Furnished with a new visa, Spech and I thought it was high time we outtered here and took off for some winter sunshine. Of course there were the obvious places to go – Melbourne, Scotland, Wales – but we decided to be adventurous and risk our chances with Lisbon, Portugal.

Only 1500 km or so from London, we were quickly landing Friday night in the most deserted capital city I’ve even been to.

Walking the streets the next morning was glorious. The sky was picture perfect without a single cloud to be seen anywhere. Within minutes we were walking the main city centre, and enjoying the sites. It wasn’t long however until we were enticed by the cheap shopping opportunities (Saldos). Michelle and I scooped up some real bargains. I’m just glad I have more than 2 t-shirts in my wardrobe again :)

I found Lisbon to be a clean, pretty, and friendly city but was astounded at how few people were around, seeing as it’s the capital of Portugal. It also appears to be a slightly poorer city, with many beggars, homeless and buskers and I can’t count how many times I was approached asking if I wanted some hash or coke. I just told them that I already had my hash browns and coca cola at McD’s for breakfast.

Saturday night, Chelle’s and I enjoyed a super fantastic evening together. It’s always good to go on a date with your loved one, especially when it involves some great seafood. We always seem to have the most fun when we’re away together.

Saturdays brightness faded into Sundays gloom however. It was super cold, grey and rainy when we decided to check out the area of Sintra, about 30 min north of Lisbon. Sintra is a beautiful district with many historical castles, palaces and pretty gardens, but the magic of these places is lost when you are freezing and wet. It’d be good to head back here again another time, when the sun is shining. It offers a lot of promise.

London winters have this way of holding us close by the leash and keeping us from exploring. It kind of puts us in a hibernating state, where we tend to spend more evenings at the pub with friends then we do out and about, so it was really good to get back out there for 2007 and start the year off by exploring a new town and a new country.