Got up at 8am today. Showered, dressed, ate a good continental style breakfast with coffee and juice. Then took the metro to Aula Magna and registered for the retreat. Registration is for the facilitators to know you showed up.

Registration was quick and easy. Retreat starts this evening at 5pm. After registration I was free to do as I wish. And so I did. Laid out in the sun for a bit.

After soaking some rays, it was time to sight see Lisbon. I just wanted to walk Lisboa Touristic district just for fun. So off to Baixa Chiado I went. As luck would have it, I came across a free walking tour right after I exited the metro. It was about to begin so I went along with a gathered group. Our guide is Francisco Cruz. Very polished and did not miss a beat.

He gave us the history of Portugal and Lisbon. He gave some tips of where to eat and how much to pay too. While he was doing this, we were standing next to Bel Canto restaurant (Miki you know this one) and I asked how much a meal would cost there. Too much he says minimum 100 €. So I won’t have my meal there but I can take a picture of the outside. LOL.

He gave the story of Fernando Pessoa a famous writer who like Van Gogh the famous painter was a pauper when he was alive. Fernando was a drug user and heavy drinker. Wrote many unpublished materials and critiques them himself as he did not remember he wrote them. ‘Schizo’ perhaps. Some of his works were mystical as well. I must look him up to find out more later.

Rest of the tour was walking in the marvellous weather. I feel for you as I looked up how cold it is there today. -18 C.

Encountered problems loading rest of pics from tour. Will have to do it later, maybe on another post.