. I was eating it up. They sang a few songs and dances a couple of dances. It was great! Then there were 4 Fado singers that came on and off throughout the night. 2 men and 2 women. The final one impressed me the most. I got her cd and someone told her that I was an opera singer, so she signed it for me. She was very nice and just amazing. They were accompanied by a guitarist and a portugese viola. Wow. Just wow. I was soaking up the music through every pore of my body. It was simply amazing. I enjoyed every single moment!
Dinner was very good. They served Caldo Verde which is a yummy hot soup made w/ kale and leeks. We have a version of it in Lithuania as well. It was so delicious. The main course was chicken and traditional portugese chips and veggies. With a yummy creme brulee-like dish for dessert. Didn't get to find out exactly what it was, but it wasn't quite creme brulee. The wine was good too. And I'm not a wine drinker. lol.
I got to sit with an older couple from California. They were very nice and told me about what they saw and did. They were very impressed that I am here by myself. Everyone who I spoke to is. They were all like what? You are here yoruself? I'd never be able to do that! Makes me feel good. :) I also got to meet a nice couple from NYC who I gave my card to. We got along so well and decided to keep in touch. Sadly, most of them are leaving tomorrow or monday, so I won't see them on any of the other tours/excursions I'm doing. But the leader of our tour tonight is leading my tour to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril tomorrow. And she is very fun and cool. I like her a lot.
I'm glad I did this tour. It really helped me get my bearings. I hate being overwhelmed. I get all crazy when I am. Thankfully, I'm back to myself and happily planning where to go and what to see. I got to see a lot of the things that I want to visit on my own while we were passing various sights, so I know where most of them are located now...yay!
Oh! And there is a Starbucks on every corner! I find that hilarious!
Took a 10:30 flight to Ponta Delgada, Portugal. It was long. Not in actual time - only about 5 hrs. But there were many kids on the plane who enjoyed screaming and kicking chairs. Yah. So I probably got about 20 mins of sleep total. That and it was totally full and therefore cramped and not comfy. But that is ok. Not too much turbulence, thank god. I was REALLY worried about all of those storms over the Atlantic. It was a little shaky, but I can deal with that.
@ Ponta Delgada we had the same plane but had to get off and let them refuel, etc. It was very odd. Ponta Delgada is an island off of the mainland of Portugal. It was a very small airport and really windy. They have outdoor airports here like in Rome. Ones where you get off the plan on the tarmac and they rush you into buses and take you over to the actual terminal. It was good to get the fresh air, but by then I was ready for the trip to be over and get to Lisbon.
The trip was about 2 hrs so we landed @ 11:30 am. Which is about 7:30 am Boston time. Customs was easy and my luggage was the first to come off the plane. YAY! The airport was UBER crowded cuz one of Portugal's teams had just come off a plane and there was press EVERYWHERE! It was nuts. Not sure which team, but they were all happy. So they must've done well. lol!
I took a taxu straight to the hotel cuz I didn't have the energy to try to find the Aerobus and try to navigate the city on foot. Good thing too, cuz the exhaustion was overwhelming me and I was seriously questioning why I did this. I get like that when I'm tired. I get all emo and weird and doubtful. It sucks. But my hotel is nice. Not gorgeous, but quite lovely and spacious. There is a grocery store RIGHT next door which is great. Their bottled water is super cheap and they have yummy sandwiches and many brands of things that we have in the US. They have cheeseburger flavored Ruffles. I find myself intrigued! lol! I my be brave enough to try them by the end of the trip...
So, exhaustion set in and I had about 4 hrs before I had to get ready for Lisbon by Night & Fado music. So I took a nap. Smart move Gils! :)
When I woke up, I was still feeling whelmed. Less than overwhelmed, but still whelmed. But I got picked up for the tour and started feeling a bit better. I needed to get acclimated, and this is one the best ways to do so. Book a tour through the grayline. Srsly, they are always good. I did many tours w/ them in Paris and made some great friends with people who were on the same tours as I was. I was worried today though cuz there was only 1 couple on the bus w/ me and they didn't speak English. But a couple more people got on the bus from Australia and the US, so I felt alot better. Being the social butterfly that I am, I started speaking w/ the ladies from Oz. They were very sweet and said that Fatima was wonderful and that I would enjoy the tour. We went around Lisbon's downtown area - Rossio and Baixa Chiado and saw some cool things that I want to do. We also went by the Belem monastery which is this amazing ancient building. Gorgeous. I'm gonna go there on my own. There is a very famous pastry shop right next to it and I was told that I HAD to try it. :)
After driving around a bit, we went to the Fado house - Timpanas. The inside was amazing. I wish I could explain it. It was like an old cottage w/ a stage. I think that's the best way to describe it. It was very small with tables scattered everywhere and a small stage. There were 2 hours of acts and yummy dinner w wine and dessert provided. The first act was a group in traditional clothing and they came in w/ an accordionist and playing various traditional instruments, I loooove folk music. Being a Lithuanian Folk Singer gives me a great appreciation of other cultures' music and traditional arts. I was eating it up. They sang a few songs and dances a couple of dances. It was great! Then there were 4 Fado singers that came on and off throughout the night. 2 men and 2 women. The final one impressed me the most. I got her cd and someone told her that I was an opera singer, so she signed it for me. She was very nice and just amazing. They were accompanied by a guitarist and a portugese viola. Wow. Just wow. I was soaking up the music through every pore of my body. It was simply amazing. I enjoyed every single moment!
Dinner was very good. They served Caldo Verde which is a yummy hot soup made w/ kale and leeks. We have a version of it in Lithuania as well. It was so delicious. The main course was chicken and traditional portugese chips and veggies. With a yummy creme brulee-like dish for dessert. Didn't get to find out exactly what it was, but it wasn't quite creme brulee. The wine was good too. And I'm not a wine drinker. lol.
I got to sit with an older couple from California. They were very nice and told me about what they saw and did. They were very impressed that I am here by myself. Everyone who I spoke to is. They were all like what? You are here yoruself? I'd never be able to do that! Makes me feel good. :) I also got to meet a nice couple from NYC who I gave my card to. We got along so well and decided to keep in touch. Sadly, most of them are leaving tomorrow or monday, so I won't see them on any of the other tours/excursions I'm doing. But the leader of our tour tonight is leading my tour to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril tomorrow. And she is very fun and cool. I like her a lot.
I'm glad I did this tour. It really helped me get my bearings. I hate being overwhelmed. I get all crazy when I am. Thankfully, I'm back to myself and happily planning where to go and what to see. I got to see a lot of the things that I want to visit on my own while we were passing various sights, so I know where most of them are located now...yay!
Oh! And there is a Starbucks on every corner! I find that hilarious!
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