Okay, you may be reeling with shock from such a direct and profound statement. Yes, I absolutely hated Lisbon. Even I surprised myself. But oh no, I simply cut short my planned 2 night stay and got out of the capital of Lisbon after 18 hours.
Well, so are Greece, Spain and Ireland. But they still do fantastically well for tourism. When I mentioned to my friends and travel bloggers alike about my impending visit, they enthusiastically claimed its a fantastic place to visit. I still had no clue what to expect there and so I imagined it to be a cosmopolitan city, brimming with high-flying locals, friendly atmospheres, a gorgeous beach and stunning architecture.
Sadly, that was not the case. Last time I spoke to you, I was leaving Madrid after coming back from Andalusia. From there I headed straight to Lisbon on a 12 hour bus journey. Climbing on board, I was excited. I would have my first glimpse of Portuguese people. I imagined them to be Caipirinhas-swilling, laughing and generally happy people and wearing far less clothes than they should have. Also, they would have amazing teeth and be very friendly to everyone.
I found this to be the case with the Spanish people so a country that has a shared history with Spain should have similar traits, right? As I was the first to climb aboard, I would see all the passengers arrive. Dark, moody, frowns my way, disrespectful of the bus and not at all friendly. I even feared for my hygiene. It smelt like a pig had died in its own poo. And they were coming from the people on the bus who were perturbed to see me covering my noseβ¦well with anything.
Unwashed they were. Hugging my rucksack containing my valuables to my chest, I would fitfully sleep until I was jolted awake by a thwack on my seat. The couple behind me decided to have an all out argument complete with GBH. I was relieved to arrive at a rest stop for the Spanish bus driver to intervene. As I sipped my coffee observing the blackness of the Spanish Night before we shortly slipped over the border into Portugal. They were actually thrown out with their luggage on the side of the road, still arguing.
