Lisbon Day 21

It was a lazy day. Got up late and didn’t feel bad about it.

Seeing the lavanderia yesterday was a harbinger. We’d thought we could get away without another laundry day – but nope. Jen and I hauled our dirty laundry via a rolling suitcase - bumpity-bumpity-bumpity - UP the cobblestone streets to a lavanderia we discovered two blocks away. Jen stayed to read and tend the laundry while I returned to the hotel to catch up on my writing. We stayed in touch via phone and she let me know when the dryer finished so I could walk back up and help fold.

completing our laundry mission, we acted on a recent suggestion involving a craving for Indian food. We stopped at a small Indian establishment along the way. Had a terrific meal - sparkling water (note apparently, no one in Spain or Portugal knows what “seltzer” is) and appetizers alone : spicy chicken soup, chicken pakora, prawn pakora, Indian salad, vegetable samosa and garlic nan. With Indian music playing in the background, I felt guilty, like we were cheating on Portugal – but it tasted soooooo good. I was later reminded that Portugal colonized Cochin and Goa in India, so in a way, Portugal worked its way into the equation.

Returning to the room we put away clothes, exercised a bit and napped. Rousing, we brainstormed what we might do. Late that afternoon we decided to travel back into a hill neighborhood to visit a trendy restaurant and shopping complex called the LX Factory up-up-up in the Doca de Alcantara District. We used a subway token machine to refresh our transport tickets then snagged a bus. Twelve stops later we arrived.

In 1846 the important Wiring and Fabricos Lisbonense Company settled in Lisbon. The compound consisted of several large multistory buildings covering over 237,000 square feet. Over the years several other companies occupied the factory space including those that helped in supplying the colonies. Falling into disuse, it was revitalized as an artist’s mecca and Bohemian hideaway. It features over 50 widely diverse shops, workshops and eateries. Sales and events include fashion, jewelry, wine of course, advertising, communication, multimedia, art, architecture, music, and more. It is unfinished but continues to expand and is becoming ever more popular. There were still crowds when we left about 8:30 p.m.

We visited two dozen shops, climbing up and exploring the three stories of halls in one building. Marveled at the extensive tagging and graffiti art throughout. We listened to some Ukrainian musicians and toe-tapped to some Portuguese reggae. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant (I know, I know, I felt guilty for not eating Portuguese food again). Jenny had shrimp enchiladas and vinho branco. I had a hot-hot Chorizo burrito and delicious cider – even though I thought I was ordering beer. Great meal, despite the disruptive drunk asshole who insisted on speaking and singing at a volume that would drown out a drill sergeant.

Our adventure was PERFECT (“Perfect!” is how all Portuguese service people respond the choices tourists make. Example “Oh you wish coffee with cream, perfect!”). Two of the most perfect things we discovered were the two-story book store that I swear looked like it was part of a Harry Potter movie set and the avant-garde art shop that had us smiling and sometimes laughing at every single display. The place did the most amazing things with animals shaped lamps.

We ended the day by searching for our bus stop in the dark and once again. Found it and only just missing our numbered bus back to our hotel. Watching other busses board, we were curious about uniformed officials boarding that appeared to be policia sans weapons. When we finally boarded our bus 15 minutes later, we found out they were ticket inspectors. In Portugal riding a bus without a valid ticket is punishable with a fine of between 120 to 350 Euros. In Madrid it was 100 Euros.

Got to bed early in anticipation of our munch anticipated trip to Sintra tomorrow.

Boa Noite.

I am posting a selection of the thousands of pictures we took on Facebook. Look me up there and see what we saw!