with Lots of Lively Color
MAVERICK ROVER WORLD
Blog Post #77
Lisbon, PORTUGAL
After many days of intermittent rainy weather
and chilly temperatures,
which did not stop us from our adventures,
we finally have a few days of sun and partly cloudy weather.
Taking full advantage of the situation, we ventured out to
"Pink Street"
in Old Town along the Tagus River.
The streets are filled with coffee shops, restaurants and,
of course, souvenir shops with everything Portuguese.
To name a few items would be a misnomer, since the walls are plastered with Portuguese tiles, post cards, dishes with local tile patterns, hats, cork everything, dish towels and you name it, they have it.
Ah, here is that PINK STREET.
Iconic Pink Street is one of several Gay areas within the city of Lisbon.
Tram #28
runs directly past our street,
luckily we are set back 1/2 block off the street,
so we don't feel the rumble or the clanking of the wheels.
This historic tram travels in a circle throughout the core of Lisbon proper.
We ride it for FREE, well sort of.
We purchased the 65+ Navigante Urgente card,
which includes our cute photos. 😀
The card itself costs 12€ per person and it can then be used for 5 years. We then added a one month pass for 20€ each (senior cost which is half price) even though we will leave Lisbon before the month ends. The good news is that 20€ gives free access on Trams, Trains, Buses & Metro for the entire month. All we have to do is TAP the card on entry to the mode of travel. The card mostly works within the city, but also applies on rides via trains to Historic Sintra and the lovely beach town of Cascais.
Oh, so Lisbon
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara,
a terrace with sweeping city views is a walk
Up, Up, Up some hills & stairs, but well worth the adventure.
In the distance lies the Castelo de Saint Jorge,
Castle St. George
TRAM #28E - LISBON, PORTUGAL
Thought I’d share a SMILE MOMENT during our world travels in Portugal.
Yesterday, we took an outing to the St. Geroge Castle ruins, high up a hill. After Googling the route, we went outside our apartment door where the tram line goes one way, but we walked up a steep street as directed to the tram line where it goes the opposite way, as directed. We asked a local if this was the right tram. He said, no, go back down the hill to the opposite direction of the tram, So, we went back where we started, just outside our apartment door. The beginning of the story is over, now for the rest of the story.
We lined up in the queue that already existed, as do most people. We began chatting with a couple of ladies who were in line to be sure we were actually at the correct tram stop. They kindly assured us that we were at the correct stop. The queue started to grow longer, but we were quite near the front of the line, so we thought, Great, we should be able to board the next tram. The ladies informed us that often times when the trams come by and are full that they do not stop. We were waiting for Tram #28E. The first tram that came was #12E, so it did not stop at this location. After a long wait, the queue grew longer and a Tram #28 did come by, but rolled right past since it was full. After another long wait, another Tram #28 stopped and out of the blue a lady broke the queue and moved to the front along side those of us in line. Immediately several voices, one in French, one in Spanish and mine in English, scolded her for breaking the queue to no avail. She just stood there as if she owned the place. She said something we did not understand, except of the word Portuguese, which I guess meant that she was Portuguese and had the right to break the queue. People at the front of the line started to board and those of us who spoke out moved in front of the “queue breaker” to block her entry. She still did not move. As we all then began boarding, she simply boarded behind us but in front of a long queue of people who had been waiting for some time. Eventually, the tram was getting full and this rude lady started pushing me. Where was I supposed to move? The tram was full of people like sardines in a can. I planted my feet and did not move. She then turned around and stood directly behind me until a few stops later when she and others departed.
The “Moral of Story” is that not all locals follow the rules of a queue, so
there must be some connection between the Portuguese love for Sardines and riding on Trams.
While at the overlook, Miradouto de Sāo Pedro,
we chatted with a worldly young man, who is a writer, sitting on a tree stump while reading
The Artist's Way.
We shared an enjoyable conversation about both his life and ours. After he read a favorite passage of his, we all had a good laugh. He is from Milan, living in Lisbon and thinking of moving on to Vancouver, BC. We just love meeting folks from all walks of life on our travels and sharing life stories.
The sidewalks
of both Porto and Lisbon are created with hand chiseled stones set in the most amazing black, grey and white geometric patterns. Let's just say that these tiles are quite daunting in rainy weather, as they are slippery, especially the white tiles. That said, Ron is very careful with his walking sticks and his steps while navigating the hills of Lisbon.
These two bronze statues represent
the sidewalk tile setters of Lisbon.
Here are a couple examples of the patterns.
Especially, notice the pattern below,
"Do YOU see what I see?
Now, here are my last two photos,
also in black and white.
Bathroom directives for male & female.
It took me the longest time to figure out what I was looking at when I saw the female figure.
Cheers, Roger & Ron
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