Lisbon (Packing the Bikes & Sight Seeing)

We slept in after an excellent Asian dinner last night. We can pack bikes on the patio outside the hotel's breakfast room but needed to wait until 10 am when they finished, so we went for a walk. The Mercado de Santa Clara is a major flea market, open Tuesdays & Saturdays, with an eclectic mix of housewares, clothing, antiques & media. Fun to watch the Lisbon morning street life.

Off to the market. Unusual to take a photo when the street is empty.

Large church with attached monastery.

Only asking 50 euros. Lots of vinyl for sale. The seller said these were recorded "from the original tapes." Did that mean they were original or recently pressed? I recently have been selling off my vinyl, as it takes too much space.


"Fiona Look-a-Like. Dog of the Day #1. Many of the market vendors had small dogs.

Mercado de Santa Clara.


Dog of the Day #2.


Colorful mural.




Sunglass and Reader's Booth. Not exactly organized.

Dog of the Day #3

Custom Painted Utility Box. I think it says: "Protect the poor indigenous people." Portugal has a number of immigrants from Africa and especially Brazil. The desk clerk at our hotel said he immigrated from Brazil, taking a year to get papers. He said that several hundred thousand Brazilians have immigrated to Portugal but nearly none from Portugal to Brazil.

Colorful trolleys everywhere.



Four typical wall tile displays. 




Something about the pregnant woman in front of the weed shop.

Upon returning from our market walk, we packed our bikes for tomorrow's flight. I cleaned my Bike Friday pretty thoroughly, finishing in less than an hour. That's the major advantage of the Bike Friday. Of course the disadvantage is the 20" diameter wheels are a rougher ride than 700c wheels. John's coupled bike takes more disassembly to pack.

Lunch. After packing the bikes, we had lunch as a nearby Indian restaurant. Made me think this is the Portuguese version of Corb Lund's hit: The Truck Got Stuck, as they try to push the loaded cart up the river bank. 

The Muraria District, where our hotel is located, is the home of numerous immigrants. Many started restaurants and small shops. Many of the operators we met speak excellent English and have advanced academic degrees. Professional jobs are scarce so they start small businesses.

Entertaining Traffic. Cars park on the sidewalks, then others roll up, double park, lock the doors, and keep the motor running to suggest they will return shortly. Then the trolly rolls up, pedestrians jump out of the way, and the road eventually clears for the next jam.

Fado originated in the small  Muraria District. Numerous wall murals, photos, and plaques line the narrow streets and mark artist's homes. 



Fado Memorial. No music, but the adjacent corner bar was overflowing with well-lit locals.






 








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