Saturday Night is Alright

Yesterday started as a lazy day, perfect for a vacation or holiday. I slept until 2 in the afternoon and DM (Deya) had taken a nap starting at 1 and ending around 7 at night. Johnny hade mentioned to us that her friend, Becca (unsure of the spelling, I know her name is Elizabeth, but it may be spelled differently) wanted to know if we were up for a night out on the town.

Now, those who DM and I know that we're not big partiers, but there is something about being in a foreign city, wanting to experience the night life. We said, "But, of course!" And that is how we ended up in a bar called "Hemp House", listening to techno (and later rap), drinking flat Coke with heart-shaped ice cubes!

The bartender, whom DM thought was a little bit attractive (she has a thing for bartenders), was from Germany, which was good because I kept slipping from English to German. I have this problem, you see, I tend to mix up languages. I used to answer questions on my German tests in Spanish and visa versa. This is a bit of a pickle. (Or Gurke - I don't remember, does Gurke have an umlaut? And I know that Gurke is cucumber, not pickle, but it's a horse apiece.)

The streets of Lisbon were packed during the night. Johnny told us that the people here tend to get their money on the 23rd of each month, so that is the busy nights out on the town. Although it sounded like the summer time may be a bit busier where the bars were. There were times we were stuck in traffic, wondering if the cars would ever move. And the cars are so tiny here! People can shoot through corridors and I know that I drive a little car and would wonder about some of the tighter spaces! Okay, not some, MOST of the tighter spaces.

Johnny found a parking spot along a steep incline. The Porties trust their emergency brakes here! It reminded me of what I picture San Francisco to be like. I know Duluth has some steep angles, but jeez! We trekked up the hill towards the bar and Johnny's friend. On the way, we saw volunteer firefighters and more beautiful buildings around the town.

Once we were inside the bar, we meet Becca and greeted her the Portie way. Kisses on both cheeks. DM wants to try this at home, but some may look at us oddly. But who doesn't, right?

Johnny and Becca went off to find "ciggies" and DM and I stayed behind, sitting in these oversized plastic chairs from Ikea. When they returned, they had another friend with them. his name was Pedro.

We sat talking until after 2 in the morning. The bar had closed and the bartender escorted us out. Outside, we said our goodbyes the Portie way and took the "hike" back to the car. We passed through crowds of people and enjoyed the atmosphere. The walk back to the car was downhill and it helped make the trip a bit faster.

When we got back to the flat, Johnny headed to bed, first giving us directions to our destination today. DM and I stayed up for a bit, watching Leno and VH1. It is fun to see so many videos from the 80's. We've both heard songs that we infrequently hear back home and laugh at old memories.

It is now time for us to get ready to go on today's adventure. I am quite excited and will be posting more!