Lisbon

We arrived in Lisbon on Monday evening after dark. Getting dropped off the airport bus in the middle of a strange city after dark (where you don't speak the local language) is somewhat disorienting, But as in much of Europe, everyone seems to have some basic English, so it didn't take long to find our way.

We are staying in a hostel. Formerly known as "youth hostels," these places still have a young vibe, and we are undoubtedly the oldest people staying here, but not the only ones for whom the adjective "youth" does not apply. The room is basic, but clean, and we don't share a bathroom (though that could have been an option had we wanted to save even more). There is no maid to make our bed, and we have to rinse off our own dishes after making ourselves breakfast from the (rather abundant) breads, cereals, and fruits provided, but otherwise it's quite comfortable.

Tuesday morning we took off on walking tour guided by our best travel pal, Rick Steves. Thanks to his guide book, we bought our day-pass for mass transit, found our way to the trolly stop, got on the trolly that would take us to the top of the hill, and walked a short distance to the Castelo de Sao Jorge -- the Medieval castle built by the Moors in the 11th century atop older ruins dating back to the Romans. It was retaken by the Christians in 1147 A.D., and has a commanding view of the city and the mouth of the Rio Tejo.

After touring the ramparts and the small museum, we walked awhile in the surrounding neighborhood, looking at houses still occupied today after being built 300-500 years ago. Being older and wiser travelers, we walked the narrow, winding streets primarily DOWN the hill toward the waterfront, where we visited the Fado Museum. Fado is distinctive Portugese folk music, usually sad.

After learning about singing the blues in Portugese, we caught a bus to the Praca do Comercio and the old downtown, known as the Baixa. While ground floor businesses flourish, almost nobody lives above them anymore, because the old buildings lack the basics of modern plumbing, and rent controls mean developers are unwilling to invest in renovations.

We visited the church of Sao Domingos, which still bears very visible scars of the great earthquake that occured here in 1755. This was a huge quake, estimated 9.0, that leveled most of the area. You would think it happened just last year, because of the impact it had on Lisbon's history. It's mentioned everywhere.

All of that was just our morning! Stay tuned for the rest.