Again up before 6:30 am, I started slowly. Nothing opens before 10:00 am, so not much point. I had little problem with jet lag on the way over. Usually I have a harder returning home, but this daylight/early morning thing will complexify things even more.
Marnie suggested a few things to see today, and I arrived at the Carmo Church early and waited until they opened at 10:00 am. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake destroyed the church. They got partway through the reconstruction before the state evicted the church.
After that I followed a flyer from the hostel to the Free Lisbon Walking tour. The tour consisted of a lot of walking, with not quite as much information as I would prefer, but given the choice I’d do it again. Just before the tour ended we stopped for a free tasting of one of the local ports. After the tour I went back and tried the pinheira that had been suggested on the walking tour (a port wine with sour cherries in it).
I’ve been trying to mail a postcard to my nephew for a few days. I forgot it again this morning, so I headed back to the hostel to pick it up, find a post office, and finally get it mailed while I’m still in Europe.
Marnie also suggested a tour of an underground archaeologial tour. When a bank expanded in the center of old Lisbon they discovered ruins underneath. They excavated them and crrated a tour for the public. Four different layers of history, from the Phoenicians and the Iron Age, then the Romans, medieval Lisbon, and the construction after the earthquake. Having seen many different Roman excavations I hadn’t expected much from this, but it was quite interesting.
That about ended the day. Yesterday I felt like today could be a net loss, but instead it turned into a pleasant day of seeing the city. The cooler weather today didn’t hurt any.
I’ve returned to the hostel to work on dinner and final packing. I pack completely differently to arrive, tour, and fly home – all additionally dependent on how much space I have in the bicycle box and the air-line requirements. In this case I have a big box and a high weight limit, so I’m looking forward to not having as much to lug about the airport on the way home.
I did a good job managing calories today, keeping my energy levels up without overeating for the level of exertion. Dealing with that on the flight can be tricky.
Not much left of this trip. The taxi shoud be here in the morning and I’ll be homeward (and kayaking) bound.