First, I would like to apologize to all of my many loyal readers (a.k.a. Mama Rita, Dad, and Russell) for leaving you with bated breath. Second, I would like to apologize for my diminishing aptitude of the English language: after hearing heavily accented Portuguese, Spanish, Norwegian, broken English, and I’m not entirely sure what else for the past few days, I am satisfied with being able to communicate on a kindergarten level. Nevertheless, I will attempt to adequately describe the happenings of el fin de semana.
I and eleven other members of our group just returned from an eventful weekend in Lisbon, Portugal. After class let out early on Friday, we hustled straight to the bus stop to catch the 13:00 bus to Sevilla. From there, we had to catch another 7-or-so-hour-long bus ride (depending on how the driver was feeling that day) to the Sete Rios stop in Lisbon, and then the metro to the hostel where we were staying, finally arriving around noon on Saturday. We toured the city for the day, went to several bars and clubs until 3 a.m., and left at 8 the next morning to begin the long journey back home. Since this is my foray into the world of travel blogs, I have compiled a list of useful information for all of the adventuresome folk who would like to do Lisbon (or just about any foreign city) in a day.
1) Pack light.
You are not moving, you are staying for a weekend, max. You don’t need that many options, especially since most likely, no one you know is going to see you. However, this does not give you license to look like a total americano. Bring a toothbrush, underwear, and bathing suit, and you should be good to go. Furthermore, the term “backpacking through Europe” was coined for a reason. Giant, green, gym bags are not synonymous, and should not be lugged throughout various cities.
2) Wear walking shoes.
They may not be on the cover of the latest fashion magazines, but the old men with black socks and sandals may be on to something. Either wear tennis shoes, boots, or something with good arch support, no matter how unappealing it may be. You will be much more satisfied when your feet aren’t swollen and rubbed raw than you will be if someone complimented your shoes, which is most likely not going to happen here anyways.
3) Do your research.
When in a new place, you are obligated to go and see or do whatever that city is famous for. So it is always a good idea to do a little research on the history, major battles, etc. of the land, so as to know what traditions, sights, and buildings are must-sees while you are in town. Once you get there, it may not be as obvious as you were expecting. So do your homework before you go, especially since “wee-fee” may be scarce in some corners of the world.
4) Be prepared.
Expect the unexpected. Or if you are a staunch believer of Murphy’s law, expect the expected. Most people working in the cheap public transportation business become stressed and grumpy very easily. Things get expensive, and to add insult to injury, are usually cheaper at the very next store you go to. Buses get missed, planes lose luggage, people forget passports, etc. Trip insurance is your friend…a euro in time saves 35, as I learned the hard way (sorry, anyone who was expecting a souvenir). If the insurance is offered pretty cheaply, and you will be cutting connecting flights/rides close, I strongly suggest you make the investment.
5) Take advantage of local knowledge.
While some locals may just smirk at the sight of you, most are happy help, and more than willing to offer advice on their favorite, and least touristy, restaurants. Also, I have discovered walking tours, which were defined to me as free, tip-based tour programs where you are shown around the city. Look for younger tour guides: they’re usually more enthusiastic and entertaining. I guess the trade wears on you after a while. Our hostel, Lisb’on Hostel, had an excellent one given by some quadrilengual, twenty-something year old girl. I believe they were called Pancho Tours (named after a monkey), with Funky Monkey nightly pub crawls also available. I highly recommend looking them up, should you ever be in Lisbon.
6) Have a battle plan…your OWN battle plan.
This is pretty self-explanatory. Know what your group will be doing at all times, have a meeting point for lost souls, wear watches, the usual. Chances are, someone will get left somewhere, and things will get ugly. Prepare adequately in order to minimize the fallout of such circumstances. NOT that we know from experience or anything. Your ultimate goal is to return everyone safely, so just keep that in mind.
7) NAVIGATION!!!!
For God’s sake, splurge and buy a map, compass, or astrolabe if you have to. Don’t count on electronics, computers never cooperate. However, it may be worth your while to at least try a GPS, which probably would have been pretty helpful. Our little Techy crew wandered around the city for HOURS trying to decipher land marks, directions, Portuguese, and anything else that would help (apparently they don’t like street signs over here, either), before we finally splurged and got a map, and used someone’s trick to create a makeshift sundial and determine which way was North. Yes, we are nerds.
8) Learn the language.
Don’t count on being able to understand languages just because they are all Latin-based…Portuguese is like Spanish and French with some extra phlegm. While you look ignorant if you are not fluent in the native language no matter what, I suppose it looks a little better if you at least make an effort to learn a few important words. My suggestions would be: please, thank you, excuse me, you’re welcome, where is, may I have, hello, etc. We helped an old lady in a cafe with her chair, and she proceeded to yell obrigado at us for a good five minutes, while we stood dumbstruck at what we did wrong. Finally, someone else came into the store and announced that she was saying “thank you”. Go figure.
9) Take a nap.
While you may not want to miss a minute, sleep will help you in the long run. A minute wasted being grumpy is much worse than a minute wasted from sleeping. I was well-trained as a child: why sit when you can sleep? Take every advantage of traveling: I have mastered the art of falling asleep before my head hits the pillow. The Portuguese party hard. You most likely are going to be left in the dust, so if you want to stand a fighting chance, come well rested.
10) Keep the troops happy.
When one goes down, the others are soon to follow. Stem the “I have to pee”, “I’m hungry”, and “I’m tired” as soon as possible. It is far easier to prevent bad , and moods than to fix them. Remember, you are on vacation, act accordingly! Morale usually spreads quickly, and smiles go a long way. Keep morale up! Most importantly, always remember to stop and smell the roses…it’s not every day that you get opportunities like this!
All in all, our first outing was quite the learning experience. Lisbon was definitely a very beautiful city with a colorful history, though I’m sure some of the stories we heard might have been slightly skewed. We got a taste of the local cuisine, well-acquainted with the city, and a glimpse of the nightlife. I am quite thrilled to be able to say that we all made it back alive, not too much worse for the wear. Class tomorrow, however, might be another story. But for now, tchau!
No comments:
Post a Comment