For me, part of the fun of visiting other countries is speaking with the people, learning their customs, and eating their food. I prefer this interaction than looking at monuments or visiting old buildings. It’s all about the people.
I also like trying to speak the language. In Lisboa, so many people involved with tourism (cab drivers, hotel receptionists, restaurant workers) speak English. They are patient with me as I try my less-than-basic Portuguese, and then hand me an English menu or try to help me pronounce the words. I find that I can understand a good deal of conversations, especially if they are speaking slowly. Pronouncing the words, on the other hand, is more difficult. In the hotel, I use Google translate to help me learn the pronunciation. (I can now count and say the days of the week in Portuguese.) Yesterday, Dennis downloaded an app to his phone to help us translate; of course, that only works if we have WIFI, which we may not have out in the countryside.
This morning Dennis went to the barber’s and looks very proper. Afterward, we went to the hospital by Metro to get the stitches out. It took us longer to find the hospital than it did to get attended to. The nurse, Esa, spoke perfect English. The doctor also looked at my toe and said to wait until the nail falls of naturally. After removing the stitches, they used steri-strips (like butterfly bandages) to finish the healing. I am to use them for three days. To make sure I don’t reopen the wound, we have decided to stay in Lisbon one more day.
In the afternoon we went to visit the Castelo de São Jorge, a Moorish castle overlooking Lisbon’s historic section. Lots of colorfully tiled facades, narrow streets, and friendly people, but very touristy.
What I learned:
- Tipping Etiquette is 10% (different from Spain)
- To order draft beer, you need to specify the size.
- 1/2 pint (300 ml): Uma fino, por favor. (NORTHERN PORTUGAL) or Uma imperial, por favor. (SOUTHERN PORTUGAL)
- a mug of beer (500 ml): Uma caneca de cerveja, por favor.
- a bottle of beer: Uma garrafa de cerveja
- Be vigilant: Uneven sidewalks, missing cobblestones, potholes, etc. are everywhere. Also, there are signs warning of pickpockets.
- The people are extremely helpful. Once we got into the Metro, we pulled out the map to try to determine which platform to stand on. One woman walked us over to the correct one. We have experienced this going out of their way to be helpful before. It is a characteristic that I hope to develop, following their example.
- Most cafes/pastelarias are open as early as 7:00 am and close around 7 or 8 P.M. Most restaurants in the Old Quarter are open by 7 P.M. and serve dinner until 11 P.M or later. Some of the FADO restaurants don’t light the barbeque until around 8:30.
- I only observed a few small shops shutting down for siesta (from 1 to 3 P.M.). Most remained open, but this is a large city.
- Portuguese celebrate the holiday on its date, not moving it to Monday as in the U.S. Holidays which might affect us:
- Monday 10th June – Portugal Day
- Monday 24th June – São João this unofficial holiday is observed widely in the north of the country, on the railways etc. but not everywhere in the south.
- Dinner hour depends on the restaurant. Most open around 7 or 7:30 P.M., but you may be alone in the dinning hall until 8 P.M. or more.
- WIFI is pronounced as in English and not wee-fee as in Spain.
- The couvert is a fee in restaurants to cover the cost of items brought to your table that you did not order, such as bread and butter or a small plate of olives. If you don’t want to pay the one- or two-Euro fee per person for these items, don’t eat them, or ask the waiter to remove them.
I hardly recognized Dennis! He really looks like George Carlin in that photo!
Also, I think you forgot to finish a thought up there in your text?
“Most cafes/pastelarias are open as early as 7:00 am and close around 7 or 8 pm. Most restaurants are open ?”
or did I just read it wrong?
Thanks for the tip up; I corrected the omission.
Hi Jane, my friend Jose Louis Sanches lives in Lisboa here is his facebook connection. https://www.facebook.com/joseluis.sanches53?fref=ts
He also works with Via Lusitano, the Portuguese confraternity
I believe +351 915 595 213 is a pilgrim hotline if you need help
http://www.vialusitana.org their website
Great info on places to stay and the various routes in case you need more information.
Glad your knee is doing better, Bom Caminho
Thanks for the intro. I had hoped to meet up with Jose. Sent him a message, hope he returns to Lisboa before I leave.
jane-
i love it that you immerse yourself in the culture of the country you are traveling in. i think portuguese is the most romantic of all languages and a delight to listen to.
Thanks for all this interesting information. I doubt I’ll ever get to use it, but it’s still kind of fun knowing. You’re certainly absorbing a lot of new “stuff” in life experience. I used to find that people
who live in areas that are used to(and welcome tourists) DO go out of their way to be helpful. It becomes a cultural norm or something–a widely shared attitude. I hope you continue to heal quickly.