Lisbon, Portugal

One of the quirkiest things we noticed in Lisbon was the manner in which the transportation personnel would go on strike, which they did frequently. They would give the public several days warning, indicating the start and stop dates so everyone could make other arrangements. This is very kind and civilized but doesn’t that imply the strikers are really not that essential to the daily routine?

A word to the wise:  Never, ever, buy a raincoat at the National Carriage Museum. I’m pretty sure the plastic was created when the carriages were built. But I was desperate. The raincoat I packed was water ‘resistant’ and the torrential rain in Lisbon required water “proof.” The coat I bought, first of all, was the worst color of green,  and secondly, the material was very brittle. After the first day of wear, it started to shred. By the second day, there wasn’t much left and it went in the trash. Luckily the rain let up and the sun came out.