As you've probably noticed I haven't been online nor posting much the past several of days. But let me try and recap some of the highlights so far.
My friend Mafalda picked me up from Lisbon airport - which is conveniently located near Lisbon (kinda like Halifax's). We walked around the neighborhood and halfway I grabbed a bite (a yummie veggie burger at a little lounge café called "Coffee & Pot", a chain found throughout the city) and somewhere managed to sprain my back. Not recognizing it immediately I blamed tiredness of traveling and ignored it pretty much.
Mafalda drove me around and showed me the city by night. Good thing nights over there are still balmy, otherwise I'd have made sure to put on a heavy sweater. We attended a piano recital in a park but after a while I just couldn't ignore the pain in my back any longer, and I hoped a good night's sleep would solve that.
On Sunday I wake up early, and head out for a quick breakfast at another chain called "Tangerina Cafe". The chocolate croissant was yummie as was the green tea. By the time Mafalda found me (long story) some time had lapsed and there happened to be a nice sushi place nearby. So we had that for lunch.
Not all pharmacies are open on Sunday, so we looked for one that was and I got a gel (with added anti inflammatory) for my back, opting out on pills. During the night I had found I had a little trouble with the mattress of my bed; being somewhat on the softer side it offered little support. But I hoped the gel would kick in quickly, so I could enjoy my visit more.
We then headed for the aquarium (hey, Trev!) to check out their underwater creatures. The beavers weren't as active as the ones I saw in Vancouver, but cute nonetheless. And there are a couple of fish that are known to check out humans! I managed to capture one:
Just outside the aquarium was a ride Mafalda and I went on. Another good opportunity to try and conquer some of my fear of heights AND to get a couple of good shots.
She also took me to a monastery, near a theater and a soccer stadium; we knew Benefica were playing that evening thanks to the chanting of several thousand fans. We walked to Mafalda's favorite place in Lisbon (she lives in a neighboring town) for falafels, and we ate them in an adjacing park. The food was good and very filling, and I didn't bother to finish the fries. Then I got another tour of Lisbon by night.
The next day we grab some savory pastires from "Versailles" on the go to Sintra. After checking in at a B&B (Mafalda called it the "chalet", but it looked more like a mansion to me with its corridors and rooms) we stroll our way to the city center. We find a little place called "Maggie's Tea Spot" (don't worry about the blog being in Portugese only; the two lady patrons fala Inglesh as well!) that has good teas, scones and sandwiches. And speaking of English; if it wasn't for my Portugese friend my opening line upon meeting anyone would have been "Ola. Fala Inglesh?". Generally, I manage to find my way easily, but visiting Russia, Mongolia and China was one of the few times I couldn't figure out how to communicate to the locals in their own language. The first couple of days I actually mistook Portugese for Russian. I know they are two totally different languages, but the sounds (pronunciation) seems similar to Russian. Anyhoo, I digress...
Sintra has the surroundings of making an excellent film set for fantasy movies, with its forresty surroundings, ruins, castles, palaces and mansions. And we spend two days there. However, it's very unfortunately I'm having back problems because I'd looked forward to hiking through the woods and all that. My usual pace (my mom says I walk with a mission, others have said I walk as if I'm late and need to catch the next train) is now pretty much reduced to one of gramps.
Tuesday night I had a very tasty vegan burger (on multi grain) for lunch at "Smooth. Health. Fusion. Food", while my friend settled for veggie risotto with an extra topping of Parmesan cheese.
Part 2 is coming up shortly! :D
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