moe & fred in lisboa

We've seen these cows in other cities. They just show up and do their thing.

Moe noticed a local hex maker. FOR HEXING ONLY: Make your hands into a fist with your thumbs tucked between your index & middle fingers, cross your arms, and rub them back and forth in the direction of your jinx. It can be applied to individual plays, players, or the entire game. Of course it works, Portugal won that day.

If you're a seafood lover, a REAL seafood lover, then you will love the food in Lisboa. Moe explained to Fred that REAL seafood lovers eat more than shrimp, crab, lobster and random white fish. Apparently it includes squid beaks, octopus tentacles, fish eyeballs, & other meat in the head. And if you're going to eat shrimp, eat the whole thing: exoskeleton, head, tail, & all. That said, Fred is happy to remain a plain seafood lover, & can go on without the REAL part. BELOW upper left corner: Check out the tables in the landing of this set of stairs. Similar to Spain, the restaurants have hardly any space inside, so all the tables & chairs are actually placed outside.

Remember, the Chinese are everywhere.

Along the castle wall.

Aha, another castle!!

And here is the Palace.

He's going ... going ...

oh no, he's coming back ...

... and now he's pooped.

Ah, yes. No matter where you are in the world, certain things are universal. We think we are so different, & yet so many habits are so similar. What else can occupy a group of children's attention better than a game in a circle.

To all the Woodseys out there, all together now: "Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank ..."

Everything in Lisbon was pretty affordable. The food & the stuff, and also a great place to stay. For only 25€ per night we got this lovely room to ourselves. Considering that we sometimes paid that per person per night in a room shared with four others, this place was a steal!!

And within, it felt like we were just living in an apartment just like the locals.

(last updated 11 Sep 06)			other places

	WELCOME TO LISBON & the COW PARADE

We've seen these cows in other cities. They just show up and do their thing.

		THE STREETS Tight in general but that makes them cool. Here we encountered the narrow, cobbled streets we've heard so much about. The bonus being there was World Cup madness & Portugal was right in the mix so we saw the colours everywhere.

		LEFT: more pics of the streets & roof tops. Lisboa is good for walking around, although there is a bit of San Francisco in the hills here.	ABOVE: Many if not most houses have these stick and rope contraptions. They are for hanging clothes out for drying.

	PUBLIC TRANSPORT

		The tram is the main way to get around, although there are buses and an underground system.
More trams, inside and out. Somehow the trams make there way through the tight areas of the city. BELOW: check out the boy holding on to the back door there. He & his mates were actually hitching a ride up the hill. Don't know how legal this is.


		FOOTBALL MADNESS
		While we were here, Portugal was playing XX so we had to watch. We found this little pub tucked away on one of the side streets. It already had a good crowd but they were very welcoming to us. The atmosphere was great as we became Portugal fans for the day.


Moe noticed a local hex maker. FOR HEXING ONLY: Make your hands into a fist with your thumbs tucked between your index & middle fingers, cross your arms, and rub them back and forth in the direction of your jinx. It can be applied to individual plays, players, or the entire game. Of course it works, Portugal won that day.

MONUMENTS	We had no idea to whom these were paying homage, but we took photos of them anyway.




	STREET ART


	He touched the butt. More cows in the parade. They were everywhere.

If you're a seafood lover, a REAL seafood lover, then you will love the food in Lisboa. Moe explained to Fred that REAL seafood lovers eat more than shrimp, crab, lobster and random white fish. Apparently it includes squid beaks, octopus tentacles, fish eyeballs, & other meat in the head. And if you're going to eat shrimp, eat the whole thing: exoskeleton, head, tail, & all. That said, Fred is happy to remain a plain seafood lover, & can go on without the REAL part. BELOW upper left corner: Check out the tables in the landing of this set of stairs. Similar to Spain, the restaurants have hardly any space inside, so all the tables & chairs are actually placed outside.


	Remember, the Chinese are everywhere.	Grilling sardines & peppers outside. With a crust of rock salt, they are super yummy; bones & all.
	Fado is a traditional Portuguese singing & music. The lady & gentleman traded off singing with the musicians playing in the background.

HILL OF DEATH!!!
		Everyday we went to the Solar do Vinho de Porto (Port Wine Institute), which happened to be at the top of a montrous hill where the funicular was under repaired. Though these pictures don't reveal the steepness, Moe swears it is about 20% grade. All for good, cheap port (€1 a glass). Such lushes they are.


	RIVER TAGUS
	We decided to take a trip across the river to the small town of Sexial where there is suppose to be some extra tasty local food.
			FERRY: Moe gets motion sickness on ferries. She copes by going to sleep. She also uses this technique when Fred drives long distances, doing work at home, and random times throughout the day.
SEXIAL (Pronounced say-shul) Cute little town on the other side of the river. This festival was to start the next day; they were just setting up. We wandered the streets, apparently too early for dinner & the evening festivities. Nontheless, we found a lovely family restaurant for a fab meal.


	SINTRA	Only an hour away, this city is popular day trip from Lisbon. There are two castles & a couple of palaces here. Despite the crowds of tourists, this place is still very much worth the journey.


We arrived without a map or a guide book. Looking up we saw a castle atop a hill, & decided that was where we wanted to go. So what else to do but to look for signs leading uphill. (Neither of us spoke or read Portuguese, though we had language books)
		So we start up the road, up & up & up. Only glimpses of the building peeking through the trees informed us that we were heading in the correct direction. There was no one else on the road either, so we relied purely on intuition. Such adventurers we are.

	And finally, we get here. The Palace & the Castle. We go to the palace first as it is further up the mountain.
		PALACIO da PENA Built by German Dom Ferdinand II in the 19th century at the height of the Romantic movement. Set in acres of rolling gardens, the exterior is covered with lavish gargoyles & reliefs.

Enter this palace through an impressive portcullis.			Nested on the mountain side, the vibrant colors stand out.






	Over yonder, we see another castle to conquer. The beautiful wall marking off this terrace opens to an incredible view of the expansive land below. The colours of the palace exterior are quite vibrant, though we're not certain if they were this colour back in the day. We wandered around inside. though were not allowed to take photos. As in many other royal buildings, the rooms were packed with swanky furniture & crap from the olden days.




CASTELO dos MOUROS This building is not in as good a shape. Actually it's in ruins with only the walls remaining.

	Nonetheless, this is one of Moe's favourite castles. Perhaps it was the lovely weather we had, but we could really feel the ruggedness of this castle compared to the "fixed up for the tourists" places we've visited. Just like the images from school, we could walk along the castle wall.



	Below is the town of Sintra.		This is the "traitor's door," which actually leads down a passage that takes the inhabitants to safety in case the castle is ever taken by the enemy.



Along the castle wall.	Portugal Flag	Aha, another castle!!	And here is the Palace.

	Finally, we journey down the mountain. This time following a trail through the woods. Well marked by stripes painted on the trees, this route is much more steep than our journey up but much faster.


		LISBON CASTLE

	BELOW: We get creative with the picture taking. Can you figure out what were doing?	Of course, the city of Lisbon has it's own castle.


		Views of the city below. All those lovely red roofs show off the mass expanse of urban sprawl in this old city.


It was fun walking along the castle walls, though be careful which way you turn.

He's going ... going ...	oh no, he's coming back ...	... and back ...	... and now he's pooped.

		School groups visited the castle on the day we were here. They had a wonderful time running around the grounds & along the castle walls. Then we saw them collecting into circles & chanting a distinct rhythm ...
		Ah, yes. No matter where you are in the world, certain things are universal. We think we are so different, & yet so many habits are so similar. What else can occupy a group of children's attention better than a game in a circle.	To all the Woodseys out there, all together now: "Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank ..."

One last look at the city from above.

Everything in Lisbon was pretty affordable. The food & the stuff, and also a great place to stay. For only 25€ per night we got this lovely room to ourselves. Considering that we sometimes paid that per person per night in a room shared with four others, this place was a steal!!		OUR HOSTEL

There was no sign outside indicating the presence of a hostel.	And within, it felt like we were just living in an apartment just like the locals.	Though they don't mess around when it comes to locking the place up. Notice the lock has four mechanisms. The key (middle) to work this thing is quite unique also.



	Many cats & dogs around the city. Their presence is made known by the many goodies that they leave on the ground. It's best to watch where you walk around here. Here are some of the fellows we saw chilling by their windows.



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