Rich and I had a relatively uneventful day of travel from San Francisco, where we had spent a long weekend attending our nephew's wedding, to Lisbon. We lost each other for a time in the Lisbon airport (I got impatient waiting for him) but did finally reconnect at baggage claim. Got to our hotel @ noon and spent the early afternoon at a self-service laundromat. The proprietress insisted I should dry our clothes on the lowest setting because her dryers were very hot and she was worried we would burn any clothes that weren't 100% cotton. Needless to say, our clothes are now damp dry and I have them hanging all over our hotel room hoping they'll dry fairly quickly.
Dave and Theresa (Schierman) and Becky and Jerry (Karver) arrived later in the afternoon. Their only major mishap was packing their petroleum jelly (a blister prevention technique for our feet) in their carry-on luggage and having it confiscated at security. We'll definitely need to hit a pharmacy in the next day or two so they can restock, as this is an essential item for the long walk ahead.
We're staying at a lovely, older hotel that's centrally located and within walking distance of many of Lisbon's must-see sights. Besides visiting the Sao Jorge castle in the Alfama district and the Monastery of Jerόnimos in Belém, I hope we have time to do some leisurely wandering through much of Lisbon's old town, savoring the history of each unique area.
No matter how often or where we've traveled in Europe, it's like stepping back in time each time we walk the narrow, uneven cobblestone streets and alleys, which to me are reminiscent of times long past. I know that feeling will intensify as we make our way from Lisbon to the much smaller rural towns along our Camino path.
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