How will you do without knowing the basics of Portuguese?
Well this is a small country and a large amount of the revenue comes in through tourists. Not speaking Portuguese is not much of a handicap as the reverse would be in the US. Most people under 40 and who have a decent education will be able to speak well. For example, my son is in preschool and he has an English lesson once a week. People are very willing to help here and charades can accomplish a lot. The basics are pretty easy. You can go online and search or purchase a book like Lonely Planet's Phrasebook (make sure it is European and not Brazilian). You can get very far with please, thank you, Do you speak English?, excuse me, I apologize, I don't speak Portuguese, 1-10, No, Go away, help, I am allergic to...., Does this dish contain...., Memorizing these phrases can be done on the plane. Another trick is to figure out your request and write it down. A little notebook and a pencil are a good thing.
I have heard of the skating rink so I did some research. It hasn't been cold enough for ice. In fact, the 'ice' is made of plastic, I think it is Teflon sheets that have been put down. The municipal office (the bureaucracy that runs the city) called it ice in a press release. It is open through the Jan 9th I think. There is also a French Carousel. I couldn't find a price for entry; it could be free. I might get to go down that way this week. I'll let you know if I find out anything.
Most museums are free on Sunday mornings (except for the Orient Museum which is free on Friday evenings) and closed on Mondays.
As far as the rainy season here it means highs in the 40's to the high 50'sF with lows in the 30's F The coldest it got last year was 33F and that made the news. Most places do not have heaters; so coffee and soup are awesome for that reason. It is also rainy. Today for instance it is high of 19C (66F) low of 14C (60F) and overcast. It will probably rain. That could mean a few hours of a light drizzle or 30 minutes of heavy pour or both.
Rain also means that the stone that makes up the walking areas here can be really slippery.
You can probably pick up a cheap umbrella here (chapeu de chuva) at a Chinese shop and if the wind plays havoc with it you are out a few euros.
As far as looking like a tourist I wouldn't worry too much about it; this isn't Paris, Milan, or London. There is not a great deal of fashionistas or at least I haven't run into them. Wearing presentable casual attire is fine. If anything I think Portuguese women tend to wear more form fitting clothes than their Midwestern US counterparts. Boots that go up to the top of the calf are pretty popular as well.
When we first arrived we were told; don't leave things unlocked or out. People will assume you don't want it and take - there is no shame in dumpster diving here. As far as muggings or being threatened that is very rare. Crime statistics put Lisbon ahead of most if not all major cities in the US. As long as you are aware of your surroundings you should be fine. If you feel unsafe you can go into a cafe and ask them to call you a taxi (Pode chamar-me um taxi, por favor?).
As far as getting harassed; I have been witness to one cellphone pilfering and have had a few friends loose pocket books, wallets, etc. The cellphone pilfering happened when two women who were probably Roma (It is an unfortunate stereotype here) came into the coffee shop where we were. They each had lottery tickets that they were offering. One came over, noticed the cellphone and started being louder. Her friend came over and offered us more tickets and the original woman slipped the cellphone into her pocket and left. It was 20 minutes before we noticed the cellphone was no longer on the table. The two women made something like 5-10 euros a piece. Another friend lost a camera. He was on the subway with all his bags and he had draped a camera over shoulder but not in a bag. When the subway doors were closing he felt a tug and he was on one side of the door and the dude with his camera was on the other.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Lisbon in two days
Recently, I got a request for how to spend a few days in Lisbon. Sights to see and places to go that are part of the quintessential city without being too touristy.
Unfortunately the stuff that is easy access and representative is developed around the city. That said it is still a magical and charming place and must be seen by foot as car travel around the city is the slowest option from point to point with in the downtown core.
I recommend a half day in Biaxa near Rua Garret and Praça Camões (This doesn't include the big squares of Restauradores and Rossio and the Carmelite nunnery) followed by another half day exploring Alfama (Fado museum). As far as night life Barrio Alto is the place to go.
The touristy part of Sintra is a pleasant quaint hill town, think Vail or Lake Tahoe area of its day. If you are sporty you can walk up to the moorish castle and Pena Palace which are on the ridge line or you can take the bus and stroll the grounds. There is a really cool garden in Sintra as well.
Belém is really part of the greater Lisbon metropolis now. There is much to see. What makes the high points on the tourist map are the tower (torre) and the pastry shop (pasteis de Belém) but I honestly think it is only worth about 1/2 a day. Other than that there is a carriage museum, planetarium, garden, monument to progress, electricity museum, monastery, and the CCB. The CCB (Centre Cultural de Belém) is pretty cool venue for art. I haven't personally been to the planetarium, garden or inside the monument to progress again it depends on your wishes.
There is one caveat about all this walking: that it won't be raining cats and dogs. This is the rainy season through March. It could rain every day you are here.
One other thing: I am a guy who looks Portuguese. I don't think there are any problems going anywhere as a single female in the city during the day; even one who is obviously a tourist. I have been told that Barrio Alto can be dangerous when the bars close (around 4am) but having a small child at home I can't say that I have been out that late here :).
One other point I would like to make about food: people eat large lunches around 1 or 2 and don't eat dinner until 9. If you are used to having dinner at 6 it is too early for most restaurants. Pregos or bifanas are a nice protein snack (fried meat on bread). If you are a vegetarian who doesn't eat fish you'll have limited options. If you like fish I really like Dourada Grelhada (Grilled Sea Bream) but smaller fish don't come filleted.
Rob
Unfortunately the stuff that is easy access and representative is developed around the city. That said it is still a magical and charming place and must be seen by foot as car travel around the city is the slowest option from point to point with in the downtown core.
I recommend a half day in Biaxa near Rua Garret and Praça Camões (This doesn't include the big squares of Restauradores and Rossio and the Carmelite nunnery) followed by another half day exploring Alfama (Fado museum). As far as night life Barrio Alto is the place to go.
The touristy part of Sintra is a pleasant quaint hill town, think Vail or Lake Tahoe area of its day. If you are sporty you can walk up to the moorish castle and Pena Palace which are on the ridge line or you can take the bus and stroll the grounds. There is a really cool garden in Sintra as well.
Belém is really part of the greater Lisbon metropolis now. There is much to see. What makes the high points on the tourist map are the tower (torre) and the pastry shop (pasteis de Belém) but I honestly think it is only worth about 1/2 a day. Other than that there is a carriage museum, planetarium, garden, monument to progress, electricity museum, monastery, and the CCB. The CCB (Centre Cultural de Belém) is pretty cool venue for art. I haven't personally been to the planetarium, garden or inside the monument to progress again it depends on your wishes.
There is one caveat about all this walking: that it won't be raining cats and dogs. This is the rainy season through March. It could rain every day you are here.
One other thing: I am a guy who looks Portuguese. I don't think there are any problems going anywhere as a single female in the city during the day; even one who is obviously a tourist. I have been told that Barrio Alto can be dangerous when the bars close (around 4am) but having a small child at home I can't say that I have been out that late here :).
One other point I would like to make about food: people eat large lunches around 1 or 2 and don't eat dinner until 9. If you are used to having dinner at 6 it is too early for most restaurants. Pregos or bifanas are a nice protein snack (fried meat on bread). If you are a vegetarian who doesn't eat fish you'll have limited options. If you like fish I really like Dourada Grelhada (Grilled Sea Bream) but smaller fish don't come filleted.
Rob
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