Norwegian Encore - Transatlantic - Day 4

Norwegian Encore - Day 04 - December 6, 2024 - Lisbon, Portugal

I woke up at a reasonable hour and had time to go to The Local for breakfast before everyone was told we were cleared to get off the ship to explore Lisbon.

As I’ve mentioned, I had very little included wifi and my cell service in Vigo wasn’t great. There are TVs in the rooms with a few news channels, but I don’t generally turn on the TV at all.

Still, some headlines managed to come through and I was aware of the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO in NYC. Obviously no one should be shot and killed, but I also understood that the whole ordeal would bring up a lot of personal stuff for people when they heard about it.

As I ate breakfast, there were two older ladies (I keep mentioning older people - I’m aware I’m getting there myself!) at the next table talking about it. One said that she didn't expect the suspect to be a young person, but that:

"This happens to young people too. If it wasn't him, it was probably a family member or loved one." She paused to take a tip of tea and continued "That they fucked over."

Even on a ship holding only 2000 passengers from all over the world, I think I got a snapshot of what was probably going on at home.

I was excited to go to Lisbon. I’d spent a couple days there once before, as my previous transatlantic cruise left from there.

Like in Vigo, I decided to start my day by going up. My main goal for the day was to take photos, which I did as I meandered up towards the castle - Castelo de S. Jorge. It’s such a picturesque place with narrow streets and staircases. The buildings are old and outside many of them, laundry hangs to dry. There are a lot of outdoor cats in the streets. Trees were filled with ripe oranges, some of them already fallen to the ground. A cellist sat on a bench, playing his music.

When I got to the castle, I saw that the entry fee was 15 euros. I could have been convinced by someone else to check it out, but decided to skip it this time.

From there I meandered, thinking I’d end up on the other side of the ship, in the area where I’d stayed previously. My sense of direction on those streets was lacking, though. I kept seeing “castelo” painted on walls with arrows in various directions. I ended up going the opposite direction than I thought and found myself at Mosteiro S. Vincente de Fora. I snapped a couple photos and then started to pay more attention to where I was going. I decided to work my way down the hill first and then across.

As I walked I remembered the bifanas I’d had last time at a place called As Bifanas do Afonso. Bifanas are simple, traditional Portuguese sandwiches - marinated pork on a crusty roll. This place serves them from a window, After walking by it several times on my previous trip and seeing locals lined up to get them, I finally tried them. Delicious! There were only a few people ahead of me when I arrived this time. Within a couple minutes I had a sandwich and a cold can of Coke. I found a bench and sat down to eat. By the time I finished, dozens of people were lined up, so my timing was excellent.

After that, I felt like I might want to get a cocktail. Aside from the free beer at Choir of Man, I hadn’t had any alcohol on the cruise. I got some recommendations from a friend back home, but most places were closed until later in the day. I decided to just keep my eye out. Then, I saw a couple men in a window at a small place called Union. One had a bottle of beer and the other had something that was icy and green. I said “That looks delicious - what is it?” He said it was a mint lemonade. It had just arrived and he hadn’t tried it yet. I asked him if it was sweet. He tried it and said “Not at all!” and he offered to let me take a sip from the side of his glass. “Really?” I asked and took him up on his offer. It was the best mint lemonade I’d ever had and I went right in to order one.

There was no alcohol, but it was definitely cocktail status. Fresh mint and ice and a shaker were involved. It was basically a no-jito, I guess! It was worth the wait. I got it to go, toasted to the men in the window, and chatted with them for a couple minutes before moving on. I asked them if they had come from the ship. They hadn’t. One of them said that I might have had a clear view of him that morning, as he got up and went to the window full monty-style, only to realize the ship had come in and he definitely had a clear view of us. They were from the UK and were taking a nice long weekend away. They’d have a longer holiday in a few months. We said goodbye and I continued wandering.

A friend had told me about a fun place for sardines, so I went that direction. I could immediately see why it would be neat (and different from the more touristy sardine shops), as there was a counter with a man and all the sardines and canned fishes were on shelves behind him. There were catalogues. It seemed like a lot of pressure.

I saw there was another place across the street. It wasn’t until I was inside that I realized it was just a smaller version of a very touristy one I’d been to in Ponta Delgada. There is even one in Times Square now. The salesperson was good, though, and it turned out I felt pressure no matter what shop I was in. After spending 40 euros on three cans of fish (I bought boneless - why do I need boneless sardines?), I sorta wished I’d waited in line at the recommended place! Especially when I could get these in NYC. It’s hard to imagine they’re twice the cost at home than in Lisbon, as the guy told me. Would people in New York spend $80 on three cans? Next time I’m in Times Square, I’ll wander in out of curiosity. In any case, I’ll enjoy eating these with my friends over the holidays.

It was my plan to get a Portuguese egg tart in Lisbon and I saw some that looked great, but I ended up in a gelato shop instead. The sign outside said Coconut & Cardamom and I couldn’t resist. It was very good.

I’d taken 18,000 steps and figured it was time to head back to the ship. I took a shower and had a light dinner as we were pulling out of port. There I met a woman named Mary Jo, from Orlando. She usually travels with her daughter, but is solo on this trip. We talked about other cruise lines and we both enjoyed MSC. She said the bartenders were great and that her daughter would bring her Stanley and they’d fill it up with strawberry daiquiri for her. Ha!

There weren’t a huge amount of entertainment options that night, so I decided I’d check out Chris Burke: Heart & Soul, which I’d skipped a couple days before. “Inspired by the classics of Nashville, Motown, and his own personal life, Chris Burke’s show ‘Heart & Soul’ showcases a less traditional side of soul music.” They weren’t kidding. Somehow my notes were deleted, but one of the songs he knew because he had heard it on Family Ties. He explained the whole story of the episode. He talked quite a lot. And he sang to karaoke tracks. It was underwhelming to me, but as I walked out, I heard someone say “He was pretty good!” so don’t let me stop you from checking him out.

We had a sea day to look forward to, so I decided to let myself sleep in, if I was able. Bed felt so good!