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luis &
simao
--Jun 25, 2005
A few months back (before we had even started
to think about where to stay when in Lisbon) we received a random
email from a Portuguese guy named Luis. He was writing not only
to say that he liked our site, but that we were welcome to stay
in his apartment in Lisbon (for free!) as long as we could come
at a time when it was available (usually when he’s out of
town). What luck (especially since he sounded like a really nice
guy)!
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our first look
in Lisbon, where we met Luis:
Praca do Comercio |
Turn for the worse: As the weeks passed, we
emailed back and forth. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t
get our schedules to match up, so despite his kindness, it looked
like we’d have to find somewhere else to stay. Drag –
it would have been such a bonus to have an apartment, but oh well.
Things are looking up: A few weeks later Luis
writes back again with excellent news. He has found a different
apartment for us! The only downside, he tells us, is that the
apartment won’t be furnished since somebody will have just
moved out. Is that okay? Are you kidding! It’s great! And
it’s even more great because Luis won’t be out of
town, so we’ll get to meet him and hopefully spend some
time together.
Fast forward to today, our first day in Portugal.
After our flight, we take a bus into Lisbon and, as promised,
Luis is waiting for us at a coffee shop. Together we take a cab
to the apartment where we’re met by Luis’s boyfriend
Simao. They’ve brought over sheets, pillows and towels for
us. In a nutshell, they’ve greeted us like old friends and
they’re quick to arrange some outings together so that we
will get the most out of our stay here. Really, we couldn’t
feel any luckier and more grateful.
Luis is a freelance writer and translator and
Simao is a graphic designer. They’re both hip, funny, and
super friendly. And as a bonus, they speak excellent English.
In the coming weeks they’ll take us to down home restaurants,
trendy rooftop bars, and real-deal fado (see portugal:
woeful tunes). They’ll tell us about Portuguese
culture, politics, and what the young folks today are thinking
about. And on our last day in Lisbon, Simao will personally escort
us to the bus that will take us down the coast to Zambujiera do
Mar where, by amazing coincidence, since we had decided to go
there anyway, we’ll stay at Luis’s parent’s
guesthouse overlooking the ocean.
So once again, we are in debt to complete strangers
(not just Luis and Simao, but also Carlos and Andre, the owners
of the apartment, whom we never did actually meet). But lest you
get the wrong idea, our stay in Portugal taught us that our experience
really wasn’t all that strange; the Portuguese people as
a whole are friendly and generous. Combined with the general laid-back
feeling of the country, it makes for a pretty great place to spend
time. We hope someday Luis and Simao (or Carlos and Andre) will
visit us in San Francisco and we’ll be able to return the
favor.
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