Lisbon

Lisbon is the last European capital that we plan to visit on our European tour. Lisbon is quite different from the cities that we had visited earlier. I would actually like to return to Lisbon someday because it felt a bit flat to me. However, I think that my experience was affected by my mood and my fatigue. We are in our final week of our trip and I am ready to go home. I am incredibly exhausted. It has gotten to the point where I am not remembering things, like grabbing maps or street names. My observation skills have trended downwards and my apathy is increasing. Not good. Nothing that a hot meal and a good sleep can't cure though. Expect the restaurants don't open for dinner until quite late. Aghhh!!! So perhaps I will visit Lisbon another time when I feel a bit more fresh (not that kind of fresh) and have a bit more time to invest there. It also sounds like there are some fantastic day trips from the city.

Lisbon is the largest city in Portugal with over two million people. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and has been part of the Roman Empire, the Moorish Conquest, and the Crusades before becoming the capital of an independent state in the 12th Century. Lisbon has seven hills overlooking the mouth of the Tagus River. We climbed one hill to a castle but we were unable to find the entrance (making it a pretty good castle from a defensive perspective). As awful as it sounds, we are castled-out and were content to simply walk back into the city center. Much of the shopping district is located on a pedestrian street Rua Augusta. We walked city streets, watched a cruise boat dock, sat in parks and sipped coffee. We also visited a massive flea market that is also known as Thieves Market. Indeed, I wondered about the origin of some of the cell phones sold there. It was really one massive garage sale. Shoes, luggage, dishes, cell phone chargers, shirts, cassette tapes, 1980s porn, jewelry and antiques, lamps, toys, really anything crappy could be found there. Melissa did score a pretty awesome vintage suitcase. Yes, we were in the market because we have bought so much stuff.

We saw quite a few homeless and beggars in Lisbon. Andres, the surf instructor, as well as a Scottish bookseller in Lagos offered unique perspectives of the country. Times are hard in Portugal. The country was under a dictatorship until 1974. The government has had difficulty in becoming established. In the last 20 years, 12 different governments have formed in the Parliament. Since the government is constantly being reorganized, it is incredibly inefficient and does not fulfill its role in offering services to the people. Therefore, the people do not respect the government. The instability has also allowed corruption to take root and thrive. About 10 years ago, the nation was actually doing ok financially but corrupt officials siphoned off the country's money and then the recession hit. Portugal is deeply in debt and has had to appeal to the European Union for financial assistance. The government is to provide a structured plan to the European Union by the end of the year detailing how they plan to gain stability and repay the debt. Unfortunately, politicians have allowed their differences to supersede the common good and the Parliament has seen more fistfights than constructive solutions. "Crisis" seemed to be a buzz word in Portugal. Andres shared how the education system is lacking. From his description, it seemed quite difficult to break the cycle, to improve one's standing and knowledge. Thus creating a perpetuating cycle. It made me incredibly thankful to live in America. Yes, our country is not perfect. But we have a secure government, one that is able to fulfill its rolls. Yes, there is a lot of disagreement as to what that roll should be and how it should be done, but at least it works and is able to respond to the needs of the people. We have the opportunity to participate in our government. We are granted free speech and rights that few in the world are able to enjoy. We have the right to education and opportunities abound. We do not have to pay off corrupt officials to start a business. America is a land of potential and allows people to reach that potential. Our nation was founded on the premise that we have the right to pursue our dreams. One of the many blessings of travel is that it allows you to have a new found appreciation of things that you have always taken for granted. 

The people we met in Lisbon were fantastic. On our first morning in Lisbon, I met Craig, a forensic mental health nurse from Scotland. I happened to sit next to him at breakfast and the nursing jokes started soon after. He shared that during his last shift before holiday, the staff had to restrain a patient. He was standing on one side holding one arm down when another nurse suddenly started laughing. When questioned why, he said, "Craig, in 12 hours you are going to be sitting in a hostel bar and someone will ask what you do for a living. Upon hearing that you are a nurse they're going to say, "Wow, your job must be really rewarding." I enjoyed talking with Craig and gaining new insight into nursing. One of the things that I love about being a nurse is that although we practice in different countries, the fundamentals of nursing, the things that make nursing unique are transcultural.

That night, Melissa and I attended a dinner at the hostel. For 8 Euros, we got a three course dinner as well as three drinks from the bar. Great for the stomach as well as the wallet. Dinner was prepared by Isabel, a remarkable, beautiful, vivacious woman who had immigrated from Angola to Lisbon. She ate with us and then treated us to inpromtu cooking class in the hostel dining room. Isabel created a tasty dessert medley that she had created from some of her favorite Portuguese desserts. I furiously scribbled down the recipes as she dumped in ingredients. Her instructions were specific, "You beat the egg whites until you can hold the bowl upside down and it doesn't fall out." "You add milk until its not so lumpy, like this." "If you need more water, you just add it." The dessert was amazing and I look forward to experimenting in the kitchen to try to create something close to her dessert. Despite my efforts, it probably won't taste the same because it won't have that touch of Isabel love and I was slightly buzzed when writing down the recipes. Free shots usually don't help with specificity either.

Things I Did Not Expect When I Woke Up
Lisbon Edition
- Regret buying unique, hand crafted and hand painted pottery
- Discover that I don't know my friends nearly as well as I thought I did
- Attend a cooking class
- Admire metro stations
- Not find the enterance to a tourist destination
- Watch a man punish himself by running up and down a hill. Up and down. Up and down.
- Wonder why things are so much funnier when told in a Scottish accent.