And it’s with that insightful thought about pastries and staircases that I bid the country of Portugal farewell. It was a lovely trip, and now I’m parked on the shiniest floor I have ever seen, passing the time between flights at the Barcelona airport. This is probably one of the most inconvenient layovers I have ever had the – well, “pleasure” isn’t really the word for it – of experiencing. We arrived at BCN sometime before midnight, and we’re stuck here until it’s time for our next flight…at 5:15am.
The good news? MALTA!
The bad news? 5:15am.
In Jon’s words, “Who the hell is getting up at the ass-crack of dawn to go to Malta?!”
I have no idea. Maybe we’ll be the only people on the plane. In which case I’m s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out for naptime! Zzz…
The last couple of days in Lisbon were nice. Not quite the adventure I was hoping for, but definitely nice. I was hoping to pay a visit toSintra or the beach, but getting Jon to go anywhere during the day is like trying to get a…ok, so I can’t think of a good simile, but you get the idea. It’s difficult. We did manage a bit of an excursion to the Castle of SaintGeorge, which was fun to get close to after admiring it up on the hill all week. We didn’t feel like paying the fee to get in (and I’d forgotten to restock my nearly-depleted supply of Euros anyway), but we wandered around it for a while and enjoyed the various spectacular views of the city and river that our spot atop the hill afforded.
Afterwards we explored the picturesque streets of Alfama, the old part of town that sits beneath the hill, and a cathedral we found (Santa Maria de Meior, I think?). If I recall correctly, that was also an exceptionally delicious day…more Portuguese pastries, butter-and-garlic-soaked clams, and grilled octopus. I will definitely miss how well (and how cheaply!) we ate in Lisbon. In addition to our standard pastry breakfast, we’ve had great Indian food, cheese-drenched pasta, and seafood-covered pizza. Last night we paid a visit to a place I’ve lovingly nicknamed “The Preschool” because of its multicolored furniture and the bright murals covering its walls. We tried an amazing rib dish (meat fell right off the bones), a black bean soup that had a rich smoky flavor, and a guava dessert with a soft white cheese. We ended our food tour today with two more pastries and a to-die-for seafood and rice stew. The broth was so good that I would drink it out of a cup.
Nights have been quiet. I spent one in to work, and otherwise only went out briefly. We went back to the Swiss bar a couple more times, and the owner was kind enough to wish us farewell last night with shots on the house. I’m always impressed by how quickly we manage to leave an impression on the places we visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment