MUITO OBRIGADO

Kevin: It is 22:47 and we just crossed the old suspension bridge out of Lisbon, on a bus headed to Sevilla, Spain. At the east end of the bridge was the enormous “Cristo do Rey” (I hope I spelled that right) statue. I have suddenly developed a lump in my throat, as it has hit me that we are leaving. Leaving behind five days of incredible places and even more incredible people. You see, at first, Portugal was not even on out list of places to visit. However, I had this secret fascination with a town I had never been to or didn't even really know much about. The name of the town is Lisbon, or Lisboa as known to the locals, in Portuguese. Somehow I suppose I was right and just did not know it. What an amazing place.

It all started as we arrived at the Lisboa Santa Apolonia train station after an incredibly beautiful ride through the Portuguese country side. It was on this train ride that I saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since leaving home. It was nice to see the same ocean that graced the shores of Miami Beach providing heaving ocean swells at least double overhead. A good sign. The evening then became exponentially better as we met, and were picked up by, someone who would soon become one of the most incredible people that Idalis or I had ever met, our Hospitality Club host, Joao B. My first impression of Joao B. was that he was a little older than I had expected. Not to mean that he looked old, because he did not. However, I had not had the opportunity to review Joao's profile before meeting him, unlike Idalis, so I had formulated a mental image in my mind. Regardless of my mental images, I was pleasantly surprised. I did not know this then, but Joao would prove to be one of the most hospitable, friendly, intelligent, positive, informative, accommodating, knowledgeable and all around best guys that I had ever met. With the help and guidance of Joao B., our stay in Lisboa would prove to hold memories that will last a life time.

Idalis: I had the pleasure of meeting Joao through Hospitality Club, when I started looking for accommodations in Lisbon. I had read Joao's profile, and even more important, the comments that his previous guests had written about him. I learned, right off the bat, that Joao was a very special person. Everyone who had stayed with him or crossed paths with him had only wonderful things to say. I contacted Joao, and much to our surprise, received a response almost immediately, offering to host us for (originally) three days in Lisbon. Joao picked us up at the train station and waited for us to arrive (our train was late), and took us out that same night to Parque dos Nacoes, the newer section of town, where we ate the most delicious “little French girls” ever! Joao is quite the Renaissance Man, kind of like the Michealangelo of Portugal. In the time we spent with him, we saw him (adeptly) wear many hats, including that of interpreter, tour guide, food conossuoir (delicious bacalhau!), sommolier (thank you for the Karlov and Ginja!), fish expert, historian, taxi driver, SAP extraordinaire, and most importantly, good friend. Kevin: Originally, we were scheduled to spend three nights with Joao B. We would have left for Sevilla on Thursday night. Well, thanks to an incredible and instant fascination with this city, and one small inconvenience, we would wind up extending our stay by two more days. My original idea was to highlight all the different things that we did and saw. However, after five days of intense touristing, I would be at a loss not only to remember the names of everything we visited, but also everything we did. As I have mentioned in this blog before about other cities, the city of Lisboa has a strong mix of historic and modern in their art, architecture and culture. However, in my opinion, Lisboa has the uncanny ability to meld the two together seamlessly, though I was informed that not all the locals necessarily see it that way.

Idalis: I would definitely agree with Kevin. You see beautiful, pastel,-colored, crumbling houses with clothes on lines, next to ultra-modern buildings. Delicious, traditional food and the most amazing coffee (we are officially addicts!), but also a wealth of new, interesting restaurants and cuisines at your fingertips. The Portuguese have a lot of well-deserved pride in their history and culture, but are very forward-thinking in terms of their care for the environment.
Kevin: Lisboa, or Portugal in general, is founded on a strong history of navigation, discovery, exploration and is for all intents and purposes, a sea fairing nation. This theme is evident in almost everything from its incredible monuments and sculptures, to its architecture and public spaces and even into its delicacies. A river runs right through the middle of Lisboa, Rio Tejo, and intercepts the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout history, Lisboa has always been a strategic location and port and has been occupied by at least five of history's major cultures, all of which who have left behind their mark. There is a rich sense of pride that runs deep in the people of Lisboa, and rightfully so. A local may complain about certain systems or structures, but they will almost always tell you how Portugal will always “go big”. A gross understatement, if you ask me, considering they just about discovered every frontier available by boat, and all in the fifteenth century. Royalty runs deep, and many heroes of Portuguese history have been named “Joao”, or “John”, and our Joao was no exception.

Idalis: We had the pleasure of visiting some beautiful monuments, especially in the historic center of the city. The “Torre de Belem” and the “Padrao dos Descobrimentos”, which pays homage to the first Portuguese explorers, were in the Belem section of town. In the Alfama district, we hiked all the way up to the Castelo de Sao Jorge (Lisboans love their hills!) and got an amazing view of the city. We went into the beautiful Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, and as has become our tradition when visiting a church, Kevin and I gave thanks for being able to experience this wonderful trip. In the new section of town, Kevin and I visited the Oceanarium and saw the gigantic sun fish! And in Sintra, outside of Lisbon, Kevin and I hiked (again!) to Quinta da Regaleira, a World Heritage sight, and three (steep!) kilometers up higher to the most amazing gardens at Palacio da Pena, where we sat in the clouds.
iKevin: I wanted to mention, in this post, a few things that maybe do not subscribe to any sort of order or logic. The first, and only because it came to me first, is that I think that everyone should very seriously consider putting Portugal, and more importantly Lisboa, on their list of places to visit. Between the area that was converted from an industrial park to a complex fit to host the 1998 World Expo, to the historic center of Lisboa, containing a castle, a renovated train station, a thriving cultural and social scene, and far too many architectural gems to mention, to the are of Belem (Bethlehem) with an ancient monastery tucked up against a modern cultural complex and “Confeitaria de Belem”, where we ate perhaps the best pastries known to man (Idalis: Like biting into a piece of custard heaven!), to the amazing city of Sintra, with palaces and castles galore, and the place where Idalis and I climbed the closest to heaven that we have ever been. Lisboa, and the surrounding areas, are simply breathtaking. The next is to thank all of the people of Portugal, whose paths we crossed, who did their best to speak English as we did our best to speak Portuguese (alguma coisa) while purchasing tickets, placing food orders, or trying to find our way back to Lindha a Velha when we were not quite as close as I had originally imagined! I would also be attacked if I did not mention how after three days of being hosted by Joao, he, unwisely, decided to allow us our own key to the condo and I would see fit to break one of the most complicated front door locking assemblies any man has ever designed. It took the locksmith three hours and several large pieces of machinery to make waste of the lock and allow us access to the interior. This is the small inconvenience mentioned previously. Again, Joao, in his most pleasant and patient of ways, helped to calm my incredible sense of disappointment and make a joke of the whole thing. (Joao, send me the bill!) The last thing I would like to mention, which is contained in the title of this post, is “Muito Obrigado” to all of our new friends in Portugal. To Miguel and Marta, to Luis, Joana and Raquel, to Pedro and Ana, to Luis, to Armando, to Alexandre, and most of all, to Joao B. We cannot thank you enough for “practicing your English” with us, answering all of our questions, toting us around town and for just being wonderful people who have opened our eyes to all this is wonderful about this world that we hope to discover. MUITO OBRIGADO, CIAO, HATE LOGO!!!!

Idalis: We thank the city of Lisbon for displaying a wonderful sense of balance: conserving the old but accepting the new, holding on to tradition while thinking of the future, and having pride in your culture while being open-hearted. To Joao and his friends: Know that you will always have friends and an (albeit small) place to call home in Miami. It has been a pleasure and a blessing meeting all of you, and we hope to see you again soon! We will not say goodbye, but only “Bon Viagem” when you plan your trip to Miami!