Oh my God, I’m in Portugal

Sunday, January 7, 2023

We slept a couple times for 15-20 minutes. It was not a restful night flight, but it wasn’t expected to be. Our driver, Victor, picked us up and drove us to our rho=====

Oh. I just fell asleep there and ended up with some equal signs. There were a bunch more, but they disappeared.

Victor had our name on a sign (best exciting!) but we also knew he was waiting for us at Starbucks, so we found him without a problem.

He took us to our hotel which looks like a door between two shoe stores. The reviews say not to worry that it literally doesn’t look like a hotel from the outside, it is very nice inside. And it is. We arrived about 8am and they asked if we would like to pay 20 euro to get our room immediately instead of waiting until 3pm. I would have paid whatever they asked for. We napped from 9 until 11. Well, I slept completely through the 11am alarm, but woke up 11:15 with the alarm going and Keith shaking me awake. I said, “Oh my god, I’m in Portugal.”

We went to a Doner Kabob place for lunch before walking a couple blocks to meet our Tuk Tuk driver and tour guide Manuel Martins, He drove us around in a tuk tuk for more than three hours. It was so interesting and entertaining.

We stopped many times to visit sights, and most importantly to try the famous Lisbon custard tarts from the original place. They were made by monks who had extra egg yolks, because they used the egg whites to starch some part of their monk outfit. In 1837, they had been raising funds by selling the tarts, but were over it, so they sold the recipe to a guy who made a tart factory. They are renown around Portugal, but only one place has the original recipe. The original guy bought an old sugar processing plant, and the store is still there – they make 20,000 tarts/day. 20,000!! The tart part was so thin and crispy and the custard was warm and delicious. Quite an item!!

We stopped to look at the Lisbon Golden Gate Bridge. They needed a bridge and they have a history of earthquakes, so they went to the San Francisco bridge guys. The SF bridge guys said they knew how to it, so they did it. It is about 1/3 mile shorter than the golden gate bridge. I misunderstood Manuel. I thought he said we were going to go over the bridge – the alternative would be to take a ferry. I said I would be okay, and he agreed. Then we took off. I was pretty sure we were going to tae ajkkkkk

Darn. Sleeping again.

I was pretty sure we were going to go over the bridge in the open tuk tuk, and that I was going to die, obviously.

We did not go over the bridge. I did not die.

We learned so many things about history and buildings and stuff, but I cannot keep my eyes open. It is 6:40p,, but I have to give up and go to sleep. I know I will be up at midnight but I don’t care. Too bad self from the very shsotlk away future. The now you is going to sleep wether youlike itornot