Lisbon, Portugal

I was planning to go to Spain and then had an opportunity to go to Portugal and I couldn’t resist to combine the two. I am glad that I am able to communicate in Spanish, although Portuguese is a completely different language, Spanish did help me get by when English wasn’t enough. Still though, three times someone stopped me on the street and enthusiatically told me something I wasn’t able to understand. I didn’t give in, and did my best to communicate with my hands, but what they were saying was really a mystery to me… the fourth time it happened I finally realized what they were trying to tell me, but that’s a story for another day…

I absolutely love eating atlantic cod (in other places) and I’ll never understand why in Portugal you almost never find fresh cod, but instead they give you cod that has been dried and salted, then (much) later cooked into a meal. It boggles my mind. I guess it’s an acquired tatse. Francesinha is more delicious than I expected, I was thinking soggy strange sandwhich in gravy, but it is actually delicious and has an amazing beer gravy that surrounds a toasted sandwhich protected from sogginess by the melted cheese, and filled with delectable meats. The city is very hip, with plenty of cafes, and most importantly, pastel de nata. The lagers are crisp and fresh, and the people are friendly and kind, and they have plenty of wandering streets and corners to discover. A good friend and former colleague of mine is portuguese and I told him I can’t wait to visit his country again.