After a quick shower and change of clothes, we are off to enjoy the city. Well, if I am being honest, we are out walking around to keep ourselves awake. We have found that if we can stay awake the first day until evening in our new location that there is no jet lag. So off we go!

We decide that we need to find food so we take a five minute walk up a long hill. (Note: Lisbon is built on a series of steep hills and cliff faces. You will be walking and you will be climbing hills and endless stairs.). I am fascinated by the narrow streets. In places, we have to turn our bodies sideways and hug the wall to let the tram pass. Motorcycles dart in and out of traffic. But most noticeable are the endless waves of Tuk Tuks zooming up and down the winding streets. Delivery vans can park for a few minutes only in the middle of the street. They run in with their deliveries. If they are lucky, they will be back and gone before the tram appears. If they are unlucky, they will return to a tram driver aggressively ringing his bell and gesturing for the driver to move. The unfamiliar vehicles and unfamiliar streets are both exciting and a little intimidating. With a goofy grin, I stop several times to take pictures of the tram.

Graca is a busy little neighborhood. Local residents do their shopping along Sao Vicente. We wander a bit until I notice the Pastelarias (pastry shop). So many beautiful pastries! Lisbon is famous for Pasteis de Nata, but I wanted to wait and taste that in the original shop. My husband insists we have a proper lunch, so I put my pastry dreams on hold and we sit down. Looking forward to dessert, I order a grilled cheese. I was surprised to receive a plate stacked with sandwiches. Freshly baked whole grain bread with goat cheese drizzled with honey and walnuts. Who needs dessert!

The waiter (we quickly discover that most people younger than me speak English) teases us about ordering a “mother in law” for dessert. We are stuffed and sadly decline. He hands us what looks like a credit card and walks away. In situations where we are unsure what to do, it is useful to linger and observe others. By waiting and watching, we learn that the card was our bill. We take the card to a cashier who swiped it to show us our total. We are supposed to insert our money in a coin box, but we do not have change. The friendly cashier/owner helps us check out with an invitation to return.

With full bellies, our next big decision is transport options. Our choices are a Lisboa card that provides free or discounted entry to museums and unlimited transport in and around Lisbon for 72 hours; a day pass providing unlimited transport; pay as you go; or a zapping card. Because we are staying for a month and do not want to rush around the city trying to fit everything in a few days, we opt for zapping. Zapping is simple. You buy a card with an electronic chip and you load the card with an amount of your choosing. We buy an initial load of $15 euro. Each time we use the card it will be charged at a discounted rate. Any transfers made within an hour are not charged. All our transportation issues are solved! Zapping cards worked on trams, trains, buses, funiculars, ferries, and even elevators. We purchased our card at the local tobacco shop where owner was kind enough to write down what we would be charged for each type of transport.

Zapping card in hand we step up to the stop for the famous Tram 28. Honestly I am unsure why the guidebooks fixate on this particular tram. There is nothing different about it from any other tram in the city: except . . . it is in every guidebook as a must do. . . it is overrun with tourists . . . and it runs across the breadth of the city. Guidebooks also warn us to beware of pickpockets. While we never encountered an issue, if you ride the tram: a) you will be lucky to find a seat b) you may be lucky to squeeze in the tram at all c) you will likely be standing d) you may or may not have a handhold e) you will be bumped, jostled and rolled as the tram bounces over winding, hilly, uneven streets f) you are expected to move to the back of the tram as others enter if you are standing g) you are expected to give up your seat for the elderly or disabled or those with small children e) you must stand in line in the order of arrival to the stop to prevent line jumping in case the tram is full f) you may be yelled at if you violate items a through g. Unfortunately it takes a few days and some mistakes to learn the rules. I pity the locals who must use tram 28 daily. Tourists are literally ignorant of the protocols.

I don’t love the first ride. Standing and trying to learn to balance, jammed in the tram with 50 strangers pressing on all sides, hearing instructions in a language I don’t understand is a bit overwhelming. I also realize stops are not announced, the driver will not stop unless you push a button located in spots I may not be able to reach, and I can’t see out very well while standing. We decide we will ride the whole route since we have no idea where we are going anyway. After a lengthy ride, of jostling and adjustments the tram stops. The driver announces, in Portuguese, that we have to get off. I have no idea what he is saying but the hand gestures are clear. So we get off. I had read tram 28 made a loop so I am confused. Turns out that at the end of each loop, the driver gets a 10 minute break. Everyone must exit the tram and line up a few yards away at the tram stop. Upon reentry, after the driver changes the signage on the tram to reflect the new destination and pulls up to the stop, you must re-zap you card. Failure to zap can mean fines and removal from the tram. Watching and imitating the locals, we make the transfer back on the tram.

The ride home is much more enjoyable. We find seats near a large open window and are able to enjoy the view. We exit the tram at the Portas do Sol and I am immediately in love with Lisbon. Blue sky, a tranquil river opening to the sea, and a peaceful patio with cafe and palm trees welcome us home. This haven is just a few blocks from our house. The tiredness melts away. After a lengthy visit to the miradouro (overlook), we pop into the super mercado on our street for dinner ingredients. The choices are very limited (think 1980’s gas station) so we grab a frozen meal and some lettuce for dinner and bread/butter for breakfast. I would tell you more about our day, but I am sure I fell into a deep sleep shortly after arriving in the apartment. New stories will have to wait.