Lisbon

Lisbon was basically a nice city with lovely buildings and wide streets, but in 1979 it was offensive with all the mess, clutter, posters, and graffiti. Also, there were crowds of men all over the place — they didn’t seem to be doing anything, but it was scary. At the Hotel Sheraton we spent time in the lobby just trying to get over the culture shock of the messy city.

As we drove to the Lisbon campsite, we had to pass an area of cardboard and tin shack homes sitting in the mud. The campsite wasn’t too bad, but we couldn’t stand to see the poor, poor, people in the slum we had to drive through to get there, the worst we have ever seen in visits to many countries in Europe.

At one place, hundreds of men got off a train and ran in a steady stream across the street, blocking traffic, waving their hands in the air, and hollering as they went. Don’t know if they part of a Portuguese political rally or a sporting event. We just don’t feel comfortable when we see people acting in this manner, or when they are just standing around on the street corner, especially when we don’t speak, or understand the language. Wonder where the women are. (We do remember that Portugal is their country, and if we don’t like it, we don’t have to be here!)