So if you'll hold my hand, we both shall walk more steadily

So if you'll hold my hand, we both shall walk more steadily

So if you'll hold my hand

My first full day in Lisbon. The day sunny and there were clear blue skies so I was determined to make the most of it. The temperature was in the mid teens, shorts weather for me, trousers and coat weather for the locals. I knew I would look like a tourist but I was used to that after nearly 10 months of travelling. I had coffee and breakfast at Dirceu and Andre’s. They hadn’t surfaced by the time I left (although I was out the door before 9am) so I left a note saying I had gone out for the day and would see them later. I headed out for a walk armed with a map of the city, my camera, Dean & Horse, Ramon and Jango. 

The Botanical Gardens were the first thing on my itinerary for the day, handily located just at the end of the road I was staying on. I hadn’t done any research on whether they were worth a visit but I figured for the €2 entrance fee I could take a gamble on them being worth it. I seemed to have the Gardens to myself for quite a while and enjoyed the peace and quiet as I walked around taking photos of various plants and trees that looked slightly rude (at least to me). I spent about an hour or so at the Gardens, timing my departure to coincide the arrival of what seemed like, from the noise levels, several hundred schoolchildren.

I wandered down through the centre of Lisbon taking in the little cobbled streets and tiled buildings, through the large Rossio square with its patterned pavements bringing back memories of Rio de Janeiro and up to the Castelo de São Jorge. I’d been to the Castelo on my previous visit to Lisbon with Rui but we had spent the time walking round chatting rather than actual sightseeing before stopping at the café for a drink. This time I did it the tourist way, collecting the guide from the office on the way in and reading up on the history of the place. The highlight of the visit however was seeing a peacock up a tree at the Castelo who had clearly taken a dislike to some tourists and pooping on one of them.

After a late lunch in the sun I wandered back through the town before heading back to Dirceu and Andre’s. Once back I checked my messages. Some family friends had sent a message saying they would soon be on holiday down in the south of Spain and I would be more than welcome to join them. I checked my itinerary. After Lisbon I was headed to Madrid where I had a gay lined up. I then had a bit of a gap until my next gay who I would be staying with in in Italy. I worked out I could probably fit in a quick trip to Granada, then see the family friends and head back up to Barcelona for a couple of days. I set about booking travel between the various places using Skyscanner to check for the best prices. The prices for flights from Madrid to Granada seemed to be ridiculously expensive and I couldn’t see why. It took me a while to realise I was looking at flights to Grenada, not Granada. How I had gone 9 months without ending up in the wrong place on my travels was beyond me.

By the time the travel admin was all sorted it was early evening and the sun was just starting to set. I grabbed my camera and headed out to get some photos of the sun setting. I arrived back just as Dirceu and Andre were getting home. They asked me if I had plans for the evening, which I didn’t. They suggested a meal at home and Dirceu and I headed to the supermarket to get what we needed. We chatted quite a bit over a lovely home cooked dinner. Every now and again Dirceu and Andre would switch back into Portuguese to discuss something. It can be quite a harsh sounding language and I felt the need to check a couple of times if everything was ok as it sounded like they were arguing.

We both shall walk more steadily 

The next day I was up and out early again and I was off to the National Museum of Ancient Art, taking a route that would take me past the Palácio de São Bento, the Portuguese parliament building. The route took me down a couple of quite steep streets. I was so busy looking at the architecture of the buildings that I didn’t notice someone had been watering their plants and that the pavement was wet. Shiny, cobbled steep Lisbon street + water on said shiny cobbles = me sliding downhill for a good 10 feet, one leg behind me, arms outstretched to regain my balance, looking like an ice skater coming to the end of a routine. I was more than a little disappointed that the two old ladies stood at the bus stop watching me slide downhill didn't hold up scorecards once I came to a halt. I think I was at least a 5.9 for artistic impression.

The Museum kept me busy for a couple of hours and then I headed up to the Basílica da Estrela and the gardens, then on to Rato where I picked up a mini picnic at the supermarket and headed to the Parque Eduardo VII to find myself a sunny spot to sit in for another late lunch. I found a spot away from the crowds, had lunch and then a little siesta. I headed home, calling in at the supermarket to pick something up for dinner as I knew Dirceu and Andre were out in the evening so I would be left to my own devices. I had a chilled evening and was not far off heading to bed when Dirceu and Andre arrived home. Dirceu told me he had the following day off and was free in the morning so if I liked we could head out for Pastéis de Belém. It was top of my to do list for Lisbon so I went to bed dreaming about them.

  

“So if you'll hold my hand, we both shall walk more steadily” 
Lyrics from Hold my Hand from the musical Me and My Girl