Lisbon...oh how thee gave buns of steel

This was one of the many quotes on the back of our "We Hate Tourism Tours" van we rode in all day. The glowing yellow buses really get peoples attention when you're on the road.

Lisbon, seriously had no idea God built you at a 30 degree angle. I've never seen anything like it before. My little legs have never worked so hard to get me up and down these glute building hills!! And to boot all of your sidewalks are made of small 2x2" uneven cobbelstones with large spaces in between. How romantic. What absolute torture on my feet and shoulders. Do you know what it's like to roll a piece of luggage ONE MILE up hill in 90 plus degree heat jetlagged out of your mind over these things? Luggage companies should seriously consider sending a young go getter over here with their travel wares to test out the wheels on this stuff! We read so many signs and information on Lisbon before we arrived to 'beware of pick pockets' and 'what to do when you are mugged' that we were practically scared of old women. Pulling this luggage up one of your seedy streets made me feel like a weakened animal being hunted in a fenced in yard. It was not the best way to start our relationship. Over time, I grew a little more fond of you. You're still not my favorite and probably never will be, but many memories were made there.

This is the cheating way to see Lisbon from above. I really didn't feel like we were cheating because we had already been up and down the hills several times. This is an elevator that will take up 5 stories and then has a bridge adjoining it to some higher streets to avoid the steep climb.

In contrast to all the mugging warnings, we found the drug dealers to be rather hospitable in your beautiful city. We were offered drugs within moments of sitting down on a park bench trying to figure out where our hotel was. It's worth noting again, it was ONE MILE UP A VERY STEEP HILL. The winding streets are super confusing on top of their vertical challege and even with the help of our friend, the walking European Garmin "Nancy," we still got lost. I have to say that I had to be as happy as Mary when she got off the donkey to deliver in a stall to see our hotel! Just get me off this donkey already! We've been in transit for 3 days! The accomodations were great, I dare to say exceptionally clean, this is huge coming from me. But I spoke too soon. The next morning when I awoke I kept noticing these bites. Make a passing comment to Ragan who said, "I have those too." Dare I say, BED BUGS anyone? We thought surely not, this place is great, spotless even. But when I woke up the next morning and my body looked like the buffet had been open all night to these little varmits, I was totally creeped out and it pretty much confirmed that the review of that hotel won't be glowing.

Once we got our bearings, well Ragan really, I was taking a much needed nap or it was over and done for me, we were off like lightning. At first, it's a very confusing layout with winding streets that just dead end. The city is "V" shaped for lack of a better way of describing it. There are about 6 blocks at the base of the city that are flat and the rest of it is straight up hill with more hills shooting off of those. Ragan literally looses sleep if he doesn't have his know his way around, so he studies map after map until he can walk around with his eyes closed. He remembers streets, I remember buildings. Together it makes for a great traveling team! We walked until everything in Lisbon had been seen and experienced. We took an awesome excursion with a group called "We Hate Tourism Tours." They really try to capture the wandering twenty year old who's trying to find their way in life by smelling ripe and the seeing the world through hostiles and people who don't speak their language. But, we took it anyway. We went to Sintra which is outside of Lisbon and saw the beautiful grounds of the kings and queens of yesteryear, went to the furthest Western point in Europe, stopped at the beaches of CasCais, hung out with 4 hysterical Canadian guys all day who had all quit their job and were traveling the world, and experienced parts of the area we would have not seen, mainly because we didn't know it was there. It was 30 Euro for the whole day with a guide driving you everywhere, included lunch and a snack. We couldn't believe how awesome of a day we had gotten for nothing! No regrets there.

On our tour of Sintra, this was the castle that we went to tour. You can also climb the adjoining mountain to a higher point to see their gardens, an area called the Queen's Throne, a beautiful cross sculpture, and to get an amazing 360 degree view of the area. It was stunning! Of course it was one of those fabulous pieces of architecture that was built by the King for the woman that he loved.

Here we are at the furthest Western point in Europe. I have to say that Christopher Columbus was one brave man when he looked across the Atlantic Ocean that seems never ending and said, "I want to go across that...Queen of Spain, hand me your purse." He was one very brave explorer!

On a random sidenote. As we were leaving for Porto, Portugal I was walking through the train station and saw an entire magazine rack covered in Miley Cyrus. Who knew the fruit of Billy Ray's "Achey Breaky" loins would be so universal?

We'll see you in Porto!!