Lisbon, Portugal

I arrived in Lisbon shortly after lunch time and headed for my hostel, the curiously named G-Spot. Despite a bit of difficulty finding it, I must first say that my time at the G-Spot was fantastic- the staff are a tremendously fun lot. The first thing I had to do was play a "check in song" to liven up the mood. Upon the proprietor, Nick, shuffling up with welcoming beers in solo cups, it became suddenly obvious which song was to grace the acoustical walls of the G-Spot: Toby Kieth's Red Solo Cup. This, of course, became a theme song of sorts for the remainder of my time at the hostel as no one could get it out of their heads. After cooking up a nice sandwich from the remnants of the groceries from Porto I was ready to hit the streets.

I sauntered down the main drag, Avenida da Liberdade, to the waterfront. After taking in that area I more or less made my way to the Castelo Sao Jorge. Only... I couldn't find the damn thing. Finally I came to what had to be the outer wall of the castle, however, no entrance was in sight. At this point I had to make a single choice, walk right or walk left. It's important here to note the significance of a simple decision such as this, because the next three days were dictated by the outcome of this one choice. Going with my gut I began walking right. About 50 meters up the street I was approached by a young woman asking directions to the castle entrance. Since I had no idea where it was but was (hopefully) headed there myself, I suggested we walk together. We eventually found the entrance and saw some great views of the city.

But more importantly, what ensued was a fantastic series of conversations- by far trumping the remaining sights taken in for the rest of the day. Every so often in life, you are fortunate enough to come across a person who has the capability to change you. To make you think in ways you didn't know were possible, to connect with you in a deep and thoughtful way, and to be able to see you as you really are and understand you fully- hopes, dreams, fears, and inhibitions. The more we talked, the more fascinated I became. And for some reason known only to the cosmos, I found myself unable to separate from this person I had known only a few hours. Much as I was not ready for the surprise that awaited me in Porto, I was similarly not ready for this new and exciting surprise that awaited me in Lisbon. Portugal- a mysterious and wonderful country.

The next three days were a bit of a blur. She said Lisbon was romantic. I was inclined to agree. For the next 72 hours, we spent nearly all of our time combing the city, talking about anything and everything. My new friend Stella, the star. We wandered the city, ate at incredible restaurants, sat int the park overlooking the city at night. Moreover, we did things I likely wouldn't have done as a solo traveler. For example, on day two we went to the Lisbon aquarium which was absolutely incredible. Something I would definitely regret missing now that I've seen it. And they had penguins!! This giant fish floated right up to us, stopped, and stared at us for at least 15 minutes as if it had a mystic and immensely profound message to convey to us.

That night we walked around the Barrio Alto (bar district) which was absolutely packed. So we acquired a bottle of wine and retired to the waterfront to drink and discuss the various philsophies of life. There are very few people in my life that I've found more fascinating to engage in conversation than this new friend. After downing our wine we proceeded back up one of the many hills only to discover an outdoor party with a live reggae band at the park on the hill by Restauradores. We didn't know it at the time but the cause for all the people was that everyone was out celebrating what is essentially Portugal's independence day.

After a late night I slept a little later and we met up intending to go to the beach. Only, to my surprise... again, it was raining. So we went to Balem and saw the Berardo Museum of Modern Art. I've never felt strongly one way or another about modern art, although I do like that you get to view it with no preconceived notions of what to expect, but for some reason on this day I found it absolutely tremendous. The whole series of discussions plus the museum inspired me to turn out some great writing, including the opening lines of one of the first chapters I'm working on.

There were, as always, a few exhibits that I just couldn't get into. Like one featuring a blank canvas and an explanation. Right. Even though I couldn't quite get it, Stella and I both agreed that technically it was art. I think the universal definition we came up with for what includes "art" is: any creation that has an effect on a person. By this definition, a creation that has been lost and all record of it has also been lost would still be considered art. Also, this definition is strongly similar to the definition Ron came up with for economics back in Ledesma. Things to ponder on...

Anyway, after the Museum of Art we found this great tapas bar and spent the rest of the night drinking great vinho do Douro (both branco e tinto), listening to live music, and enjoying the Lisbon night. Unfortunately, as all great things begin they must end. And as the sea meets the sand in high tide, it must recede away. So after a wonderful three days we parted in the way of the late-day surf. Hopefully our paths will cross again one day.

Back at the hostel, I had just enough time to fire off a few messages to my sister before the crowd came storming in from the bars. Since I hadn't had a chance to party with them, I acquiesced to a couple shots of vodka before retiring, now admittedly a bit drunk and very tired but also thrilled with my time in Lisbon.

The next morning, as promised on my arrival, I ponied up to the breakfast table to gobble down the Breakfast of Champions: 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 pancakes, and 3 beers. The previous record was 3:06 and, as any full-blooded American man, I felt it was my idiotic but patriotic duty to attempt to beat it. I must say I tried valiantly- consuming all the food and 2 of the three beers within three minutes, but alas, the last beer defeated me in the final moments. My very fortifying meal consumed, I decided to take a day trip to Sintra before catching my overnight bust to Sevilla which I'll discuss in more detail in the next post.