Aloha from Lisboa!

Well, Lisbon is not the sandy beach tropical paradise I expected, it's more of a hectic city, but it is a traveller’s haven.

I’ve been a bit bleary-eyed since arriving, and suddenly, my body wants to sleep when the Aussies do.

Last night, I hit the pavement looking for somewhere for dinner at 10 pm, and I got hustled into a local family restaurant. They looked like a Portuguese family that needed the trade, so why not?

Long story short, I agreed to the recommended signature dish without knowing anything about it. I justified my lack of effort with my usual - when in Rome! 

The dish arrived, and it seemed to be a mix of omelette, cod…yes, fish, and a large packet of those French fry crisps - we all thought were rad’ back in school. The main problem was that Maria must have shaken the salt while the lid was set to pour, not sprinkle. Crikey!

Travel dare #2 Try eating a super salty fish omelette with an unusual crunch.

Clearly, I couldn’t break Maria’s heart, so I soldiered on.

As my brain searched for a way out of this situation, I calmly ate the bread, drank the wine, and thought back to a family cocktail party we had many years ago. The deal that night was to create a new amazing cocktail.

So, the steps went like this: make it however you like, pour it into four glasses, taste it, name it, and then pass them out to everyone for the compulsory gulp; the glasses had to be returned empty for the next talented mixologist.

My beloved sister-in-law Kassy came up with the “Gawd That’s Awful.”

…And here I was again, but this time I was stone-cold sober with a foreign family's hopeful eyes focused hard upon me.

“Mmm, yummy I assured them while taking another large mouthful of wine.”

I thought long and hard.

What would Portia de Rossi do in this situation?

Then I flipped it in half; every time no one was looking, I compressed the whole thing with my fork. I already knew I was quite good at Pelican’ing after years of training - downing all those cold, crunchy Mother's-day eggs every year while the kids ensured I cleared my plate.

Yes, I’m pelican-fit, I’ve got this.

I downed a believable amount, and Voila! It looked as though I’d made a fair effort and was just too full to eat anymore. Genius!

Thanks kids.

Travel tip #6: Always Google restaurant reviews first, even if you’re too tired to care – because you will.

So, what’s Lisbon like?

It has uneven, cute, old-worldly cobbled roads sandwiched narrowly between historic buildings. In the lanes and piazzas, musicians entertain, beggars beg, souvenir shops sell, and restaurants and bars serve. There is an obvious mix of wealth, poverty, lots of graffiti (good and bad), crowds, multiculturalism and one hell of a river.

River Tagus is so big that three cruise liners are comfortably moored near my hotel.

Wow, Mother Nature.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll see if I can escape the crowds by visiting Sintra