Lisboa, Faro and Seville

LISBOA

The days we spent in Lisboa were a great start to my European experience. From what I have heard about other European cities, Lisboa seems like a good mediation between South-East Asia and Europe. After locating the supermarket, my next goal was to get a good feel of the city. I thoroughly enoyed simply getting lost in the meandering back alleys and laneways of the city. I believe that an experience as simple as this is one of the best ways to get a proper feel for the city, investigating its nooks and crannies seems to unlock the hidden secrets that you won’t find on the main tourist tract.

As day turned to night, we decided to investigate Barrito Alto, the main area for nightlife in Lisboa which also happened to be in very close proximity to our hostel. I can safely say it is the best place I have ever been out in. Barrito Alto consists of a series of laneways that create a maze-like compilation of bars and clubs. It is completely dead before 12 so we made sure to pace ourselves. After walking up and down a number of streets (which all look strikingly similar), we stumbled upon a Karaoke Bar. It was filled to the brim with Portuguese people singing a mixture of English and Portuguese songs. All six of us had had just enough to drink to agree that we would each sing one song – alone. I waiting anxiously for my name to be called, as did the others. Dave had chosen my song without prior consultation with me. The folllowing is a list of what we each sang:

Me – When You Say Nothing At All, Ronan Keating

Haz – All the Small Things, Blink 182

Dave – What’s my Age Again, Blink 182

Nic – Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice

Hugo – Californication, RHCP

Connor – Complicated, Avril Lavigne (maybe a little out of your vocal range, huh Con?)

The night was all in good fun and Hugo and I stayed out, in typical Portuguese fashion, until just before the sun came up.

The next day we headed up to Castelo de Sao Jorge, a castle perched on the highest hill in Lisbon which provides panoramic view of the red rooves of the city. I also enjoyed going inside the walls of the castle and after a while I found myself comparing European architecture to that of Asia - two vastly different styles. We returned home to cook lunch and I was overjoyed to hear that my bag had been returned, in one piece and nothing missing. Losing all my clothes let alone all the bits and pieces would have been an absolute nightmare.

The next few days in Lisboa were spent in similar fashion. We played football in a park one day with a couple of South African guys, played football on the beach another day (the water was freezing), payed regular visits to the supermarket and each night brought with it a few bottles of red and a visit to Barrito Alto. I think I can get used to the European way of life...

A NIGHT IN FARO

What a hectic 48 hours. I left Lisbon with the intention of heading to Morocco with Dave, Harry, Connor, Hugo and Nic. The following events led me to rethink my plans as I have a really limited time in Mainland Europe. We were meant to catch a bus to a place called Faro in southern Portugal at 10:30am, get another bus from Faro to Seville at 3.30pm, stay the night in Seville and head to Morocco via ferry. We missed the first bus. It must have been a sight to see 6 boys sprinting through metro stations with massive backpacks. Turns out we were 30 seconds late.

“Wait a second, doesn’t that say that a train goes to Faro in 4 minutes?”

“Why yes, it does”

We couldn’t believe our luck, and it was cheaper too!

After arriving in Faro and booking a ticket, Nic voiced his famous last words for the day: “I guess luck is on our side today” Turns out buses leave 5 minutes before the scheduled time of departure. Since we were already paying for a hostel in Seville, it was decided that we would have to sleep in a park of some sort. (plus the cheapest place in Faro that we could find was a hotel.) It was an interesting night. Our dinner consisted of stale bread, tinned beans and tomato sauce. “Can’t wait for breakfast to have it all again!” Luckily enough, due to Portugal’s football obsession and a strong affiliation with Brazil, we found a square with a big screen and a few hundred Brazilian fans who were eccentric to say the least. Adjacent to the screen was a mini football field in the middle of a park. We spent hours playing 5 on 5 with the very talented local kids who must have been half our size and age. This kept our minds off our less than pleasurable outlook for the night. Kids in Europe, as young as 2 or 3, seem to stay up to the early hours every night. I have no idea how, must be genetics? This meant we kept playing till about 1am.

I finally decided to face the fact that we were spending a night under the stars. We found an out of the way park, set up our sleeping bags and put our passports in our pockets ( a crucial mistake for Connor, who shed his trackpants as they were “weighing his bag down” simultaneously ridding himself of his passport...) We thought we’d scanned the area properly but apparently not. At 5.30am, after a surprisingly great sleep, I was awoken by some words that I won’t repeat. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, as I stared in curiousity at Nic who hobbled off with a sleeping bag, backpack and shoes in his arms. Soon after the all too familiar sound filled my ears. Spinklers. I too attempted the difficult task of carrying all my possessions away from the their grasp, while still in a post-awakened daze.

After ensuring that we all got to the bus station extra early (ironically our bus was 15 minutes late), we made the trip to Seville in Southern Spain. After sufficient rest, I was keen for a night out as Spain was playing a World Cup game and there also happened to be a series of stages set up throughout the city of Seville for a music festival of sorts – a bottle of red vinho costs 79 Euro cents so why not?

It was a fun night and everyone enjoyed the final night as a group of 6 for at least the next month or so.

Today Hugo and I took the opportunity to see some more of the city. I was surprised to discover the temperature was 36 degrees, as the difference between a European 36 degrees and a SE Asian 36 degrees is phenomenal. I once again indulged in my love of symmetry at the Plaza de Espana which was an amazing looking building that was unfortunately (similar to Angkor Wat), partly obscured by the horrible eyesore of a worksite. I know restoration is necessary to further enjoyment blah blah blah but I’m sick of going to places only to discover half the place is covered with scaffolding!

As I write this Nic, Haz and Dave should be on the ferry to Tangier, Morocco and Connor should be in Madrid reclaiming his identity. Hugo and I leave for Madrid tomorrow to spend a few days in the Spanish capital. Till my next entry, Hola!