Jon’s Early perceptions of Lisbon

Lisbon:  June 3, 2017 We have a lead on an apartment to rent in a nearby town. We may take the buses to see it today The buses are inexpensive but the public transportation system is somewhat confusing. We are beginning to figure it out. We have also ridden a ferry and a train.

There are fifty-seven varieties of people here. Different skin colors, languages, body types, clothing. The people are generally poor except for the tourists.

We saw an old replica of a giant Portuguese galleon and the carcass of an old submarine in a river near the train station in downtown Lisbon.

Africa is not that far away. Black people from Africa are much darker than American negroes. Someone told me that Portugal started the slave trade.

Many people here smoke cigarettes and drink Coca-Cola. Many women have tattoes and some piercings. There aren’t many pretty ones. People are poor and not so healthy-looking except for the tourists. There aren’t many public toilets and some of the streets smell like urine.

There is a US Embassy that might have information about places to live and where the English-speaking people are. I might be able to teach English somewhere, but I’ve read employment doesn’t pay much and finding employment is difficult, coming from the USA.

People from the European Union (EU) have advantages here over US citizens, like getting extended visas. The Portuguese government runs most business. Not much free enterprise. In government buildings and banks, you take a number from a machine and then wait for your number to see an agent.

Millenium banks have the most ATM machines throughout Europe. If you use a credit card from the US, there is a considerable surcharge at the ATMs. There is a conversion fee from US dollars to euros.

There is a lot of tile here. There are many apartments and few houses. Streets are narrow with cars parking on the street and sidewalks on both sides. Most have one-way traffic, often with roundabouts at major intersections. Many of the cars are quite small and there are tuk tuks and tour buses downtown.

Tuk tuks are small carriages with a lawnmower-type of engine. Petrol efficiency is important because the price per liter is similar to the price of a gallon in the USA.

The term America, referring to the United States, seems like a misnomer to me. Americans could also be from Canada and South America.

One lady commented that everything is better in the United States, but we don’t know how to choose a president. She said she was afraid of President Trump. Presumably because billionaires don’t have much in common with ordinary people.

Jon Graham

Jon Graham’s Travel Journal : Lisbon, Portugal
“Channel 1 Networks Jon Graham has moved from Boulder to Florida and now Portugal. Jon will be sending dispatches from Portugal, Europe about his travels and impressions of European life compared to American Life.”