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!