That's Not My Name

I've changed my name.  My name is no longer Holly.  

It was lovely name.  It frequently spurred conversations over the years.  Is my birthday around Christmas?  Is that a family name since it's uncommon?  A weird coincidence occurred during my undergraduate studies; there were three girls named Holly in my program?  That was fun.

However, I decided that in order for anyone to properly spell or say my name in this country it had to change.  The "ah" in Holly is not a natural sound to the Brits.  They are never sure of how to spell it.  So after almost one year living in the UK it was time to give them a break.  

Henceforth I shall be known as Holly.  

No, it's not the same name.  You see, my former name Holly was pronounced as you would the horticultural plant.  My new name Holly rhymes with Pauley.  It may seem a subtle change, but it's huge for me.  

Just because my name has changed does not mean that I have changed.  I still laugh loudly at bad jokes.  I still can't bake a batch of brownies.  I still speak my mind a bit too freely.

You can still call me Holly, if you wish.  

Mercado da Ribeira - Touring Tuesday

In the European cities we've visited, there is always an open-air market.  The stalls sell everything someone would need for their dinner: fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, olives, oils, and spices to name a few.  There are also many flower stalls because every dinner table needs some decoration.  

Lisbon's Mercado da Ribeira has been running near the waterfront since the late 1800's.  Although time moved forward, the market stayed the same.  That is until 2010 when the Lisbon City Council asked for private bids to manage the storied market.  The Lisbon branch of Time Out magazine won the bid and transformed part of the market.  The new space opened in May 2014, and it is spectacular.  The main market stalls still sell fresh items

The new modern side is transformed it into a hipster food court.  We visited early in the day while the restaurants were just opening for the day so we did not partake in any of the food.  My rudimentary translation of the Portuguese menus indicated there were no kids meals. I'm sure these tables are jammed with tapas, wine, Ibérico ham, and a lot of laughter.  

Unfortunately for this guy, he probably won't have any fun once the dinner crowd shows up.

Kudos to the folks at Time Out Lisbon for honoring the history of the market and updating it for today's needs.  

Days in Lisbon - Touring Tuesday

In true family fashion, our days in Lisbon were spent walking (and walking, and walking).  Check out my previous post to see some of the great tiles on our walks.  Lisbon is made up of four districts, of which three are close together.  The fourth (Belém) was a bit farther out of the way, and we did not get over there.  

Barrio Alto

This area was our home base; it is full of quiet streets and cafes & bars.  We soon realized that the hill can be found all over the city.

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara gave us a view back to the scene of the hill.

The kids became experts at finding charming details everywhere.  

Baxia & Avendia

The Baxia & Avendia district are the flashy architectural show offs of Lisbon, and I'm not complaining.  We crossed over the pedestrian street Rua Augusta to see the Arco da Rua framing the statue of José I at the end.  Of course we stopped in our tracks and walked with the masses.  

As we started to walk down Rua Augusta, a cruise ship passed by the arch which provided a splendid perspective.

We had to see where that ship was headed, and it was well rewarded to the square, Praça do Comércio.  This is the former site of the Royal Palace, but now it is home to government offices.  Long, long ago royalty would arrive to Lisbon at this very spot.  Down the river a bit we spied a bridge that reminded us of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  A little research told us it's called the 25 de Abril.  The name is a little unconventional, but it refers back to an overthrow of the government in 1974.  It was constructed by the same people who built the Oakland Bay Bridge.

 I give huge credit to the city of Lisbon for the their elevator system.  Sometimes the hills were just too daunting to climb.  The wood paneled Elevador de Santa Justa provided a beautiful ride up to the Barrio Alto.   

Travel Tip! We waited in line to ride the elevator to the top.  Upon arrival up to the Barrio Alto, we observed that the line to ride down was nonexistent.  I think you could even get onto the main viewing platform at the top without needing a ticket if you chose not to ride.  Additionally there is a spiral staircase to get to the tip top for a separate fee, but we did not partake in that adventure with Youngest Kiddo.  Don't make the same mistake we did by standing in line.  However, some crafty musicians kept us entertained during our wait.  

  

Alfama

This is the oldest district of the city; many of the houses are slightly more run down than other parts of the city.  However, the views from this part of town are amazing.  We grabbed some bread, cheese, and charcuterie to have lunch on the patio of the Miradouro da Graça.    

On the back side of this overlook is the Igreja de Graça, which is an old Augustinian Monestary.    

The center point of activity in the Alfama appeared to be the cathedral called the Sé.  It is a huge church at the top of one of the hills.  

Our favorite spot in the Alfama has to be the Miradouro de Santa Luiza.  I think it had a lot to do with the lack of clouds in the sky and the blooming flowers, but when I think of Lisbon that's were I picture first.  To see the city and the River Tagus together was breathtaking.    

Each day the kids were troopers to meander the city of hills and tiles.  I think they were just in it for the daily gelato.  

Gelato hangover

You Never Know Who You'll Meet - Touring Tuesday

Long time readers will remember that Youngest Kiddo loves transportation.  When we ascended from the metro into the heart of Lisbon he saw the 28 Tram.  He immediately knew what he wanted to do on his holiday.  

The 28 Tram is a popular attraction in the city for good reason.  Its route takes riders past many major sites.  Each time we saw the tram it was jammed with people, so we were reluctant to get on not knowing if we'd be sardined in a group of pickpockets (always my fear) or if we'd get lucky and find a seat.  

Youngest Kiddo waited quite patiently until day two for a ride on the 28 Tram.  Matt thought it would be best if our ride started where the route started for the best chance of getting a seat.

We were not the only ones with this idea.  

The shelter was full of people and the queue began to snake down the sidewalk.  We were committed to ride and stood in line.

After a few minutes the couple in front of us recognized our accent and struck up a conversation.  Over the next hour wait for the tram, we proceeded to talk, and talk, and talk.  

It turned out that we had many things to talk about.  The Californian couple (D&S we will call them) were in Lisbon as part of an anniversary cruise.  At that time they were a bit out of sorts as their luggage had not arrived on their flight.  We felt some compassion for them as it is no fun to wear the same clothes for 24+ hours.  They made the best of the situation and got out into the city.  D&S entertained our kids (and us) with games and stories about their many years of marriage and grandchildren.

When we finally made our way onto the tram, we found spots to sit near each other.  As predicted, the tram became uncomfortably jammed with people.  I held my purse super close and tried to get the man in the photo below to stop speaking to me in Portuguese even after saying, "No Português."  The only words I could understand from him were, "Charles & Camilla."  He had a sour face and made a thumbs down when he said their names over and over.  Apparently he's not a fan.  

Before we morphed to sardines

Eventually Matt and the kids ended up near D&S, and they got to talk for the duration of the ride.  When we reached the termination, we parted ways with an added wish for the expedient return of their luggage.  For such a short time together, we sure had a good time.

A few days later we took a walk down the Avendia de Liberdade toward Parque Eduardo VII.  We chuckled as the kids continued to play the games they learned from D&S while walking among the über fancy shops.  Oldest Kiddo had just mentioned how nice D&S were for showing her the game they were playing.

 

Just a few short minutes later, who do we see walking the toward us on the Avendia de Liberdade?  Yes, D&S.

I'm not kidding.

They were doing a quick bit of shopping because S's luggage arrived, but D's luggage was still missing.  Their cruise ship was scheduled to leave that day, and he could not get on the ship without some clothes to wear.  It was a super short chat, but it was a lovely surprise.  

In the months that have passed D&S creep into conversation now and again.  Mostly wondering if D's luggage ever showed up :)

Mates

I recently read this blog article on To The Days Like This, and she summed up how my feelings perfectly.  

I miss my work friends....
We were in the trenches together every day.  We celebrated successes we achieved with students.  Some days, we banged our heads into the wall when the educational bureaucracy seeped its way into our jobs.  I was a part of a great team.  I had a certain hole in my days at the end of August when I was not setting up a classroom and catching up with my colleagues.  In April I had the distinct pleasure of flying home to attend the wedding of a former colleague.  I am so happy that an ocean did not keep me from celebrating this occasion with her.  

I miss my neighborhood friends....
Obviously life goes on near The 407.  They shoveled a lot of snow last winter.  The neighborhood kids played during the summer.  They had their first day of school pictures on the porch.  Recently, we saw the photos from this year's JDRF charity walk.  We loving joined each year to support our neighbor and thought about them as we walked the city on that day.
  

My neighbor (hi!) sent me this photo the other night with the caption, "come home."  

I'm happy to think that seeing these annual treats at the market reminds our friends of us.  Especially since, I was obsessed and posted many of these in the last two years.  

I miss my college friends....
Our group of college friends have been together for almost 20 years.  In that time we have experienced most of our adult milestones together.  There were weddings, babies born, deaths of loved ones, health struggles, job frustrations, and job successes.  Heck, I was in the delivery room when one of their kiddos was born.

Geographically we did not live close, but when we got together it was magical.  Our talks spanned from kids, to jobs, to family drama (no one ever has that), and many many laughs.  

Yes we text regularly, and the messages bring me the biggest joy.  I especially love to wake up to a text (or stream of texts) in the morning.  I hope they feel the same way when they wake up six hours later to the my responses.

   

They stop by The 407 to make sure she is doing OK.  I sure hope it spurs conversation among the neighbors as to who the heck is taking pictures out front.  

Finally, when we've taken trips back to the US, we find a way to be together.  When Matt was back in the states a few weeks ago a group event was not possible.  However, he got to have apple cider donuts at the apple orchard with one family and dinner with the other.    

We so look forward to our next trip home to see as many friends as we can.  I know it will feel like no time has passed when we see them.  We will easily pick up on conversations that started months ago, and make new memories to last us until we see them again.  I hope!