We say that our first night in a new city when we’re traveling is always rough. At one point, that was a true statement. Now I’m afraid it’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
We took a cab to our hotel in Lisbon and were promptly ripped off by the taxi driver. The last time I checked the meter, which was while he was driving us in circles unable to figure out how to get to the road our hotel is on, it said 12 Euros or so. When Bill went to pay him, the driver wanted 24 Euros. Nice. I’d read that the taxi drivers from the airport will try to cheat you. Glad to know we were given the official greeting to the city.
The hotel was ok. I’d picked it off Trip Advisor. It’s on a small side street and is definitely a little worn around the edges. Clean, but in need of some freshening up. The desk clerk led us to our room. I’d booked a family room. We got a family room with a private terrace. It had an incredible view of the city and the water. Too bad it was too cold and rainy to sit out there. The clerk told us he’d given us the upgrade because he had the room free… which may be true… but I had requested it. Still, we got the room with a separate sitting area where the couch folded out into a bed, doors that closed off the bedroom, a tv in each room, the terrace which was bigger than our entire room inside, and a decent bathroom.
It was about 2 when we were ready to head out. I was afraid that if we went to the aquarium, we’d just end up eating then running out of time to see the fish. Although Kaitlyn tends to run past exhibits anyway, so I don’t know why I was even worried about it. Wishful thinking that maybe she’s finally getting old enough to actually look at at least a few exhibits. We decided instead to just head toward some of the other attractions we wanted to see, to get a lay of the land, and find something to eat.
The trolley stop is a couple of blocks downhill from the hotel. We went down there and stood waiting until finally a trolley came along. It stopped across the street, at a little turn-around in the track. Everyone got off, so we figured the trolley would turn around and go back down the hill, headed where we wanted to go. It sat. And sat. And sat. Finally we walked over to see if we were supposed to get on there. The driver barely stopped her cell phone conversation long enough to chew us out for trying to get on in the wrong place. So we walked back across the street just in time for her to hang up the phone and drive right over to where we were standing. It was stupid. So we got on and rode down the hill.
We weren’t exactly sure where to get off. We got off one stop after the one that Bill said looked like where we should have gotten off. There was absolutely nothing at our stop. Why it even stops there I have no idea. The only thing that is there is a little cafe with a big sign for ice cream out front, so we had to buy ice cream for Kaitlyn who was by now getting hungry and cranky. Then we walked back down the way we’d ridden and finally turned and walked toward the water along a pedestrian street. There were people sitting at tables outside what looked like rinky-dink cafes so we sat down to get real food. We asked for pizza without anything but cheese and the waiter told us it wasn’t possible. Nice. So we got up and left there. We wandered closer to the water and closer to a lot of nothing. I saw the Tourist Information office and went in to ask about buying a transportation pass for the trolleys and metro. The woman in there couldn’t put down her phone long enough to acknowledge me. Another clerk finally came up and some woman stepped in front of me and started asking questions. I didn’t even say anything, I was getting so frustrated by everything already I was just ready to throw in the towel. Finally the first clerk finished her phone conversation and begrudgingly offered to help me. She convinced me not to buy their transportation card but to go the cheaper route by buying a card at a metro station. Across the big square outside. So I went back outside and found Bill and Kaitlyn and we went down into the metro station and found the machine and bought the tickets.
We didn’t actually get on the metro. What we needed was another trolley But I was getting so hungry I couldn’t even think and had to stop for food. (Anyone who’s been unlucky enough to be around me when I’m really REALLY hungry knows I become entirely unreasonable.) There was a restaurant with people sitting outside eating so we went there. It was unbelievably overpriced. I ordered garlic shrimp for 13 Euros. It came out in a bowl smaller than a cereal bowl. The menu also said they’d charge us for every packet of butter we used on the bread. It was insane. The guy seemed less than thrilled that we didn’t order much and didn’t order wine. I don’t normally fuss over the price, but that was just too much.
Once we’d had our 60 Euro snack, we got on another trolley to go over toward the monastery and bakery I’d read about. It was way on the other side of town, a pretty long ride. Of course, at our stop there seemed to be cafe after cafe with reasonable offerings. The bakery was easy to spot: the line was out the door. It’s where a specialty of the city was supposedly born. Pasteis de Belem… a custard filled pastry that only four people in the whole world know the recipe for… the brainchild of a monk. We got in line and Bill ordered 8 of the pastries. (They aren’t big, slightly more than bite-sized.) You sprinkle your own cinnamon and sugar on top. We took ours just outside to the sidewalk and found an awning to stand under because it had been pouring rain off and on all day. I thought they were fantastic finally something the monks did right! Bill didn’t like them. Kaitlyn ate part then wanted to give the rest to the birds. While we were standing there eating the sky did open up and it poured buckets. By the time we finished eating it had finished raining… so we pushed on to the monastery down the street. The outside is covered in carvings of faces, animals, flowers… you name it. The inside was already closed for visits, so I don’t know what it looks like. Bill wasn’t that impressed and didn’t want to plan a return trip to see the inside.
We wandered from there to the ocean and a giant monument to Portugal’s conquests. It wasn’t too thrilling, but was in a good location to see the bridge that looks just like the Golden Gate bridge. After a few minutes fighting the wind, we decided it looked like more rain was not far away so we made a beeline for the trolley stop and got on just in time.
For dinner I tried to get us back on track by picking one of the restaurants out of the Rick Steves book. He says it’s small and locally run and authentically Lisbonesque and a good place for a heaping plate of seafood. It wasn’t too far from our hotel, just a couple of stops off the trolley line. It wasn’t easy to find, there’s no sign outside the place. I’d have never guessed it was a place to eat without reading about it in the guidebook. I was pleased to find steamed crab on the menu. I was less pleased when the waiter said they didn’t have any. I didn’t feel like taking the bodies off my shrimp, so I skipped that order. I was temporarily overcome with a feeling of adventure and ordered something under specialties called bread and shrimp. He told me it was a local dish with shrimp and seafood and tomatoes and olive oil and bread. It sounded pretty good. Kaitlyn got some broiled fish and Bill ordered the fried fish. When the food came out everyone else seemed pleased with their choice. Then I looked at mine. I hadn’t counted on the seafood in my stew consisting of tiny octopuses and clams and I don’t know what else. I picked out the shrimp the best I could and ate the bread but that was all I could muster. The waiter asked if I hadn’t liked it and I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I really hadn’t. I even told Bill I liked it, but I think he knew better.
Day one hasn’t been stellar. I hope day two goes better.
I love the fact that Kaitlyn wanted to give her Pasteis de Belem to the birds. Says a lot for tradition. At least you enjoyed them.