Lisbon

Well, I've been a little lazy in posting our adventures in Lisbon, but as you read on you'll understand why.

First, let's talk about our accommodations. We booked this two bedroom apartment through Air BnB that described it as "quirky". Indeed. Walking through the front door looking up the first of four flights of stairs, one is taken aback by how decrepit the walls appeared to be. Up and up we climbed with the carpeting on the stairs changing from storey to storey and the stair widths doing likewise. The walls went from bare plaster to wallpaper, to patchwork wood panels. The apartment was extremely spacious with two bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen and a sitting area. More than we needed, but it all came with the package. The floor in the hallway sloped so much that any excess alcohol consumption would have us literally bouncing off the walls. Good thing we rarely overindulge. The entire apartment was furnished with flea market antiques and artwork that perfectly blended into the rest of the apartment. We had access to a separate laundry area that was fiercely guarded by Godzilla in a birdcage. It was great!

It's funny, Lisbon has never really been on my list of must-see places in the world, yet I was blown away by the beauty and charm of this city. As we explored, we were astounded by the size of the buildings and the effort that went into the stonemasons' work on many of them. Several buildings were so vast I had to use the panoramic setting on my camera to fit them into the picture. Rarely do you see travel shows extolling its virtues, but it truly should receive better press. It's a vibrant place, filled with history, beautiful architecture, including at least two palaces, a castle and a Roman aqueduct, an antique tram system and warm, charming people. I suppose its intense topography may put off a lot of people, but it's still quite manageable if you take it at a reasonable pace.

That is, of course, if you're not recovering from a serious bike accident.

After a couple of days of climbing Lisbon's hills, we had stopped at a shop to have some copies made while we were on our way to lunch. While we were waiting, Brenda said to me, "I don't feel very well." Within no time, she was sitting on the floor and going in and out of consciousness. An ambulance was called to the scene and she was transported to hospital where a battery of tests were performed. In the end, it was confirmed that not only had she suffered a mild concussion in the accident, but she was extremely anemic and needed a blood transfusion! She spent the night in hospital receiving the urgent care she required, including one unit of blood, and was released the following morning. The doctors prescribed some medication, cautioned her to take it easy and to consult with her family doctor when she gets home, the sooner the better.

So we followed the doctor's orders and took it very easy from then on. We took the tram out to Belem, a suburb about 10 kms west of Lisbon and sampled their scrumptiously delicious Pasteis de Belem, a puff pastry pie shell filled with a creamy vanilla custard. We saw the ornately adorned monastery and the famous (?) Tour de Belem. Best of all, the terrain was pancake flat.

In her current condition, there's no way she can get back on her bike. Alas, we decided that we would take an extra couple of days here in Lisbon then bus down to Malaga, in the south of Spain for two weeks. Betty, Gordo, Zenna and Anna will join us in Seville on November 11 for a four day visit before we embark on our cruise to Brazil on the 15th. We'll spend a month in Brazil, primarily in Salvador and Rio before flying home to Ottawa on Christmas morning.

As much as we wanted to continue our journey as originally planned, Brenda's health is way more important than stubbornly pursuing it. On the plus side, it'll be nice to spend Xmas with family, but I'm not looking forward to the cold. We plan to stay in Ottawa for about a month and then fly out to Vancouver for several months. That way, we'll at least miss the worst winter months in Ottawa.

So, with only 188 kms logged on our bikes, our cycling trip is interrupted, but will certainly be taken up again at some time in the future.Read more