7th stop: Lisbon, Portugal pt. 4 - random shots from exploring the area 'Alfama'

I normally don't like to work with the label of being a tourist. But it hit me that I’m much more conscious about my surroundings when I am being a real tourist, or let’s call it ‘traveller’, than when I’m actually not. It’s not rocket science, but I haven’t thought too much about it until working on this post.
When travelling I’m in this new place with a purpose: to explore, to experience and sense as much as possible, environment, languages, sounds, traffic, smells…

I often forget chasing that feeling at home. I rush around at my bike between appointments and I forget to sense the vibe, 

hear what makes the noises or look after all those scenic spots I look for when traveling. It’s sad and I’ll see what I can do to act more like a traveler in my own soulful city, CPH.
Mie (note: damn I miss u!!!!) and I had some ‘tourist time’ to do all those kinds of stuff mentioned above and we spent it exploring one of the old areas in Lisbon, Alfama. 

// More to come - Visiting the south 'Algarve', Summerhouse, portraits and feel good vibes! 

7th stop: Lisbon, Portugal pt. 3 - Catching waves, boogie, beachposes and Praia Pequena & Praia Grande
 
Lisbon is among other things known as “cidade das sete colinas” (city of the seven hills) since it originally was was built over seven hills.

All the up and down hill roads means that biking around, like back home in CPH, isn’t really an easy option. 

Going by public transportation is all right since the transport infrastructure is pretty functional. But going to more deserted/vacant beaches outside Lisbon is troubled without a car.   

Lucky for us Sergio & João took us around in car to many places we probably wouldn’t have seen if we were by ourselves, as for instance the vacant beaches, small cities, beautiful views, local shops, clubs/bars and not to mention real Portuguese homes.
The fact that we got into conversation with them back in Barcelona at that random hostel was really a determining factor for our tremendous impression of Portugal and honestly we can’t thank them enough!
I’m currently dreaming of going back to Portugal at some point with a bunch of friends, rent a car and surfboards and work our way along the coast from north to south. Could be mad thrill! 

Praia Pequena

Praia Grande

At first I couldn't stop making a little fun (trying to be polite at the same time) of their body boards, since I surfed at "real surfboards" in Brazil and El Salvador and there has and always will be a beef going on between these two types of surfing.
But the guys were good at arguing and they're actually right in saying that you will have fun much faster from doing body boarding. When learning how to surf it's really difficult and takes a lot of time, practise and energy to "break through" and actually start catching some real waves and not just the "white wash".
And if you don’t have the time, the energy or the environment near you, body boarding is just a really good and faster way of catching some waves and actually have fun with it, which all kinds of surfing should be about: Having fun! 

The water in Portugal is freezing, not compared to DK, but you still have to wear a wetsuit when surfing. It sucks for all the dudes and girls that are watching each other surf, no wet, tanned skin to get distracted by..
I'm more into the surf shorts and top kind of thing. But at least you don't get scratches and brushes all over your body... but that's also part of the surf culture. I don't like wetsuits haha.   

Loving the beach poses!

Crowded wave

Only Brazilian and Portuguese guys knows how to do a prober ball joggle at the beach and

ONLY Brazilian and Portuguese guys stands staring and obviously admiring or hating at each other. Man, we had our laughs! 

 Our black ride that took us to so many awesome places!

Praia Pequena high tide

// there are mooore parts coming up!

7th stop: Lisbon, Portugal pt. 2 - words on confusing language challenges and general thoughts

 

The first day in Lisbon we went straight from our hostel to Praça do Comercio, located in

Baixa Pombalina in the city center of Lisbon. Situated near the Tagus River.
We were totally destroyed by the lack of sleep from the horrible night train from Madrid. We didn’t even had the energy to ask for any tourist advises we just went out and hoped we would hit the water at some point.
If a city is located near water I always head to the water, or to places located with higher altitude where you get and overview of the city, as the first thing. I use the rivers or oceans to navigate. If I get lost I would always know how to get back if I find the water. Don’t know if it makes any sense but it works for me.
  

 The Tagus River and the 25 de Abril Bridge in the far back 

 Such a beautiful first day we was greeted with

We sat there by the river and stared for a little while, trying to comprehend that we once again were in a different country and a different culture.
A new thing for me was that I understood, more or less, all the small talk going on around me.
Because my level of Portuguese isn’t fluently (yet) (and an other thing is that I learned the Brazilian Portuguese), it’s hard for me to filter the useful and useless information that passes my curious ears. Therefore it was tiring for my brain since it constantly got distracted and tried to pick up the substance of conversations around me.
A side effect was that it made the level of complexity, in all the languages I speak, quite lower. The only way out of my "languages clashes" was to stop being scared about making mistakes and just practice my way out of it. Which also is the main reason for my English writing here on the blog. 
Anyway it sounds like it was a bad thing and it was hard on me, but the truth is that I absolutely loved the language challenge!

  

Praça do Comércio / Terreiro do Paço

 Miradouro da Graça - These pictures are not from our first day, but is here just to show one of the overview points we went to. This time with João.

 

// pt. 3 beaaach time coming up!