The life in Lisboa
Hello from Lisboa!
Just a quick note to let you know that we have arrived in Lisboa after a long sleepless flight and are enjoying this city!
We arrived to a country that does not need landing cards or a formal customs process, so that was a surprise. Maybe it is because they do not get a huge amount of tourists? We took a taxi to our apartment for the week before heading up to the National park. The apartment is so nice - 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms- and a spacious kitchen living room and dining area. It is halfway up this really steep hill, so we are definitely going to be getting our workouts in. This whole town is actually pretty hilly and many of the streets are cobblestone, so our ankles are getting a workout.
We went up to the national park to get my race packet, and to tour the national aquarium. This is the largest aquarium in Europe! It was pretty cool to see so many kind of fish in one place!
We have also been stopping in churches along our journey to take in the masterpieces. We even went into a church that was constructed in Rome, deconstructed, sent over in 3 ships and rebuilt! Our first night we tried to time the sunset while we at a castle on top of the city, but we didn't realize what a steep climb it would be to get to the top, so we arrived a few minutes late. Speaking of late, we have usually been a little hungry as we have been late to getting food during their open hours. They do have a form of a siesta here, so by the time we get lunch (around 2pm) the kitchens are shutting down :-) Dinner is also a bit later, so we are normally one of the first in the restaurant.
My half marathon went well. It was a good chance to see more of the city. We started at the Vasco de Gama bridge and ran down and around to the national park. Then we continued south for a few more miles to a port with a cruise ship before turning around and heading back up towards the finish. It was a Rock n Roll Series so there were bands that played music every few kilometers. Looking at the kilometer signs were a bit tricky as I am used to Mile signage. It was a slot, hot race, but I ran the whole way and told myself just to enjoy it. The bands all played American songs from the 80s so it was refreshing to hear some English.
Most of the people can speak broken English, but Portuguese is the dominant language by far. We have been trying to say a few phrases when we can so that we are at least trying. Most of the servers are accommodating with helping us with the menus.
Today we are heading out on the train to Sintra. It is a small town about 30km NW of Lisbon. There are a few castles to check out up that way.
Happy Monday everyone!
Just a quick note to let you know that we have arrived in Lisboa after a long sleepless flight and are enjoying this city!
We arrived to a country that does not need landing cards or a formal customs process, so that was a surprise. Maybe it is because they do not get a huge amount of tourists? We took a taxi to our apartment for the week before heading up to the National park. The apartment is so nice - 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms- and a spacious kitchen living room and dining area. It is halfway up this really steep hill, so we are definitely going to be getting our workouts in. This whole town is actually pretty hilly and many of the streets are cobblestone, so our ankles are getting a workout.
We went up to the national park to get my race packet, and to tour the national aquarium. This is the largest aquarium in Europe! It was pretty cool to see so many kind of fish in one place!
We have also been stopping in churches along our journey to take in the masterpieces. We even went into a church that was constructed in Rome, deconstructed, sent over in 3 ships and rebuilt! Our first night we tried to time the sunset while we at a castle on top of the city, but we didn't realize what a steep climb it would be to get to the top, so we arrived a few minutes late. Speaking of late, we have usually been a little hungry as we have been late to getting food during their open hours. They do have a form of a siesta here, so by the time we get lunch (around 2pm) the kitchens are shutting down :-) Dinner is also a bit later, so we are normally one of the first in the restaurant.
My half marathon went well. It was a good chance to see more of the city. We started at the Vasco de Gama bridge and ran down and around to the national park. Then we continued south for a few more miles to a port with a cruise ship before turning around and heading back up towards the finish. It was a Rock n Roll Series so there were bands that played music every few kilometers. Looking at the kilometer signs were a bit tricky as I am used to Mile signage. It was a slot, hot race, but I ran the whole way and told myself just to enjoy it. The bands all played American songs from the 80s so it was refreshing to hear some English.
Most of the people can speak broken English, but Portuguese is the dominant language by far. We have been trying to say a few phrases when we can so that we are at least trying. Most of the servers are accommodating with helping us with the menus.
Today we are heading out on the train to Sintra. It is a small town about 30km NW of Lisbon. There are a few castles to check out up that way.
Happy Monday everyone!
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Magda