Portugeuse people are incredibly nice. They are a very, very patient people. And very caring. Whether it's the woman passing by and telling you that you need to be more careful with your bag, or the guy who walks you halfway to your destination (because he knows that you are not going to understand the directions), to the old lady who hangs out of her window when she sees your group standing in the street and starts yelling out directions and asking where you want to go they are always there to make your experience of their city better.
Everyone we talked to stopped and took time to communicate with us, and if they couldn't help they found people who could. For example when I got lost looking for the hotel where I was going to meet Ana and I talked to couple after couple who kept pointing me out to new people to talk to. Also yesterday I went by this store called Wish, which is actually a design think tank run by united colors of bennetton, and was looking at everything. I asked the girl there about a CD that was I listened to and she ended up offering to burn me a copy at her home that night if I wanted to come back the next day to get it. We also chatted a great deal about her design projects, and the store, and life in Lisboa. She even asked me whether I prefered she talk in English or Portuguese! Which touched me because everybody here assumes that I traveled thousands of miles in order to communicate with people in English. Except people who don't know any English, and then I get to hear people speaking the most beautiful words ever. I just don't understand them.
So a mix is good.
Anyway, in Lisboa there is a strong attitude of openess, friendliness and sincere concern for others that was touching. All this coupled with a beautiful city with amazing weather. I really love it here.
p.s. Here are two fun facts. One I can't remember but the other is that here the days of the week are numbered! That is to say the week goes First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Sunday. I find this hilarious.
Ah! I remember the other one! In spanish the phrase "decadent" means, as far as I understand it, run down. Or, not in shambles but decaying. I heard it used to refer to the state of the buildings and monuments here. I had always thought of decadent as something that is "over the top".
Although, I guess "over the top" is sort of like "over the hill" which also has connotations of decay, no? So anyway, now I know better.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
MARIONETAS
Whew, what a busy day. First I walked around half the town, at least, with Melissa from California looking for the huge o castel de sao jorge on top of the hill. It is the first castle I have seen that I can imagine living in. Very sparce but very lovely with beautiful views of the whole city. It has nice spacious courtyards and trees and lovely promenades along the edge of the cliff. Even peacocks.
Then I...what? We walked around but everything was closed (it was some sort of holiday apparently) so she couldn't buy a fancy hat for a wedding in September. So we got gelato instead and talked about things that don't work as well as they should. Like the airline industry. She also explained me how seedless watermelons work.
So then we came back and watched Last King of Scotland because it was hot and nothing was open and because it's good, okay? And then I went grocery shopping (goat cheese, bread, yoghurt and...maybe that was it). (Oh yeah! I watermelon! I forgot all about that. I want to eat that right now.) Anyway then I went wandering by my lonesome to osmosize the city. I talked with a guy with messed up teeth and drew a building and wandered around looking at all the streamers and lights and anchovies that people are hanging up.
Or sardines, possibly.
Then i made dinner and went out to see the puppet shows! Which were AMAZING. Amazing. I walked back talking with Marianne, I think was her name, got a little lost, was a little freaked out, and ended up being in the hands of two nice gentlemen who got me to my plaza. Miquel the bus driver even let me on without money (although I did find my money later, while on the bus, because it was in the "fon'del'sac" (the bottom of my bag) and he was like, "Oh, now you have money"). Anyway, he was funny.
Then I came here and started savoring watermelon! Okay, that is all for now.
tchau!
Then I...what? We walked around but everything was closed (it was some sort of holiday apparently) so she couldn't buy a fancy hat for a wedding in September. So we got gelato instead and talked about things that don't work as well as they should. Like the airline industry. She also explained me how seedless watermelons work.
So then we came back and watched Last King of Scotland because it was hot and nothing was open and because it's good, okay? And then I went grocery shopping (goat cheese, bread, yoghurt and...maybe that was it). (Oh yeah! I watermelon! I forgot all about that. I want to eat that right now.) Anyway then I went wandering by my lonesome to osmosize the city. I talked with a guy with messed up teeth and drew a building and wandered around looking at all the streamers and lights and anchovies that people are hanging up.
Or sardines, possibly.
Then i made dinner and went out to see the puppet shows! Which were AMAZING. Amazing. I walked back talking with Marianne, I think was her name, got a little lost, was a little freaked out, and ended up being in the hands of two nice gentlemen who got me to my plaza. Miquel the bus driver even let me on without money (although I did find my money later, while on the bus, because it was in the "fon'del'sac" (the bottom of my bag) and he was like, "Oh, now you have money"). Anyway, he was funny.
Then I came here and started savoring watermelon! Okay, that is all for now.
tchau!
Monday, June 4, 2007
Mas
Okay, still here in Lisboa. But with more tired legs and pinker. I'm still excited! PORTUGAL. It's sucha pretty name. Lisbon is nice. It is different from Barcelona. Here are some of the ways how.
1. It is not flat. It has, apparently, seven hills, each of which is a neighborhood. We are in Santa Catarina.
2. It also is a bit more run down. It reminds me of Chile, but older.
Also, I know I said before that Spain is very rocky. The landscape, all the houses, the streets...but Lisbon is even more so. Everything here is rock. The streets are all paved with these small chunks of white and black rock set on top of the sand or dirt or whatever, or bigger black rocks, but they are definitely ROCKS, not tiles or paving stones like in barcelona. And they are set into all different kinds of patterns. All the building too are what i would call colonial style. They are big cubes covered in tiles. Yes, many of the buildings are tiled. Mostly in red or blue patterns. And then there are a couple huge castels and churches made of slabs of stone rising above everything. Not very many trees, not even in the Plazas, but a very nice place. Last night I went to see some Fado, the Portugese jazz or gitano type singing, kind of, and I was very impressed. I want to see more. Also the moon was HUGE and really orange. I was sitting outside on my balcony looking at the moon and listening to The Girl From Ipanema, which somebody across the street was playing, and people walking by speaking portuguese. It was warm but with a cool breeze and rustling palm trees. Not to make anybody else jealous but it is really quite quite nice here.
1. It is not flat. It has, apparently, seven hills, each of which is a neighborhood. We are in Santa Catarina.
2. It also is a bit more run down. It reminds me of Chile, but older.
Also, I know I said before that Spain is very rocky. The landscape, all the houses, the streets...but Lisbon is even more so. Everything here is rock. The streets are all paved with these small chunks of white and black rock set on top of the sand or dirt or whatever, or bigger black rocks, but they are definitely ROCKS, not tiles or paving stones like in barcelona. And they are set into all different kinds of patterns. All the building too are what i would call colonial style. They are big cubes covered in tiles. Yes, many of the buildings are tiled. Mostly in red or blue patterns. And then there are a couple huge castels and churches made of slabs of stone rising above everything. Not very many trees, not even in the Plazas, but a very nice place. Last night I went to see some Fado, the Portugese jazz or gitano type singing, kind of, and I was very impressed. I want to see more. Also the moon was HUGE and really orange. I was sitting outside on my balcony looking at the moon and listening to The Girl From Ipanema, which somebody across the street was playing, and people walking by speaking portuguese. It was warm but with a cool breeze and rustling palm trees. Not to make anybody else jealous but it is really quite quite nice here.
Lisboa!
Well! Here I am, arrived in Lisboa, which seems to be a very beautiful city. And full of Portuguese! THAT is exciting! Also very hilly. I met some guy in the airport, now I forget how. Funny, it was just three hours ago...? Ah, in the airport shuttle. I was totally profesh. I was all, "D'onde o sehnor e?" and he was all, "Portugal to the max!" So then he was talking to me in portuguese and he drew me a map of all the places I should visit, including his town so maybe I will go visit him. He owns a bridal store.
I saw a million stores on the way here that I want to check out, and there is this beautiful esplanade that goes right out to the sea. Also it is a little surreal because everybody here is talking to me in English, and I am doing the talking back! My voice sounds higher in english than it does in Spanish, by the way. For those of you who were wondering. Anyway, I don't like it. The english. My voice sounds much better when I speak the little portuguse I know. I talk and I think "Crap, who does that sexy sounding voice belong to? So be saying such beautiful words that voice must be HELLA intelligent."
Oh! I remember. I was going to say that it's really weird because here I am, surrounded by pink people talking english and the radio is playing The Well and The Lighthouse by Arcade Fire. In a way it's nice too, but I'm very aware that my time here is running out. Speaking of which, I had better get out and find some stuff to look at, becasue tomorrow I'm going to Sintra already, if i can find a hotel room.
Much love to all,
me
I saw a million stores on the way here that I want to check out, and there is this beautiful esplanade that goes right out to the sea. Also it is a little surreal because everybody here is talking to me in English, and I am doing the talking back! My voice sounds higher in english than it does in Spanish, by the way. For those of you who were wondering. Anyway, I don't like it. The english. My voice sounds much better when I speak the little portuguse I know. I talk and I think "Crap, who does that sexy sounding voice belong to? So be saying such beautiful words that voice must be HELLA intelligent."
Oh! I remember. I was going to say that it's really weird because here I am, surrounded by pink people talking english and the radio is playing The Well and The Lighthouse by Arcade Fire. In a way it's nice too, but I'm very aware that my time here is running out. Speaking of which, I had better get out and find some stuff to look at, becasue tomorrow I'm going to Sintra already, if i can find a hotel room.
Much love to all,
me
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