Strolling Lisbon

After having a little pity party I managed to organize a ride to Nazare tomorrow. Lufthansa makes me crazy. It is soooooo difficult to get around now that I am the owner of an expensive new crate that is as big as a Volkswagen bug. Every time I think about it I get mad. But, in the interest of sanity I must let go of it and trust that everyone who reads this will tell people about the story. Did I mention that I have to jump in the air to see over it when I am pushing it thru airports?

In Lisbon Kootenay and I have been staying at Residencial Florescente. Kootenay is sleeping out on the balcony now. Occasionally she stands up and surveys the street below wags her tail and lies back down. The Fado singer from the concert hall across the street comes out and sings her a song in the morning and a bedtime. At first I thought it was for me, but then we met him on one of our walks and he professed his love to K. At least I think that is what he was saying.

There was a big police bust up down the street this afternoon. We were coming back from walking along the Tejo River and were suddenly in a swarm of polica. They had three wagons and started filling them with people from the street corner and a housing complex. It was all very dramatic. This is when a better understanding of the language would have come in handy. The officer was yelling and waving at me, but I had not a clue what he wanted me to do. Luckily a little old man took pity on me and led me away down an alley. He talked to Kootenay in Portuguese as he led us down the block. I’m not sure what he was saying, but he was happy with Kootenay’s response so I just smiled and nodded.

Smiling and nodding has become my main action. People stop us pet K and tell me all sorts of things sometimes they even pull out pictures of their dogs to share with me, but mostly they stop to pat K. I think the fact that I don’t understand a word people say makes it easier for them to talk to me.