We Admired This Tree Every Day

Oct. 12:  We are having our ritual late night tea at the pousada, recounting the fun we’ve had traipsing around Lisbon.  Almost every picture depicted of Lisbon features Belém and so it certainly made it our must do list.  It’s a bit out of town, but again, it has some very key sights that any visit to Lisbon should include.  Dan checked out the best public transportation route and we opted to take the streetcars.  We checked with the hotel concierge and she agreed and pointed us in the direction to get our tickets.  She mentioned we should get a one day pass so that we could ride any form of public transit all day.  She took the extra effort to explain that it was six euro, which meant twelve euro for the two of us but, as she explained, we would get our moneys’ worth after two rides. 

Now this is something we have noticed happens frequently in Portugal.  They are very focused on making sure you understand what things cost and what you get for that price.  Sometimes they want to double check that you really grok that room service will cost two euro.  They explain and reiterate another couple times.  This is completely different from France, which often has no price tags on items or even a menu.  And getting a couple jars of mustard or a couple samples of tea, you get a surprise when they tell you that it will be 60 euro.  The Portuguese don’t seem cheap, but just very concerned about full disclosure.

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