Lisbon

We surprised ourselves by camping in Lisbon. We expected to need a room, but it was sunny and warm during the day. Nice cafe weather. At night, we ran both heaters in the van. We spent six nights in a huge campground with few people around.

People in Portugal were incredibly friendly and polite. The food, especially the seafood and cheese was great. I’m embarrassed to say I only had one glass of port.

We took some cab rides as they were cheap, easy and quick. Perhaps a little too quick. Kind of like a 3D video game with realistic effects. The busses seemed to travel in packs. Three an hour, all within ten minutes.

A highlight of our stay was the Star Wars exhibition in the old electrical plant. They had hundreds of models, props and costumes used in all six episodes. They showed a lot of out-take footage of green screens and miniature sets. Very inspiring for the videographer looking to understand how to do special effects. My favorite part was seeing the colored Q tips that stood in for people in the arena shots.

As I listened to Jules and Ben name all of the items and places I thought I was in another archeological museum. “This is where the blleters defeated the fringers” “look, it’s an etheriena fighter”. We all loved it......

We also enjoyed the Oceanarium and its huge interior tank. That’s where Ben and this bird met. Can you identify its species Homeschoolers?

Somehow we ran out of time. Sure could have stayed longer...
BTW, we have to recommend the downtown Heritage Hotel. They had free wifi in the lobby. They served us drinks while we caught up on mail and downloads. It also looked like a great place to stay (if you can spend 400+ euros a night). Oh, and the Hard Rock Cafe is worth a visit if you need a dose of good old American commercialism.
Off to Madrid...