Still alive (and how!): Lisbon

It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that blogging long stories is pretty difficult, because the time to do it just doesn’t really exist. I don’t know when I can get around to writing about my Czech adventure. So as to not keep you completely on tenterhooks, I’ll sum it up briefly:

  • Got a ride with an incredibly pleasant guy named Tomáš who sounds like Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber when he talks in English, and has the body language to match.
  • Found out that the place I was planning on sleeping was no longer available to me, whereupon Tomáš promptly offered his house.
  • Went to a bar with Tomáš’s friends, and arranged to go fishing with some of them the next day, and climbing the day after that.
  • Fished and caught the only fish of the day, a pike. We weren’t particularly dedicated about fishing, beer was more the order of the day.
  • Got up the next morning and went with one of Tomáš’s friends named Martin to a natural climbing wall in Roviště, on the Vltava (=Moldau) River, and became absolutely exhilarated by the process of climbing. I must do this again.
  • Stayed in a dorm with one of Martin’s friends, and explored the enormous, abandoned Strahov Stadium.

As you can see, there’s a lot more of this story to be told. Someday! If no other time, then at Christmas.

Anyhow, I’m currently in Lisbon, soon to get some directions for how to take the Way of St James northward to Santiago de Compostela. Of course – Portuguese pilgrims take this path too! I just had a joyous two and a half days with Grandma and Grandpa, eating more than I could eat, and also talking for hours and hours and enjoying being with them. It had been so long. Now I can hardly wait to get home. I guess maybe when I get on the pilgrimage path it’ll get out of my system, but for now I almost wish it were Christmas already.

I’m just about out of time at this internet cafe, so I’ll leave it at that.

File under: Year of Adventure, Still Alive, family · Places: Portugal, Czechia


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Chuck

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Oh, I already know that stuff. My flight from London gets into Chicago at 3:30pm on December 23. But I figure I'll take a Greyhound to get back home. No need to go all the way to Chicago.

Quick update: I'm currently in Redondela, Galicia, Spain, where I'm sleeping on the second night of my walking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I expect to reach the remains of St James on the 29th. Then I'm not sure where to next. But for now, the Way of St James is incredible. Currently in the Redondela library with an Australian freegan who's been traveling Europe for something like two years. Good stuff!

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Anonymous

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Wow! You must have gotten some good rides. Hope you enjoyed rural Portugal on the way, and I also hope you stuffed your pockets with rolls and fruit when you went to breakfast that morning. I'm so glad Ramon had breakfast with you. He said he was wiped out and would sleep for two days when he got home.
We had a tiring trip home with lots of airport running around. But we're here and happy. Have pictures for you when you get home. And I hope you really enjoy looking at the cathedral, because it's Romanesque, and thus very, very old. Grandma

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Anonymous

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Well by now you are in Santiago de Compostela and perhaps even on your way elsewhere. I hope it was all and more of what your hoped for. Yesterday and today we saw Cammy and Cory and parents. They have boundless energy and I have severely bounded energy. Oh well, better than no energy. Weather has taken a turn toward the cool side. We have a hurricane slamming the east coast in what they are calling a Frankenstorm. Supposed to be severe. Let us know how your doing when you have time. Tracy has posted a thank you on Facebook. Grandpa

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