Lisbon, Portugal

I was in Lisbon last month for a week. Wonderful city. I didn't experience any of the unfriendliness toward Americans that I have while visiting a few other countries. And I was surprised at how many people spoke English. Not just any English, though -- really really good English. I had zero problems being understood at virtually every establishment I visited.

Even the taxi drivers knew a lot of English, which was super convenient. No one likes to have to play charades with the cab driver in order to get to where he's going. And speaking of the cabs... Fare was incredibly cheap -- three to five Euros for practically everywhere I went! So much cheaper than cabs in the U.S., even taking the exchange rate into consideration.

Definitely did the "touristy" things while I was there. Castles, beaches, museums and the like.

My favorite activity was probably going to a professional soccer match between Portugal and Spain. I also enjoyed all the tiny shops in Cascais. Perfect little European seaside town, like something out of a quaint foreign film.

I think Portugal is probably pretty low on Americans' radar as far as vacations go, but I think that's going to change in the next several years. It was clear to me that the country and its capital are making a lot of changes to encourage potential tourists.

I'm kind of glad I saw the city when I did, before things become too commercialized, etc. Not having been born there, I'll never see the country the way the Portuguese see it, but at least this way I feel like I was able to get a little closer.

Ah, the travel bug. Exciting thing, isn't it? Once bitten, it becomes like a habit you just can't kick. And then suddenly everything you do revolves around getting your hands on more money in order to feed your habit.

I love traveling, because when I do, I discover so many things that I was missing out on. And what's more is, I didn't even know I was missing out on them! What a shame. And after having realized this, I just can't be content to leave unknown whatever else it is that I haven't discovered yet.

I just have to know what I'm missing, because it could be something absolutely wonderful.

This is why people start to wax a little philosophical when they travel. This is why people romantically sigh that they've "found themselves" while they've been on the road. It's because when we travel, we find that we become capable of seeing things we didn't know how to see before, and we find ourselves asking questions that we didn't know we may have been wondering all along.



Photos: Sway Sovay