Lisbon Sept 1-2
We arrived in central Lisbon at about 10am. We didn't sleep much on the plane and was surprised how wide awake we felt. We couldn't check in until 2pm and left our backpacks at the registration desk and went out to explore Lisbon. We decided to walk to St. Jorge Castle, but it took far too long to find the entrance gate. What a maze! I could see the castle, but could not find a direct route. I felt like a person in a corn maze. And we were not alone backtracking the streets. We kept meeting people who also came to the same dead-end streets or going around in circles. After getting oriented to the city we decided to make our way to the church to buy our credentials for the Camino. This ended up being another challenge locating Parish Maitres, and even when we found the parish, the gift shop was not the obvious location to buy the credential. It was located in another part of the church. With all important duties completed, off to lunch and back to our room for a siesta. The back streets of Lisbon are alive at night, with many restaurants serving local dishes. So many choices!
A lane lined with old photos of local residents.
Day 2 in Lisbon was a test walk - a 20km trek in 30c heat. We followed the river towards the Atlantic Ocean, with our final destination being the two monuments representing Portugal's contribution to the Age of Discovery, the Belem Tower and the angular Monument to the Discoveries, an enormous monolith that leans over the River Tagus to resemble the prow of a caravel, the type of ship commanded by the Portuguese navigators in the 15th century. Julie is more comfortable with hot temperatures, but not me. Now I know how the Wicked Witch of the North felt -- "I'm melting". We stopped at bar, but a large cold beer only quenched my thirst for the next 30 minutes. The water in the backpack was so hot it could be used to make tea. I'm going to die! But of course I did not, but I continued to consume liquids when we arrived back to our hotel. The evening was cool, which made for a pleasant dinner.
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