Lisbon Day One

It is gloriously warm here in Lisbon. We arrived after a not terrible overnight flight from Philadelphia and got into the Airbnb early. Unlike Air Canada, American Airlines actually landed early, and I got my bag immediately. The place has a lovely view of the ocean and sits across from a Monastery. The guy we rented from talked and talked. He thinks Putin is a nice fellow… In any case, he has a great spot.

We settled in, bought groceries, and then went to the National Tile Museum. The tile was beautiful, but I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at. There were scant descriptions and maybe we were just tired. Mostly we just were soaking up the architecture, narrow streets and outdoor cafes. I’m soooo happy.

Kirsten and Lennart (our friends from Sweden) arrived by 6pm, and we went for some traditional Portuguese food. Loved it. It was also great to catch up with them. We hadn’t seen them since they came to visit us in Portland just after I retired in 2018. They are both engineers - Kirsten has retired and Lennart can’t seem to break the habit and is working one or two days a week. They are also both politically involved in the progressive and environmental parties in Sweden.

Even though I went to Costa Rica last year, I was in one place for most of the 7 weeks in a homestay. Here and the rest of my travels will be a few nights or even just one night stays. It is a different way to pack - being organized is essential. So far, so good.Read more