Lisboa, Portugal

Yeah yeah! Free internet in the hotel! It's ridiculous how much I've come to prize a few blissful minutes online. After the 5 hour bus ride yesterday we were all very antsy and very ready to explore Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal. We got to the hotel (Residencia Imperador) around 9 Portugal time (1 hour behind Spain). We're staying in a "four star" hotel again. The way they rate hotels in Spain, however, is a little differant than in the States. The stars represent the last time the hotel was renovated, so 1 four-star hotel could look completely different from another. Anyways, it's an adventure. Kelley did a little research for the group and found a place near the water (about a five minute cab ride from the hotel) with a strip of clubs called Docas. It's a beautiful thing to be an American girl sometimes...when you can cut to the front of the line and not pay a cent to get in. I stick with the rubias (blondes) and try to pretend I'm one of them. Walking along the water, you could see the famous Cristo Rei and the 25th of April bridge. It's one of the world's longest suspension bridges, one and a half miles long. It looks so much like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge because it was constructed by the same builders. Alex, Colleen, and I met two guys in the Navy, one from Whales, the other from Scotland. It felt good to speak English! Actually it seems more people speak English in Lisbon than Spanish. After we were danced-out, Alex, Colleen, and I hailed a cab, thinking that having the name of the hotel (and only being 5 minutes away) was enough information for the driver to get us back. We soon realized that not only did he have no idea where the hotel was, he also only spoke Portuguese. Whoever said Portuguese is so similar to Spanish is deeply mistaken. While it may read close to Spanish at times, it sounds nothing like it. For example: Gracias ("thank you" in Spanish) Muito Obrigado/a (thank you in Portuguese). I rest my case. After asking other cab drivers and several wrong turns later, we finally made it back! Next adventure: my roommate for the trip, Leah, wasn't back yet and had the only key to our room. I had to get the man at the front desk to lend me the master key, but I couldn't get it to work. In broken Spanish, I asked him for another key, which I couldn't get to work either. Thankfully, Leah arrived soon after, but we had no luck when we tried her key. BACK down I went to the front desk. He came with me this time and was able to open the door on the first try, of course. I know what he was thinking too: stupid Americans. 

I love hotel beds. I don't want to go back to my board and springs in Salamanca. We woke up around 9:15 and went up to the 8th floor for breakfast of rolls, cheese, ham, and coffee. The bus would pick us up outside the hotel at 11, but this was the only information we were given about the day. We started out going to a Marina in a town called cascais. I didn't realize Portugal had palm trees; they're everywhere! The weather was beautiful, partly cloudy, warm, and sunny. This was such a blessing since we thought it would be raining all day. I really love how the city integrates the nature here. It's like one big park, relished with old, colorful buildings, built around palm trees and mossy cliffs. Next, we headed to another water outlook to have lunch (chicken baguette), shop, and clim Torre Belem (an old defense fortress, also used as a post office at one point). So beautiful, like a mini castle on the water. I bought a Portuguese flag and some really pretty tiles (very typical of Portugal) at one of the stands. We left for the hotel and got back around 4. Tomorrow, Antonio (our bus driver) is picking us up at 11 to explore the center city of Lisboa, which I've only seen from the bus, but looks incredible. Leah and I are just waking up from our "siesta" (I intend to bring this tradition to whatever country I visit) and preparing for the evening ahead of us. Several people have been talking about going to a typical sit-down Portuguese restaurant with live entertainment (Flamenco, I think). I hope my budget will allow me to do this because it sounds fun! Uh oh, I hear rain outside. Boo, Portugal stinks. Ha just kidding! I wish I had more time here.