The flight from Dulles to Lisbon was uneventful. I did get to sit next to some incredibly good looking, fitness obsessed girl from Boston wearing a pink sweatsuit that said Juicy across her sure to be firm buttocks, so right off the bat I knew we had a lot in common. She told me she was a "straight edger" meaning she didn't drink, smoke or do any drugs. I asked her if she knew she was on a plane to Europe and not Branson, MO. Our conversation died down after that.
Finally, after 6 hours of experiencing the extreme comfort that comes from traveling coach, we touched down in Lisbon. There are many reasons people travel abroad. To conduct business, take vacations, experience other cultures or escape the law. Whatever the reason, the nice thing about getting out of the US is that as soon as you land in another country's airport, you get the feeling that things are different and America is far away.
Once I finally got settled in, I started to wander the streets of Lisbon. Lisbon is a city built on 7 hills, all of which go up in both directions. Most of the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 that was caused by the poor fracking methods used in the 18th century. Walking the streets was both fascinating and sweat inducing. They were narrow and windy (thats windy, not windy) and one could, and did, easily get lost.
So, at first glance, Lisbon seems to be seedy and dirty. There is plenty of graffiti, some good (pics below) and some not so good, that adds to that feeling. But, after walking around for a bit, you notice that it is not as it seemed at first. It's not dirty, just old. The litter in the streets was minimal compared to other cities I've seen, which is saying something because there is no public consumption of alcohol laws. People will go to a store, grab a beer and walk the streets with it. Yet, they still have the ability to throw away their bottle rather than smash them in the streets. Go figure.
