On to Lisbon, Portugal!

Who doesn’t feel like a little adventure after a delicious meal and some Sangria?!? After sleeping about 4 hours in the past 24, somehow, I felt the need to WALK, and Lisbon is THE city for walking! I really can’t remember if we took public transport or Uber, but I can assure you that both were fairly easy (even for this Gigi!), inexpensive, and adventurous! Lisbon is full of history, shopping, food, and music. The weather in July and August is HOT, Charleston HOT, with limited air conditioning, but wonderful ocean breezes. Sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, and cool, comfortable clothes are a MUST… but shopping is plentiful if you forgot something. Since I used the ATM at the Lisbon airport, I was ready with my Euros and it didn’t take long to catch on to the monetary system.

Summer is THE vacation time for many, including Europeans, and the streets were filled with people, mostly at a pace of relaxation. Sherley grew up in Lisbon and she was excited for me to experience as much as I could in the time I was there! I have to admit, I adjusted easily to afternoon siestas and late meals, knowing fully that I would rest more when I got back home. 😊

View of Lisbon from water taxi, what a treat!

The city of Almada is on the other side of the Rio Tejo from Lisbon, this is my first view of Lisbon from the water taxi! I rode it many times, up to 4 times a day on some days! You really get to feel less like a tourist and more like a “local” when you take public transportation. I have to admit, I was a BIT nervous because my Portuguese was very limited & the Spanish I did know was not helpful, but I paid attention and took pictures of signs I needed to follow when I was on the trip. The trains and metro announce the next stop, and only once did I pass up my stop because I was enjoying the scenery. The metro would drop me off a short walk from the water taxi at Cais do Sodré, which I enjoyed the 10 minutes or so boat ride until Lisbon. Lovely views every day & cool ocean breezes!