Still Here

October 5, 2015

Note: America, singular. Nobody refers to Europe collectively as "The Europes" Why then "The Americas"

The Airport is just up the road, a point the free walking tour guide makes known in his introduction.

"I'm a local of Lisbon. I live up that street" he points up a north running street "continue further to the airport and take a plane to England" he grins "I'm from Essex. (county to the east of London) And I ran away fifteen years ago. I've travelled all over the world. Then on my way to see the World Cup in Brazil, stopped in Lisbon and fell in love with the city."

I was lucky to catch the free tour as I'd missed the girl that calls at the hostel to collect people, and so, had resigned myself to a day of wondering around the city by myself. The hostel is now empty and it's getting a bit boring. I would be back on the road, but it's rainy weather. It's suppose to pick up tomorrow. Lets hope it does. Anyway, I walked to the square near the hostel, and found the large group of free-walkers there, assembled by a monument at its centre.

Though there's no such thing as a free lunch, is there. Our Essex-man tour-guide mentions the matter of donations at the end. In this way, if you thought the tour was rubbish, feel that you didn't learn anything, you can simply give nothing. So you pay what you think the tour was worth, no obligation.

I haven't mentioned that Lisbon is hilly. Its a city built on seven hills. But in reality there's a lot more than that. From the area were the hostel is located, streets either go steeply down to the waterfront, or at a right-angle to these streets, are narrow switch-back streets with flights of steps between, down to a valley where there's a large rectangular square, the main centre.

On the way down we stop in front of the old Carmalite church, just as a heavy downpour come on causing our group to cower for shelter under a nearby tree. The walls remain, but there's no roof. It caved in during an earthquake on the first of November 1755, all souls day when full of worshipers.

By estimations, the earthquake was the biggest in modern time. It killed half the city's inhabitants either by falling buildings, or in fires that broke out in it's aftermath.

The disaster got survivers thinking, if god is good, why then has he let so many be killed. And many from then on started to believe in scientific reasons for being instead of believing in an invisible almighty man in the sky. Time was ripe for the period called "The enlightenment".

Nearing the bottom of the hill we have a break outside a tinny bar, room enough only for two people, and queue up for a cherry liquier called "gingin", which is as good a pickup as strong coffee. Then moving again we pass the barbers shop where I'd a shave the other day. Our guide refers to it jokingly as "time warp barber shop. If you want an eighties haircut, go there." My friend the barber is sat inside reading the paper.

The narrow street levels and opens into the aforementioned big square, called Pedro Square, with a monument to the man in the centre. When the French occupied Portugal in the early nineteenth century, the Portuguese King and his family gathered up their riches, boarded a British ship and sailed for their colony Brazil, where they made Rio de Janeiro capital of Portugal. Then when hostilities in Europe were over, the royal family returned to Portugal, but the king left his son Pedro as emperor of Brazil.

From the fifteenth century on, Portugal have looked to the sea. They conquered the Madeira islands and Cape Verdi islands. Then with the help of a new navigating device, which meant they could sail further from land avoiding treacherous seas around West Africa and The Cape of Good Hope, the great navigator Vasco Da Gama successfully sailed around Africa to Asia, about the same time Columbus sailed west; a voyage leading to the creation of African colonies Angola, Natal (Portuguese for Christmas, the day they made landfall) and Mozambique; and in Asia, parts of India, Indonesia, China and even Japan for a while.

Their second voyage went astray, however. Instead of following a line round the bulge of West Africa, they continued due south and made landfall in America, which would lead to them having Brazil too.

With gold and other riches from its colonies, Lisbon soon become the greatest city in the world. And the Portuguese language is today the world's fifth most spoken languege.

But this glorious time for Portugal wouldn't last forever. Post World War Two, European Colonial Powers were bankrupt from war debt, and there was a great move in their overseas colonies for independents and most succeeded. Portugal on the other hand was a right wing fascist dictatorship, ideology which meant a determination to cling to it's overseas territories, resulting in many wars, principally in Angola, where many Portuguese military personal fell in battle. And with a worsening economy at home, a great flight of civilians to somewhere better to live. In fact today, there are more Portuguese living in Paris than in Lisbon and the same is true for New York.

Our guide is more than just a pretty face. He writes a blog; is a big footfall fan, being a Benfica supporter; and, is almost finished writing a book about his traveling lifestyle.

I said I am bored, well I really am. Lisbon is a great city, worth visiting, but its people that make a place lively. As I said the hostel is empty, so the days I'm here, I've no one to hang out with in the evening. There's a young German couple in my room, nice people, but couples tend to keep to themselves.

Talking of them, the Germans. They were just up before me this morning, in the kitchen while I'm next-door in the dining room eating breakfast, when I hear them talking to a third person. Then that person come into the dining room and takes a seat at the breakfast table. I'm not happy to see this person as he is the same guy here the other day that called me brother and then asked me to buy him lunch. I keep a polite exterior when he says something.

A little later, the German guy asks me "are you also begging with him?" I beg your pardon. I didn't say that, but it's what I feel. I'm confused. Then he repeats. This time I get his meaning, did he beg from you too. I reply that he did. He was not happy.

Later still I meet his girlfriend, Joanna outside the reception door. She laughs in irony and says "I can't believe there's a beggar in the hostel.