Right at the beginning…

 

Here I am in Lisbon, the culmination of months of dreaming, planning and taking action to get me here! So many of you reading this, were so joyously enthusiastic when I said I was going to walk a Camino in Portugal and Spain, and requested that I kept in touch along the Way, that nervously, I decided to write a blog to fulfil those requests.

I left NZ on 24th April and flew to London where I stayed with my son Sam, Radi and their 4 year old, Isabella. It was a joy to be in London in Spring, having spent several winters there over recent years helping Nannying for Isabella. London is magical in Spring and summer. I walked out of their house in Harrow on the Hill at 5am yesterday….a lone walker all the way to the tube station in the early morning light, with a loud chorus of birds encouraging me. Made my way through the chaos of Ryan Air check in at Stansted Airport and finally landed in Lisbon early afternoon to a gorgeous 25 degree, sunny day. Found my way to my backpackers accommodation, The Mulberry Tree, (www.mulberrytreelisbon.com) quite easily (thanks “City Mapper” App!). Settled into my little sleeping pod, in close quarters with about 15 others in their respective pods. Surprisingly, the night was very quiet tho, with only one soft snorer who wasn’t a bother.

I spent a very enjoyable morning today wandering around Lisbon streets, delighting in: the vibrant colours of the buildings, the beautiful old colourful tiles covering the facades of so many buildings, the steepness of many streets and back lanes up and down Lisbon’s “7 Hills”, the clear blue sky, the bright yellow old fashioned Lisbon trams, the number of Portuguese Custard Tarts available everywhere you walk (and yes, I did indulge in one but only strictly for quality assessment reasons to see how they matched up with Bread & Butters one’s), the beautiful shiny ancient pavement cobblestones everywhere, and the absolutely delicious freshly squeezed orange juice you can get in all cafes….. and much more.

Will stop here and try to figure out how to actually post this blog!