It did indeed rain the rest of Tuesday and the forecast was even bleaker for Wednesday.
We braved the rain and wind Tuesday afternoon and went out for a meal. Fortunately, we only had to go 284 feet to get to a nice Italian restaurant and it is a good thing it wasn’t any further because the rain and wind were just waiting for us to step outside before increasing. Most of the stores and restaurants were closed and the streets were awash with runoff.
Of course, the storm let up about the time we finished eating but the rain was still falling when we got back to the apartment. We had a quiet evening in.
Wednesday morning, there was hardly any light outside until 10 or 10:30. The storm was a deluge / Biblical proportions / a real frog-strangler / pick your own dramatic term. We stayed inside until about 2:30 when, all at once, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. We waited a bit in case it was a trick to get us to go outside, but we finally went out. There were deep puddles everywhere, but we found something to eat and then walked to Praça do Comércio (Commercial Plaza), which sounds like a boring place but is not. Many other people had the same idea. The streets were crowded and so was the square. It is right next to the Tagus River, which is quite wide at this point. The wind was still blowing hard and there were whitecaps on the water. This plaza was one of the areas which had to be rebuilt after the giant earthquake of 1755. Its entrance is through a [tasteful] Triumphal Arch (Rua Augusta Arch). The buildings which line 2 sides are the traditional Portuguese white / yellow. [I am sure Patricia could describe the colors better.] There were still some clouds on the horizon and the sunset seen with the clouds and the light coming through the 25 Abril Bridge (which is modeled after the Golden Gate Bridge) was spectacular.
We bought some of the famous Pastel de Nata pastries and took them back to the apartment for a treat.
Today, Thursday, is our last day in Lisbon. The bad weather was part of the adventure and we did fine. We didn’t feel “stuck” inside at all. Another part of the travel adventure happened this morning when we went out for breakfast (well, it was 10:00, so maybe brunch). We looked up breakfast places and decided to try a new one. It had good reviews and a nice menu. It was busy, but we got a table and ordered. Shortly after that, we all noticed a mouse running around the eating area. Nearly everyone got up and left—including at least one of the staff. I suppose the mouse was hungry, too, but we thought if there was one we could see, how many were there that we could not see?
After that, we went back to our tried and true restaurant which is just around the corner from our apartment. The day was sunny and it felt warm in the sun, but we ended up sitting inside because when the wind blew, we were reminded that it is mid-November in Portugal.
We will spend the rest of the day packing and getting ready for a morning departure tomorrow.
I added pictures to the pictures page.
