Belem; Saudade

The day after we got here we decided to hoof it to the closest cell phone provider (MEO, last time we used Vodofone). It turned into an hour long walk, but we met with success. We got 2 months data for 64 Euros. The gal was kind enough to swap our sim cards for us, so we are now fully operation for texting and calling each other while here. For international communication I use either Whatsapp or Telegram, or email of course.

The next thing we did was hunt down the bus/metro/train/tram/trolley pass store. To go wherever you want on the metro or smaller inner-city trains costs only 1.47 E. To go to Cascais (thirty minutes) on the bigger local train is only 1.95 E. The one card works for everything local—not the high speed national trains. The first thing we did was find the trolly stop and wait behind an old-timer. He pushed a button to open the door, climbed aboard, and held his card against a scanner… so we did the same thing. This is how we learn the vast majority of things while we travel. Watch other people.

It's amazing how busy this waterfront is. Not just tourists but locals as well. Lots of joggers and speed walkers, young couples walking like their hips are attached. I lost count of how many parents were pushing strollers. It's interesting how often I see something with an element of danger. The riverbanks are actually paved with giant blocks of stone and the slope directly into the river. The bottom half of them are covered in slippery algae. If you went down that slope, you're not coming back up without a rescue team. It's a little better in front of Lisbon. There it's like big slanted steps, but still green and slippery. We were walking by yesterday and a man (old enough to know better) was at the edge of the water. He had his nice jeans rolled up to keep them dry as he stood barefoot on the green part taking selfies. Suddenly he went down hard. The phone bounced from his hand and skittered dangerously close to the river. I politely looked the other way once I could see the only thing hurt was his pride. Hopefully he was just doing a selfie and not talking to someone on Zoom!

Speaking of selfies, everywhere we travel people are getting that perfect selfie—including us. But, you have to admit, some people are obsessed with it. The other day we discovered a super nice restaurant on the riverfront called Sud Lisboa. It was gorgeous. Even the bathrooms were gorgeous, albeit a little confusing. Joe gave me instructions before I went, and I still couldn't figure it out without some trial-and-error. We like getting a glass of wine and beer at these fancy places. It's cheaper than the meal, and you get the experience. Two young ladies came in dressed like they were going disco dancing. They sat down and the selfies commenced… for the entire time we were there. The only time they weren't photographing themselves was when they were taking pictures of each other. Then a third gal came in and it all started over again... the pursed lips and the flick of the hair.

We have a favorite restaurant already. It's an Italian pizzeria. It's situated next to the big Belem sculpture. We like it because we can sit out on the deck overlooking the water. It doesn't hurt that they have a yummy wine called Casa Ermalinda Freitas Syrah. Both times we ate there we ordered the salmon, arugula, and cream cheese pizza. Man that was good!

Today we hiked uphill to the Restelo neighborhood to the public pool. We got all signed up and hopefully we'll start swimming tomorrow. It has six lanes and is a 25-meter pool. It's on a 45-minute incremental schedule, so we have to get there fifteen minutes early to change, then hop in the pool on time. It was so warm in the building, I can only hope it's not too warm in the water. We definitely checked out the bus schedules to get there, otherwise we'd be done with our workout before we even got in the pool!

There's a gorgeous museum of electricity near our place--MAAT. It is such a bizarre looking place! It looks like a giant manta ray or some other strange sea creature. Portugal is all about the sea. There're three or four marinas directly in front of our area.

A beautiful sculpture is very close to our pad. It's shaped like a ship going out to sea. The man on the bow holding a ship is probably Vasco da Gama. He was the famous explorer who discovered the spice route to India around Cape Hope. Sea voyages, especially in the fourteen hundreds, were extremely dangerous—only 55 of the 170 seamen survived. Portugal was/is also a major fishing country. Because of this, the Portuguese culture is deeply nostalgic. 

The Fado music represents this yearning for the sailors and fishermen to return, though they frequently didn't. A word is used here to describe this feeling—Saudade. I found two different definitions for this word and I feel it's important to know them before traveling here to Portugal… otherwise you'll miss the true experience.

Saudade: A vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness.

Saudade: A profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that might be forever lost. The recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or people that once brought joy, pleasure, and a well-being but now make one experience the pain of separation. A deep emotional state of nostalgia for what once was but will likely never be again.

I'm curious what your reaction to this will be? Does it make you sad or do you like it and why?