Lisbon

The girls came with me to the airport in Barcelona, though their flight to Miami was a couple hours later than my flight to Lisbon. We parted ways after going through security, they were headed home, and I was continuing the adventure.

I landed in Lisbon about an hour before my dad arrived from the States, so I used the time to find out how to get to hotel and then caught up on some reading. He arrived on time and we met in the arrivals area. Then we were underway.

I liked Lisbon right of the bat. The weather was warmer, for one thing. Lisbon is also not that large a city, despite being a capital. It had a smaller feel to it, which was nice seeing as I spent the past week in two large cities, both geographically and in terms of population. In Lisbon one felt like you could cover the city just on the foot, and the streets were not just packed with people. I was impressed with the people too. Very friendly. When we opened up a map in search of our hotel, an older gentlemen came and offered to help, albeit in Portuguese. In Spain, you got the feeling the locals wanted nothing to do with you. Spaniards, I like your country but, come one, whats up with that?

We stayed in the northern part of the city, which appeared to be the more commercial district, but this was not far from the city's waterfront, which is where Lisbon earns its keep. The old town, known as Alfama, is a really charming area and I probably could have spent the entire time there. Again, I'll get some photos up here that I took of the neighborhood. One highlight of the time in Lisbon was Trolley 28. Lisbon has a really efficient public transportation system, including a subway system and above-ground trams. The city also holds on to some relic trolleys. One of these is Trolley 28. The trolley essentially runs the scenic route through Lisbon, navigating Alfama's narrow and cobbled streets.

Our first two days in Lisbon went well. My illness was gone for good and I had a good impression of the city. On the third day Lisbon was put on hold, I had a day trip to Oporto.