Last day in Lisbon

We have been struggling to get out of bed before late morning since arriving, but today we had to, as we had an appointment at the Fulbright offices at 10 am, which never seemed so early.  Pretty mundane stuff, I suppose, but the kindness of Paula and Otilia in ushering us through the process was much appreciated.  I had to get a fiscal number in order to get a bank account in Portugal and were it not for Paula's guidance I would still be standing in line somewhere.

The wait gave us time to chat, for Paula to meet and observe our children, and for us to note the universal nature of public services.  It was not unlike experiences I have had at the DMV on Southport Road, except for the company.  I really cannot say enough nice things about the Fulbright office in Lisbon and how personable and helpful the people there have been.

After I had gotten into the system, so to speak, we walked in the direction of Pessoa's old neighborhood and ambled into a Pastelaria that was fairly active: lots of laborers on lunch break and older gentlemen and ladies dressed impeccably.  Our waitress informed us that she spoke no English (with a smile) and we were doing fine until Farrar accidently ordered a bottle of wine, as opposed to a glass.  We have learned to look around the restaurant and point at other customers' dishes that look appetizing.  Today, Farrar got something like the workingman's rice dish, which had pretty much everything in it.  I had some codfish with something like cabbage and fries (authentic potato chips).  Zelle has honed in on the "simple omelette'" and Bishop branched out today with a fruit salad to go along with his 2 baskets of bread and 4 butters.  He has learned to say "pao y manteiga" quite convincingly.

After walking home and regrouping, we took the subway to the eastern edge of town, the end of the line, where the site for the '98 expo remains.  There was a huge mall there and a very long boardwalk along the banks of the ever-present Tagus River.  We went out there with the idea of visiting the aquarium, but along the way Bishop spotted these and we were kinda done for the afternoon.

I had to give up my SC Driver's license to take these for a spin, and we were alternately laughed at and cheered for by the other park visitors.  I don't think many adults go for this sort of thing, but it seemed like a fine idea at the time.  In retrospect it was exactly what Farrar and I needed to ensure that every muscle in our bodies was sufficiently taxed, in case the many miles of walking had missed any of them.

Exhausted, and needing to pack for the flight to Madeira, we opted for dinner at home, compliments of this very typical market down the street from the hotel.