Lisbon Impressions

Old men, sitting at tables in the parks, playing cards and gossiping.

Old ladies, hanging out of the windows, people-watching.

Peacocks (like, 50 of them?) roosting in a tree. When they scream, it sounds like someone stepped on Vlad's (our cat) tail.

Hills, hills, hills. Stairs, stairs, stairs.

People of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, hanging out at the nearby square, shaking hands, chatting.

Very well-behaved dogs that don't require leashes.

Fresh bread. Everywhere. All the time.

Laundry hanging on clothing lines - outside the windows, on the balconies, over the roofs next to attic apartments.

Sunday must have been rug-cleaning day - everywhere I looked, there were rugs hanging outside.

Tiles - everywhere. Somehow, in Portugal, it just works and looks gorgeous. I can't imagine tile-clad buildings in Philadelphia...

Narrow cobblestone streets, mosaic sidewalks and tiled stairs that are like secret shortcuts. Slippery in the rain.

Our neighbor's cat was named Salsa, which means parsley in Portuguese. 

Wine was cheaper than orange juice.

People standing on the right side when using escalators (and leaving room for those in a hurry to run up on the left side).

Windows that can open part-way on the top or swing full open sideways. No screens.

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I loved the city. It felt real, authentic, no-nonsense. I could live there... except I would probably miss winter and snow. If only I could somehow transplant the culture of fresh bread and standing on the right when using escalators to PA!

A few photos...

Attic door and laundry in the foreground; tiled buildings in the background

Stairs

Narrow Street

Salsa