Fun in Lisbon - Part 4

So after we had our unexpected shopping excursion, the sun began to come out and we decided to go back to our hotel drop off all of our wet clothes and head to the castle. We were waiting to ride the famous tram 28 which is a city street car that is famous and winds through tight streets and takes you up the hill to the castle. We went down and caught the tram with no problems. We were told that the trams are a hot place for pickpocketers so we were on our guard. Even more, all the guide books say that tram 28 is the favourite of pickpocketers due to the large number of tourists riding it. One specific book even told us to pay specific attention when some 'scene' or 'commotion' happens as this is often set up to be a distraction so that pickpocketers can make their move. After knowing this our particular ride was really exciting because right when we got on some crazy guys (literally - I think they were most likely drunk and a lot of them didn't have any teeth) jumped on the back and started hanging on and yelling and screaming. Keri and I were very entertained by them but being savvy tourists also kept a good hold on our handbags. It was even more exciting when a cop car came up behind and turned on their siren and all the guys quickly jumped off. It was actually really funny and all the tourists on the tram were appreciative of the scene as it provided good laughs and memories.



Tram 28



















Us on Tram 28
















We got to the top of the hill, but we were clearly not at the castle. It then became apparent that the tram would normally go around the corner and back down the other side of the hill. Not this time. This time our driver started yelling back at everyone in Portuguese. We had no idea what he was saying but body language is indeed fairly universal so after lots of hand gesturing all of the tourists slowly made their way off the tram. There was another tram directly in front of the one we had just gotten off so we decided that maybe that is what we were suppose to do so we got on that one.

We then started down the hill which is what we wanted so we were quite happy with our navigating at this point. We made it about 200 yards when we looked down the hill and saw what appeared to be a riot. People were yelling and such - after a bit more looking we decided that it was not a riot but instead a peaceful demonstration or protest. There were tons of protesters though and there was definitely no way that our tram could make it through. This was pretty clear to us but became absolutely clear when our tram driver turned off the engine.

Knowing that our time to spend in the castle was expiring, we went to the front of the tram and asked the driver how long it would take to walk to the castle. He told us 5 minutes. That sounded like a good idea and was definitely going to get us there faster. I then proceeded to ask him how we should walk there to which he replied very matter of factly, 'just walk right through' as he gestured towards the swarms of people protesting in front of the tram. Keri and I looked at one another and reluctantly thought -- okay. So off the tram we went and this is where things started to get even more interesting...

As we tried to navigate our way down the hill to the castle and through the protesters we found ourselves basically walking side by side with all of the demonstrators. It was really funny. They were chanting and waving flags. Keri and I could not control our laughter and it got even funnier when a demonstrator handed me a flag to wave as well. I decided to apply some great travelling advice, 'When in Rome do as the Romans' so I joined right in. I even tried to chant at which point Keri abandoned me and decided to become the photographer (see our pictures below). She wasn't the only media frenzy people there - there were also news videos and cameras. It was absolutely hysterical.

We finally managed to make our way to the front of the crowd and then overtook them making a turn towards the castle and leaving them behind. I can honestly say that with all the castles I have seen in the past 7 years, none of them had a better prelude! [ed note: we found out back at our hotel that 'we' were protesting government cuts]


The protest

















Erin 'protesting'






















The castle itself was very pretty and offered great views of the city and bay. After the castle we went into a little gift shop. Keri was looking at some postcards while I wandered to the back to look at some other things. Neither of us made any purchases and left to wander back down the hill. We were not more than 200 yards outside the gift store when we heard yelling. We turned around to find out that the yelling was at us. The store manager was running after us and yelling. He then proceeded to ask Keri where she put the postcards. Keri, realising that he had thought she had stolen them, quickly went into apologetic mode. She quickly told him that she hadn't taken them and that she had put them back. She offered to go back and show him to which he realised that she was completely honest and guiltless so he told her he trusted her and we went on down the hill. Seriously though, so many funny things happened on this excursion!

Erin and Keri at top of the castle

















The square that we stayed in
















View of sea from castle

















We then found a lovely place to eat dinner (and I would like to point out that we didn't even start dinner until 10:30 pm - not bad for an early-to-bed girl). After dinner we decided that we wanted ice cream and decided to wander to McDonalds for an ice cream cone. We stayed there until past midnight and it was hopping with people.

We got up the next morning and went to a local bakery before walking to the sea once last time for some beautiful pictures with sunshine - a big contrast to the pictures we got on Saturday morning. We then headed for the airport and home to England and Germany respectively.

Sunny Sunday
















We had such a great time. I am so grateful for the friendship I have with Keri and am very thankful we had this opportunity- a friendship and memories that will last a lifetime. I am already looking forward to the next time we can travel together!