PNewL PNewS
Volume 30 31 Issue 5 1 “All the pnews that phits.” February March 2023
The Travel Schedule is Filling Up Again
I returned to Portugal for another visit to our town of Tavira and for more adventures with Bill and Denis. It was really nice. (A writing teacher told me not to use the word nice so let’s say it was comfortable and relaxing and fun and beautiful and everything a vacation should be. I just thought nice was shorter.) I understand why people return to places. As I thought about this trip, I wondered if this would be the last time. Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t, but for me, I don’t feel “done”—being comfortable, relaxing in a beautiful place and having fun seems “all good.”
We had a convenient apartment on the river that runs through town that had balconies on two levels. Excellent people watching. The ferry to Ilha de Tavira was across the street…excellent Indian food was just below us, but not in an odor-invading-the-apartment kinda way. We went on exploratory drives and walks, wandered, ate well. The pace was just right. I could do it again.
When I start planning a trip, there is usually at least one day, if not a few, that make me…not nervous, but aware of the challenges…and those days often involve public transportation. For some reason, I don’t trust it. This trip, that day was the one when I ventured off on my own via train from Tavira to Lisbon. The train was very pleasant though I am certain I didn’t sit in my assigned seat. I am still not sure there were assigned seats, but I know I was in the right Class—First! Half-price for old people!
First, I figured out which station was the closest to my Lisbon hotel—the train did not go to the truly closest one so I went for the second closest. I scoped out the route from the train station—58-minute walk vs 2-3 buses/metro with a roller bag and a daypack. I opted for the walk. I really like to see where people live. It was a beautiful day.
The wander was great—first through a business section, then alongside parks with lots of kid noise and activity, then through residential, and down an alley between a hospital and a funeral parlor (interesting juxtaposition). Then I hit the hills which Lisbon is famous for. As my phone was starting to die and I was losing my map, I was heading straight up…on cobblestones, dragging a suitcase, after an almost three-mile hike across the city. When I got to the hotel, the woman at Reception asked where I came from and how I got there. I told her and said I walked. She said, “No! No! Too far!” The next morning, with sore arms and a kink in my back, I might have agreed but I did enjoy it. I am becoming more particular about museums and sights, and more interested in wandering, sitting, listening, observing, and, of course, supporting local artists/makers (aka shopping).
The next adventure included the van and the knucklehead dog. Laurie had a few days window in her grueling social schedule in Key West—she had a spare bed and they allowed dogs. I could get there—it was only a 16-hour drive! I’m in. With a dog, the driving guesstimate needs some adjusting. It was more like 18 hours or maybe more. We left town on the Friday of President’s Day weekend—February in Florida. Remember what that was like? Yeah, I kinda forgot. It was also the weekend of the Daytona 500. Hotels were booked…solid. Super 8, somewhere along I-95 was charging $200+ plus a dog fee. We opted for sleeping in a rest area which was remarkably civilized with nighttime security…and almost full when we arrived at 9:30pm. (Before you gasp too deeply, I was in the van. We were much better equipped than most!)
Key West. What to say? It’s a unique experience. So many people and lots of alcohol with a few surprising reprieves. We hung out and at each meal, planned our next destination for eating. It was a good visit, with the exception of Buster’s need to go out at 5am. I realized after a couple days that he was really hungry after our lengthy walks around town. When I fed him, he let me go back to bed. (It was not all bad—being out on Duval Street at 5am is a peaceful perspective.)
On the way home, we stopped to see Ann and Lynne on the West Coast of the state. More good visits with old friends, except for Buster’s run for freedom…again at 5am. Fortunately, Lynne found him trapped in the backyard of a neighbor and we were on the road again.
Things I am Learning & Miscellaneous Observations
• My life would be far less interesting without Libby, the digital online library connector. When I turned my phone off the other day and turned it back on, I was told that the data from Libby had been erased. I was about to drive home. I didn’t have time to look at it. As I drove home for 30 minutes in silence, I wondered what the loss of my Libby data meant—it felt big. (First world problem) When I got home, I found it was not lost and it may have been a bad Wi-Fi connection. My whole shelf was still there. The books I had on loan were still there. It had lost where I was in the book I was listening to but I could work with that. Our digital lives are so fragile and yet feel so sturdy when they work.
• I was walking around the yard this afternoon thinking, I need to find someone to help tame this mess…not because I am too old to do it but because I am old enough to know I don’t want to do it. I thought that sounded pretty smart!
• A 40-year-old friend (what are they called? A shallow dive down a rabbit hole says Generation X) once told me that I didn't understand one of the popular movies in a series because I hadn't seen all the predecessors... I wondered if that was the case with "Everything Everywhere All at Once." I found it entertaining but… Best Picture? I’m obviously nobody’s target audience!
• I went to a play that was really interesting. It is called “Every Brilliant Thing” and it lasted about an hour. It's a one man show--the man tells his story, growing up the child of a suicidal mom. In reaction to that, he starts making a list of "Every Brilliant Thing" to remind his mother of all the things that are good in the world. #1 is Ice cream. He adds to it throughout his life. During the play, the other characters are people he drags up on stage from the audience--his favorite elementary school teacher, his dad, the old people he sat next to when he was at the hospital waiting to find out if his mom was okay. He would also yell out a number and people in the audience had been given papers with numbers on them and they’d call out whatever Brilliant Thing they’d been given. When he fell in love, the list was boosted to hundreds of thousands and by then it got to be a group think project—together they got it to 1,000,000. It was really charming despite being about a sad subject. Highly recommend if you ever get a chance.
• The Doctor’s assistant asked me if I’ve traveled internationally in the last five years and if yes, where? Are you kidding me? I need to prepare for questions like that. When was five years ago? Even with COVID, that’s hard to figure—I travel! The PA seemed really surprised.
• The first time I went to Portugal, I got a haircut and it was so much fun. She didn’t speak English, I didn’t speak Portuguese. We had the whole salon laughing. Recently, I decided I needed at least one more tattoo—a bracelet. When I was looking for the artist to do the bracelet, I started following folks on Instagram. It can be pretty obvious the sort that would be good at a delicate bracelet vs the ones that do very black goth-like scary faces with drool or anime or…full sleeves. I found a Tavira artist I liked and made an appointment with her but she wrote it down wrong and we never connected. Then I found one in Lisbon and bingo! She was really fun to talk to, did a fine job on the ink, and got me to the metro safely—we had a very entertaining afternoon and I saw a part of Lisbon I wouldn’t have gone to otherwise.
• This trip was the first time my white hair or aging face inspired people to offer assistance. In one case, a woman grabbed my bag and pulled it across the gap. I was humiliated and grateful. I am now that person.
• In a related topic, I am coming to grips with the difference between how I see myself and how I look on my passport photo. I just had the picture taken and am already dreading looking at it for the next ten years.
• For several minutes on a beautiful afternoon in Lisbon, I sat in an outdoor café and did not hear any English. It was refreshing. Then a multi-cultural threesome sat down and it appeared that they had English in common. They each had different accents. It was nice, but I did have to listen to small talk that I could understand. It’s always something!
• Climbing the hills of Alfama in Lisbon, a not-so-young child said to his mother, “Carry me!” This is THE reason parents need to be young.
• In January, I lost a(nother) dear friend to cancer. It sucks. Enough! Stephanie was one of those people I assumed would be around forever. We’d been college roommates, and survived a bunch of different experiences – 45+ years of experiences. I think of her all the time—things I’d ask her, things we need to talk about. I think of her husband and sons and grandchildren often. It all seems so wrong. Bon voyage, my friend. I hope you are now free of pain. You are missed.
• “Grocery list.” This was supposed to be a prompt to remind me of something I had thought was interesting at some point—something I wanted to tell you about. It is not ringing any bells.
• During lunch with some favorite people, the conversation turned to tattoos. Tara described her daughter’s tattoos as “clip art.” I know what she means—multiple unrelated tattoos. I fear I’m getting there but not really. I’ll keep it in mind.
• I was telling someone that I was driving some of our Afghani boys—from Track practice home and home to Soccer practice. That someone (one of my clever friends but I can’t remember which one. Ack) said—you’re a Soccer Mom. Indeed.
• I hit a point yesterday when I was making some travel plans when it flipped from a tedious list of things to do to OMG I’m going on an adventure! I never know when that moment is coming. This trip, a return to Iceland, has felt challenging because of memories of driving in snow…in the southern half of the island. This time, I’m going to the northern half. I’ll be on major roads, but major roads are not as major as, for instance, here in Western North Carolina. Weather is an interesting component in this destination. While I was researching accommodations, I read a comment about a good meal just across the street and something clicked—I know about that restaurant--I've heard great things. I could stay across the street and eat good food! Yay. It’s the little things. I’m ready to go!
• I am not even going to tell you when I thought this issue would go out. Finally, here. It’s yours.
"Forward, in all directions!" Flying Karamazov Brothers (According to Becky)
