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Lisbon was cute!
First and foremost, I must thank Jonathan for his last minute panic attack. Because of him, I made last minute plans to see Lisbon. I wanted to go, but didn't have the motivation until his fateful email arrived. In the end, I had a great time, met cool people, and spoke Portuguese to my heart's content.
Lisbon is definitely a city I will return to in the future. As Eddy, an acquaintance, often says mockingly while quoting Edmund White, Lisbon "is a city of contrasts." Geographically, the verticality of the city makes for interesting neighborhoods and views. Streets wind up and down the hills around the city and, like in the Alfalma district, become narrow walkways of stairs that lead back to the waterfront. There are so many fantastic places to see Lisbon.
Also striking is the sharp contrast of clean and new with decrepit and old. Buildings that recall past days of a seafaring golden age sag wearily under the burden of decay and the cloak of greenery. Jonathan commented how odd it seemed to see something so old and obviously ill-treated be a home to so much life in the form of flowers and grasses. Right next door, you would see a well-kept and beautifully tiled building busy with the activity of living, shopping, eating, or whatever.
Interestingly, Amsterdam may have an upcoming competitor. Bands of similarly dressed men roam the pedestrian shopping lanes downtown announcing simply, "Hash." Not sure whether Hash was someone we should meet for awhile, we managed, with much difficulty to get away from the "hash" peddlers. (Jonathan may have been mistaken for a drug crazed addict of some sort.)
Clubbing was great. Sleepy Lisbon may be quite dead Monday through Thursday, but on Friday and Saturday, the city came alive. The Portuguese are extremely friendly and eager to talk. I easily made scores of friends who had an amazing tenacity for all night dancing. People are genuinely nice here.
What didn't work in Portugal was the food. Okay, you'd think they would have learned something during all those voyages discovering this and that; they didn't. Food was bland, uncreative, and overcooked. Granted, food wasn't expensive in Portugal, it just wasn't good. The best things I ate: a great vegetable soup, pastries (pasteis), and chocolates. Literally, one place had a ham and cheese sandwich that I personally blame for two weeks of sickness that is now the best diet I've ever (forcibly) tried. 15 pounds simply melted away. Thank you Portugal. I will, however, return.
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