Due to the short notice of my departure from Bangladesh, I had 2 weeks to say good-bye and pack my life back up into 2 bags (and a carry on). This was going to prove much harder (or perhaps easier) than when I did it for the first time back in June. I had substantially less to choose from now (compared to an entire apartment full of belongings); however, I now had a bike with me and Jake wasn't about to get left behind. This meant a lot of the things I brought (or hadn't used up yet) would have to be left behind in "The Shire." But when you spend a lot of time living amongst others who have so little - either by force or necessity - you realize how little some things matter. At the end of the day most things are just that - things. You really don't need a lot. We just WANT a lot. So it wasn't all that surprising to me when the day before my departure I looked down and saw that the original 2 full bags (+ carry-on) that I had originally came with, was now down by half to just 1 bag, and 1 carry-on (with the exception, of course, of my bike).
My last day in Bangladesh was met with mixed feelings of sadness, excitement, relief, and anxiety. It was the day I turned in all my work items - my laptop, phone, SIM, etc. And though it may not seem like such a big deal, finally being free of this stress and responsibility lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I suddenly felt lighter. It was freeing. Yet there was still the looming fear of all that was coming. Sure I had a 3 week "decompression" period (so to speak), but then what? Coming home from abroad has always been a hard thing for me. And this time there was going to be a lot of change on the horizon, a lot of uncertainties, and even more unknowns than I could imagine. I just tried not to think of it, and instead focus on the gratitude I had for what I'd been able to do in Bangladesh, all that I'd learned, and look forward to the time I'd have over the next few weeks to explore something new and prepare for reintegration back into life at home in Canada.
Shortly after the new New Year, my family and I began planning to meet up for my next R&R and figured that the best half-way point would be Europe. A couple weeks of touring around Portugal had seemed like a great idea, only it wasn't anticipated that I'd be lugging around all my possessions (including a bike). But that's how life works, doesn't it. Nothing ever goes as planned. You just have to adapt, readjust, and carry on. So we did exactly that. Flights were rearranged, accommodations and transportation needs were modified, the last minute in-line-at-the-check-in-counter purging of 10kg of luggage to remain within the absurd baggage restrictions was complete, and next thing I knew I was leaving behind the lego land of Dhaka and off to Lisbon.
After a quick stop-over in Doha (thanks to a delayed flight out of Dhaka) I soon found myself walking out of the arrivals terminal in Lisbon greeted with a warm welcome from my parents, who had arrived earlier that day. We piled into the car, and I assumed my position in the passenger seat as navigator. (Evidently things hadn't gone so well with my mom navigating on google maps...something about getting lost and too many roundabouts, but who knows). We arrived at our Airbnb in Costa De Caparica shortly thereafter, and quickly headed out for a walk along the beach's boardwalk (see photos below) just in time for a stunning sunset and the most delicious, and long-anticipated, salad.
The hilly, coastal capital of Portugal was our first stop on this 3 week tour of Portugal, and a perfect place to start. And except for a minor ordeal involving steep hills, hitting a parked car, and a misunderstanding of how rental car parking brakes work we were already off to a great start.
Nestled on the western coast of Portgual, Lisbon has a large coastline formed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus River. We spent a good portion of our time in the colourful Alfama district, and after discovering the streets in this area are insanely steep, filled with confusing one-ways, cobblestone, and aren't very Canadian-driver friendly, we decided to stick to walking. Thankfully the area is very pedestrian friendly and filled with lots of things to do. We definitely got our steps in on the days we spent here.
We began our exploring at the aptly named "Door to Lisbon" - the Arco da rua Augusta which stands in the main square and opens up into a long shopping boulevard. After ducking into a few shops to stock up on some warmer clothing (even though it was sunny and in the mid-teens, coming from Bangladesh I found myself freezing in "the cold"), we wandered down to the waterfront promenade. The weather was nice (despite my arguments to the contrary) so there were a lot people out on the patios having a drink (even a bachelor party all dressed as Mario characters), or sitting on the coastal rocks soaking up the sun and checking out local artwork (like painted rock animals).
Even though I don't know a lot about the arts and history, it's hard to miss the stunning architecture in the city that seemed to get better and better down each street we walked. One of the most fascinating things were the glazed, ceramic azulejo tiles that covered many buildings, both inside and outside. Azulejo tiles date back to the 13th century and are deeply entrenched in Portugese history. Originally created as simple tiles in neutral tones, cut into geometric shapes, they now boast a multitude of bright colours and though some still have the geometric prints, others are painted into incredibly detailed pieces of art creating full murals on buildings. You couldn't help but be drawn to the beauty of these tiled-covered buildings; and when the sun reflected off of them it only captured your attention more.
Later in the day, we accidentally found "Pink Street". It was kind of a shock to find that the street we were casually walking down suddenly became bright pink. However, being the nerd that I am and having done some nightly research on the many things to see and do, at least I knew what we'd stumbled upon. Formerly Lisbon's red light district, Pink Street is now known as a popular nightlife area filled with bars and cafes. And though we never got a chance to come back and check out any of the nightlife (just witnessed the cleaning up of what was probably a great night out for many), at least visiting during the daytime at least gave us a chance to get some good uninterrupted photos.
Just down a side street off the main shopping boulevard is the Santa Justa lift. It's a 45m high elevator built inside a gothic tower which was inspired by the design of the Eiffle tower. Though it now has a great viewing platform at the top, and is connected to a chic little cafe, it's main purpose serves to connect two neighbourhoods - Baixa and Barrio Alto - saving you the tiresome walk up the steep streets.
In fact, the many funiculars in town were built with this purpose - to ease the locals commute up the long, steep streets. I don't blame them. I love to walk and exercise, but walking those streets day after day on your daily commute would leave you flat out.
(Funiculars conquering the steep gradients in Alfama district)
Another mode of transportation that's quite popular in Lisbon are the trams. They seem to be criss-crossing roads wherever you go and with all their rattling, screeching, and antique look, which dates back to the 1930's, there's no way you won't love them. One of the most popular routes is Tram 28, rolling up and down the narrow streets, maneuvering through tight turns and up steep gradients. It's a classic route, and nearly always packed. But it's a must. So we waited and waited, then wrestled our way on to the standing-room-only tram and stuck it out for almost 2 laps in an effort to finally get a chance to snag a spot by the window. Definitely worth it. Both the funiculars and trams (and even the Santa Justa lift) are still a part of Lisbon's public transportation network and a city metro card scores you a trip on these vintage rides. So even though they are, admittedly, mostly packed with tourists (ourselves included), they're still used by the locals in these areas.
The views in Lisbon are really quite stunning. And though you get to see the nitty gritty of the city by foot, funicular, or trams, seeing things from above always gives you a great new perspective. We all know how much I love rooftops, so getting to the top of the city was something that had to happen. There are many viewpoints around the city, but a couple of my favourites were Castelo de Sao Jorge, and Christ the King Sanctuary.
Castelo de Sao Jorge was built atop Sao Jorge hill, the highest point in Lisbon, in the 11th century. It now serves as an archaeological site and you can walk around to explore the many towers and learn about Moorish history. I'm not big into museums, but castles are another thing. Who doesn't love castles!? Especially castles with amazing views and wild peacocks... and this place had both! While walking along one of the paths near the cafe (yes, there is now a cafe in the castle) suddenly, out of nowhere, I looked up to see a peacock just chilling on a ledge. A peacock. And not just one. There were loads of them! They were in the trees, on the roofs, and just casually wandering around on the grassy nooks. I've never seen a wild peacock before, and now I was face to face with as many as I could ever want. They didn't seem fussed by everyone stopping to take their photos either, so I figured I may as well join in, cuz well, how often does a thing like this happen?!?
But aside from the peacock views, the views from atop the castle on the lookout promenade were also absolutely stunning. Looking out you see a vast sea of orange-roofed houses and buildings leading all the way out to the water. It actually reminded me of Switzerland. When I was in Switzerland a friend of mine put me up in his apartment for a couple of days while I was transiting through Lausanne. Lausanne is built on a hill, and he was lucky enough to live near the top. I remember sitting out on the balcony one morning, enjoying a cup of coffee, and looking out into a sea of orange-roofed buildings that stretched all the way down to the lake. It was a perfect moment. Much like this one. I love how interconnected the world is. And it's amazing how you don't really see it until you start travelling.
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A Taste of Portugal
Pastel de nata. A small round tart-like pastry with a crunchy and flaky crust, filled with egg custard, browned on top (optionally served with cinnamon), and best served warm. These are known all over Portugal, and once you have one it becomes a quest to find the best one in the country. (I have a thing about doing this whenever I find something that I like in a country, like my month long quest to find the best masala tea in Nepal). However, the word on the street was that the best pastel de nata is found at Pasteis de Belem. Pasteis de Belem is a little roadside bakery that boasts in having the original recipe from the Jeronimos Monestary; and being that the monestary is right next door, who knows? Maybe it's true.
The long line-ups from dawn to dusk definitely have you believing that they must have something that's worth the wait. We decided that if this was the place to be, then we better be there too. We thought it would be best to go a bit later in the day, thinking that lines wouldn't be as long. But if you look in the photo (to the left) the dark blue awning is Pasteis de Belem, and ALL those people aren't waiting for Starbucks. Surprisingly, the wait wasn't all that long, but I think that's because of the way they run the bakery. It felt a little bit like the soup kitchen from Seinfeld. You make your order, step to the side, wait, claim your order and go. And you better know what you want, because the more you hold up the line, the more people start giving you the side eye.
(Left): Inside Pasteis de Belem. (Right): Portugese pasteries with pastel de nata at the bottom, however, this picture is not from Pasteis de Belem because they're continually prepared in the back kitchen, not left in a display case up front.
One of the best things about Europe are all of the open-air cafes and patios. I love being able to sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee, and people-watch. And though we did this as much as we could, one of our favourite places to eat was the TimeOut Market. It's a massive indoor food-stall style foodcourt with everything you could ever want to try, and was always packed with people (and pigeons). When you're trying to pack in as much as you can in a day, it's nice to just grab a quick bite to eat (that isn't fast food). And speaking of memories, this place very much reminded me of a similar place I went to nearly every night when I was in Copenhagen. It was also an indoor food-stall style market set beside the water, and it reminds me of a time in my life when I was happy, free, and in love with life. (Not that I'm not happy now, but it's just one of those very fond memories that I'll never forget).
It was now time to move along in our journey, and next up was the Algarve Coast in the South. On our way out of Lisbon we made a stop at Christ the King Sanctuary to admire the views of where we had spent the last few days. I'm normally not one for cities, as I prefer the more rural, off-the-beaten-path places, but I have to say that Lisbon was pretty nice. Definitely a great place to start my "decompression", but even better because I had the company and support of my parents to make things a little easier.
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