lisbon in a nutshell: the place that almost made me quit traveling

i was in lisbon last week and it felt like a dream that i didn’t quite remember when i woke up. the weather was that weird middle ground where it’s not too cold but somehow still enough to make you want a sweater. i just checked and it’s... honestly, not what i expected. hope you don’t mind the drizzle.

walking through the alleys here felt like stepping into a painting someone forgot to finish. the colors were too vivid, the sounds too loud, and the people too... alive. i asked a local where the best spots were and they just pointed me toward a bar called café do sol. i don’t know if it’s real or if i imagined it. either way, i needed a coffee. badly.

if you get bored, prague is just a short drive away. didn’t mention that to the guy at the hostel. he thought i was talking about a vacation. i’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. the hostel itself was okay. i heard that from someone who might or might not have been drunk. but the location? perfect. close to everything and far enough to not feel like a tourist trap.

i heard that the trams are actually a thing here. i didn’t believe it until i saw one roll by with people dressed like they were in a music video. it was weird. also, the price of pastel de nata? i asked a vendor and they just gave me a look. as if i had asked about the meaning of life. i ended up paying 2 euros. that’s not bad. that’s not good. it’s just 2 euros.

someone told me that the beaches here are overrated. i didn’t believe it until i saw a group of locals sprinting across the sand as if they were in a sprint. maybe they were escaping something. or maybe they were just really good at running. either way, it was bizarre.

the map below is not a real map. it’s just a guess. i got lost on purpose to see if i could find the place where the food is good and the people are not. it didn’t work. i ended up in a shop selling fake tattoos. the guy there said he could put a hawk on my wrist for 5 euros. i said no. but i still bought a keychain with a hawk on it. it’s probably fake. but it’s also probably a metaphor for my life right now.

i took a few pictures. one of a street with too many cobblestones, one of a cat that looked like it was judging me, and one of a sign that said opens 24/7 but was clearly closed. the unsplash images are below. they’re not great. i didn’t care. i just wanted to show i was there.

i also got some advice from a stranger. they said to avoid the metro at night. i asked why and they just stared. then they handed me a pamphlet about underground tunnels. i didn’t read it. i still took the metro. ended up in the wrong district. found a café with bad espresso. but the owner gave me a free pastry. that’s how you win in lisbon.

if you’re thinking of going, don’t. or do. i don’t know. either way, it’s messy. like me. like the weather. like the fact that i still don’t know if i want to come back. i’ll probably never write another post about this. but if i do, it’ll be a mess. just like everything else.

some links to consider: tripadvisor for café do sol, yelp for the hawk keychain shop, and a local board where people post about bad umbrellas. you never know what you’ll find.

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