Porto to Sesimbra

Most of my entertainment comes from walking around. I never know what I’m going to encounter. People are always doing unexpected things. We were sitting down by the waterfront in Lisbon and we happened upon several guys practicing acrobatics. It was amazing how many flips they could do. The street music is also a favorite of ours. If we like the performer, we plop down at the nearest street café and get a cup of coffee or wine and beer.

Speaking of beer… Sagres is the beer of Lisbon and they do make a dark beer called Sagres Preta (black). Bock is the beer of Porto, and their dark beer is called Bock Stout. All their wine is good, even the table wine, but I prefer the Douro region because it’s bigger and sweeter. Alentejo tends to be too dry for my taste.

We do run into a few people asking for a handout. One Portuguese lady said they prefer people to beg than to steal. I prefer people to work for their money, but that’s just me. Joe’s been the target of men asking him if he wants some “weed” but they accept no for an answer. Wandering sunglass salesmen are big along the riverfront. If you have a pair of sunglasses on, they leave you alone. Sidewalk pubs and cafes are everywhere here in Portugal, and they’re cheap. A shot of espresso is about 80-90 cents compared to 2 or 3 bucks in the States. If you can’t live without your Starbucks, they have one on every corner in Porto.

Down along the river front on the Gaia side is where the best vibe is. Small river cruise boats tie up here to let their older guests wander around spending money. We were walking next to a raised grassy area with a stone wall about knee-high when we came upon an older man. He was about eightyish and clearly a tourist. As it turns out he was French. He wanted to get up onto the grassy area where all his buddies were. One foot went up on the ledge and he attempted to hoist himself up like he did when he was fifty. By now I was very close. I slowed to a stop right behind him. My geriatric disaster-radar was going off. He made another attempt and got his other foot up, so now he’s in a squat on the edge of a wall. I stepped up closer. He tried to rise up. He waivered, teetered, and in slow motion fell back against me. While I held him in the sitting position, a Portuguese couple came to our rescue and lifted him to his feet. Obviously, he was very grateful. We ended up chatting with that couple for half an hour after the Frenchman wobbled over to his friends.

One thing that’s a little hard to adjust to here is the late dining. They make Italians look like early eaters. Most of the dinner restaurants are open from 8:00 to midnight. We usually get there at 8:00 and by the time we’re done the places would be finally be filling up. The servers in restaurants hustle. They seriously work really hard and because there’s no tipping, they all work together. It wasn’t unusual to have several waiters. The person who took your order often didn’t deliver your food. It would be brought by whoever was handy when the food was ready. They seem to appreciate my efforts to speak Portuguese to them, but they almost always switch to English.

By the way, um café is a single shot of espresso. If you want a black cup of coffee, order a café Americano. They don’t serve milk or creamer with coffee, but they’ll make it that way on request. That would be com lete. The term latte means nothing to them. Just say you want a café Americano com lete. They may ask if you want it cold or hot, frio o quente. As I sit here writing at a beach front café, I’m breathing in the cigarette smoke from a nearby table. Smoking is a major past time here, which I find confusing. This is a hard-working, physical fitness people… especially the younger folks, but they all smoke! I don’t get it.

They have statues everywhere. My two favorite were the laughing guys and the Lady Justice. The guys are on stadium seats. One unfortunate man is falling off the seats, head over heels. The other two are laughing hysterically.

Then there’s the Lady Justice or maybe I should say Lady Injustice. She stands with one hand on a sword in the ground before her. The other hand holds the scale, but it’s not held out. Instead it’s held folded to her side to be used at her whim. And this lady is not blindfolded either—for her, justice is not blind. This statue was made during the dictatorship years. Interesting, huh? 

The other major artform and nationally controlled thing is the sidewalk design. Each area has its own design and has to submit it to the government for approval. Here in Sesimbra, I think it was designed by a drunk sailor. The lines are crooked and haphazard… consistently throughout the town.

Sesimbra is a quiet little beach town. It has lots of condo complexes up the hillside for tourist to climb up to after a long day on the beach. I was excited to see the perfectly clear turquoise water. We dropped our bags and our newly purchased beach blanket and went straight to the water. I skidded to a stop in the sand as soon as my feet got wet—freezing cold water! So far I’ve gotten in up to my knees, but Joe has gotten in several times. He comes out gasping every time, but he swears it feels great. Whatever. I’m not getting in. However the beach is perfect for sunbathing and walking on the silky sand.

This morning we went for a workout. I walked the extensive boardwalk while Joe chose the beach gym. He was happy and I got to do stairs and a very long slope. It felt good to finally get a workout in. One morning on my walk, I was a little surprised when eight white ladies stripped off their clothes and got in the frigid water. The guys working on the boardwalk were also clearly surprised. That’s actually what made me look to the sea. All the guys stood with tools poised as they stared in the same direction. We’ve seen a lot of thong bikinis and a few topless, but not nude.

I forgot to tell you about our journey here. We left early Monday morning for the big metro station, Trinidade. We hopped on the metro before the doors snapped us in two. We got off at the Campanha metro and walked across the lot to the Campanha train station. I’d already purchased our tickets, so we lined up at the station platform and waited for the train. This is not for weak in spirit. You must be ready. When that train arrives—get on! Even if it’s the wrong car. You can always walk to your car. If possible go to the second car door because everyone gets in the first door of your car and takes up the luggage space.

We went to Lisbon and got off at the Oriente Station. Then we went to the ticket counter and bought tickets to Sete Rios. The regular trains can be purchased using a card you get the first time you buy a ticket (that card cost fifty cents, so hang on to it and reload it). We barely caught that train and had to stand inside, but only for ten minutes. Next we got another train to cross the river heading south. This time we had to stand for fifteen minutes. We’d purchased a full day’s food back in Porto, so we didn’t have to try to find food. We got off at Foros de Amora and loaded our little cards again for a bus ride (all on the same card). 

As a side note, a foreigner was asking us at the Lisbon train station which platform was for the train going to Amora. Since that's where we were going, he was in luck. The only English he could speak was please and thank you. He was very concerned about getting the wrong train, but the ticket master had sent him to this line. He followed us closely as we boarded the train for Coina--the train's final stop. We got off in Amora and he followed. At the ticket counter for the buses (and trains) he was ahead of me. He turned around and said a couple of other English words he knew, "Shit! Amadora, not Amora!" Bummer. He had to go back to Lisbon and catch a different train. :/

After waiting 45 minutes we boarded the crappiest old bus I’ve ever been on and were told the card didn’t have enough money on it! Thankfully the driver takes cash. 3.50E each to Sesimbra. That was a long 45 minutes in a jam-packed bus with no air conditioner. It was swelteringly hot. A ceiling vent was propped open with a squished water bottle. I think we'll find a different mode of travel next time.

Once we arrived here, hot and sweaty, we had to walk to our home. It’s wasn’t that hard of a walk, but pulling suitcases over cobblestones is brutal. We arrived exhausted to an air-conditioned apartment one street from the beach. What a blessing.

I’ve got laryngitis, which as you know can be tiring. We decided after our crazy travel day from Porto to Sesimbra to take a day of rest. We bought a bucket of peri-peri chicken and frozen veggies from the grocery store and I made dinner. We watched The Chosen… which is our go-to show to watch while traveling.