Avenues of Lisbon
I almost couldn't board the airplane in Philadelphia. The attendant checking my passport paused and said in an authoritative voice, "Jeremy...you must have a valid passport to fly to…Portugal." He had to double check my ticket to see where I was going. My heart sank as I thought I had mistakenly brought my old passport. He handed it back to me along with a pen and I realized that I just needed my signature in it. I renewed my passport earlier this year and forgot to sign the new one. I was then permitted to board the airplane. It was a hard flight and I had wanted to sleep as much as I could. Soon after the evening beverage service, I was almost asleep then the flight attendants came down the aisle calling out "chicken" or "pasta." Not one to turn down a meal, I had the chicken with rice. I then couldn't fall asleep until 3 hours into a 6 hour flight. With 1.5 hours remaining, they started the morning beverage service. I was exhausted when we landed in Lisbon at 9 am, but eager to explore the city. I found the metro easy to navigate and quickly made my way to Rossio, where my hostel was located and near the downtown area. It was way too early to check into my room, so I headed to the Praça do Comércio. On my way there, I found the Hotel de Santa Justa by accident. I'll get back to why that's important.
I walked along the Tagus River and then saw the Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral) on the hill. This will be my starting point tomorrow, but I need to get my Credencial de Peregrino before I leave. This is a booklet that I will collect stamps in at each stop along my way. It is a record that I will show in Santiago to verify that I have walked from Lisbon. I walked around the cathedral and was impressed by being in a building so old and historic. It was very impressive.
Next, I needed to buy some trekking poles and a hat. Instead of walking, I should have taken a bus to the Decathlon sporting goods store. However, I am here to walk, so walking is what I did. Not far from Decathlon was the imperialistic Parque de Eduardo VII and the Praça do Marquês de Pombal. At this point, I realized I needed some water and to get off my feet. It was hot and very humid that day. I went underground to take the metro back to Rossio and find my hostel and rest.
At 6:45 pm, I retraced my steps to the Hotel de Santa Justa, where I met my friends from the Philadelphia airport who had invited me to attend dinner with them. Bill is traveling with his wife, two sisters, and their husbands. They are heading to Porto in a few days to take a boat tour up the river into Spain. We had a spectacular evening with great food and the chance to watch a Fado performance. Fado is a traditional Portuguese music about the hardships of life. It is mournful and melancholic. The singer and her two guitar players providing the music were very talented. I listened to her singing while I ate my plate of Bacalhau (Cod), a traditional Portuguese dish. This night was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful to have been invited. I probably wouldn't have experienced it on my own. I'm sure Bill et al. are only the first of many extraordinary people I will meet on this journey. Time for bed and an early morning to start my walk on the Caminho de Santiago via Portugal!
Looking good Jeremy!
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