Lisbon - New York - Starkville

We awoke in our cheap room (BTW... we DID win a bottle of wine for staying in the cheapest place that night) to head out to the train station, hoping to finally get reliable information about travel to Lisbon.  Great news!  There was a train leaving Faro at 1:30 p.m.  So now we went in search of the Capela dos Ossos (the bones chapel).  It was hidden behind a church in the center of town.  There was no way to simply stumble upon it.  Had we not known to look for it, we would have never seen this very interesting place.

Creepy, but pretty at the same time.

With our mission accomplished we had a little time to kill, so we wandered around Faro, a pretty little town on the coast.  We spotted these kindergarten children out for a field trip.

Then we had lunch at a cafe near a marina.

We boarded out train for Lisbon after lunch and headed north.  Fortunately, we were able to get the info on our Lisbon hotel, so as soon as we arrived at the train station, we grabbed a cab to the Tiara Park Atlantic Hotel.  Only one other person had arrived.  The rest of the teams were still out, so we did not know if they had made it to Fez, Morocco or not.  But shortly thereafter, folks starting arriving.  Yes... they had made it to Fez.  But by skipping the mandatory at Alhambra, they had all forfeited the leg.  It was a victory for Team Weathehekawi!!  (Well, at least we won one leg!)  

Even though it was a moot point now, we wanted to try some of the local foods which Bill had made mandatory for us to try.  The very best thing we had were little custard pies from the Pasteis de Belem.  They were amazing!  

The next morning it was time to head back to the USA.  We flew from Lisbon to London, then on to JFK airport in NYC.  This lovely lady was the welcoming committee.  She kept telling us, "You can't stand here."  

We had two nights in New York, and we spent our last full day with friends David and Natasha taking in the sights of Soho and Greenwich Village.  We visited the Chelsea Market and ended the day at the oldest Irish Pub in New York.

That evening Bill and Pamela hosted our winners' dinner at a great restaurant.  Congrats to Zoe and Rainy... repeat winners and true competitors!  We look forward to seeing you guys again next year!

Sunday we came home.  It's good to be back in Starkville, and to know that our family, friends, dogs, and house are all okay.

Thanks to all of you who followed along as we circumnavigated the globe.  I hope you found at least some of this interesting.  We have had a true adventure, and reaffirmed that David is right when he says, "Life is for doing stuff."  

Spain

Madrid... the start of our European leg.  We've never been here before, and really did not ever have much interest in visiting Spain.  Boy... were we surprised!  Madrid is beautiful and the people are fabulous.  We only spent one full day here (more about that later), and it was a holiday in Madrid.  Many things were closed, but we still saw and did a lot.

• We located the "Center of Spain" at the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol.
• We found a quote by Cervantes from Don Quixote printed in gold on the Calle Huertas.

• We had the world's best Chocolate and Churros at Chocolateria San Gines

• We viewed works of Picasso, including his famous Guernica, at the Reina Sofia Museum.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We rented bikes and rode through Madrid's Parque del Buen Retiro.

• And we finished off the day trying  three of Spain's wines... Garnacha, Rioja, and Cava (my favorite).

Then it was time to get moving.  

At the start of this leg, Bill gave us our scavenge booklets along with instructions to be in Lisbon, Portugal no later than 10:30 p.m. Thursday night (May 5).  In addition to the Madrid scavenges, we had options to earn points in many other cites/countries/continents along the way.  BIG points were available to any team that ventured down to Morocco.  But lots of options were possible throughout the south of Spain and Portugal.

Of course, there was a "kicker".  Bill had included a MANDATORY scavenge in Granada.  We had to visit the Alhambra.  Sounds easy enough... Granada is on the way to Morocco.  We can just stop by on the way.  All the teams had the same (mistaken) idea.  Every team was on a 9:05 a.m. train from Madrid to Granada the second morning.  Little did we know that the Alhambra limits visitors to 6600 per day, and they sell out early.  When we arrived, we were informed that the only way to get tickets was to stand in line at 7:00 a.m. the following morning and HOPE we get in.  We were totally in a mess now.  Stuck in Granada for 24 hours.  

After much deliberation, all the other teams decided that they would skip Alhambra and head on to Morocco. (Yeah... it was mandatory.)  David and I knew that if we were the only team to complete this scavenge, we would win this leg.  (No... we're not gonna win the overall competition.  One team is so far ahead they will win no matter what.)

We booked a local room, and did some scrambling to find a special tour available for 9:00 the next day!!!  BTW... It was a holiday in Granada... Cruz de Mayo!  

The remainder of the day we spent sightseeing and picking up a couple of local scavenges.  There were peacocks in the one of the gardens!

This morning we toured Alhambra.  Our tour took us inside places most visitors never see.  Very plain looking towers on the outside burst into full glory on the inside.  These were the "Princess Towers".  The palaces and gardens were ornate.  The arabic artwork was mesmerizing.  The history was fascinating.  We even visited the room in which Columbus met with Queen Isabella to request funds for exploring the new world.

So... now what?  Morocco was out.  Time was slipping away.  We decided to head to Seville, Spain.

Guess what... another holiday! Well actually it's a whole week of fun.  It is the Feria de Abril.  I'm not really sure what it's all about, but the whole city is out.  All the women are dressed in their finest Flamenca dresses.  Even little bitty girls!!  There is singing, dancing, drinking, laughter everywhere!  It is  the perfect time to be in Seville!

We had only about 6 hours in Seville before catching a bus at midnight to Faro, Portugal.  We got off the bus and had to find a place to stay at 2:00 in the morning.  As I write this, we are completing a scavenge to stay in the cheapest place we could find tonight.  We are at the Residencial Avenida.  It's not even IN the guide book!  Double room... 28 Euros... twin beds... no bath... but free wi-fi!!!  

Tomorrow we are going to see the Capela dos Ossos... Chapel of Bones.  I'm not absolutely certain (because the only Lonely Planet guide book I could find for Portugal is in Spanish!!) but I think it's built from the bones of monks that served there.  

Then we have to figure out how to get to Lisbon.  Getting reliable information on trains and buses can sometimes be a challenge. We THINK there are several trains from here, but no one seems to be sure.  We also think there is a bus that leaves at 11:00 a.m. and gets to Lisbon 7 hours later... ugh!  

Well,  we wanted an adventure... and we're getting it.  We're having a BLAST!!!!!

Istanbul

In the city where East meets West, there is so much beauty and history.  Most of our time was spent taking in the historical sights.  

First we visited the Hagia Sophia.  Built in 360 AD, this was first a church, then it was converted to a mosque, and is now a museum open to all.

Next stop... the famous Blue Mosque, so called for the blue tiles on the inside of the domed ceiling.  One of the most beautiful mosques in the world, and one of very few to have 6 minarets.

  

Our exploration took us next to the underground Basilica Cistern.  It is thought that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern, and that it originally contained gardens.  Later enlarged, it provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constaninople and other buildings, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.  The cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water, despite being virtually empty today with only a few feet of water lining the bottom.

  

The afternoon was spent at Topkapi Palace, and there is so much to see in this place!!  The first thing we saw were the Harem Quarters.  Depending on which version you believe, sultans enjoyed the pleasures of between 4-300 wives and concubines. All the concubines were foreigners, as law prohibited those of the same God (Muslims, Jews, Christians) from serving. 

 

Also in Topkapi Palace are the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms which contain priceless artifacts. Some items include Mohammed's hair, footprint, sword, tooth, and Moses' staff. These holy relics are immersed in the sound of an imam constantly chanting the Quran. Other valuables include the Topkapi Dagger and the Spoonmaker's Diamond...5th largest in the world at 86 carats.

Now, while all of this was interesting, Bill always throws in some mandatory food challenges.  We sampled kebabs and turkish sweets, and a local liquor called Raki.  Awful!!!!!!!

But the best scavenge of all turned out to be the Nargile parlor visit.  Smoking "chichi" (flavored tobacco) in hooka pipes was not something David and I expected to experience, but you would be amazed what some people will do to earn points!!!

After a night of Raki and Chichi we were so ready to crash.  And after a good night's sleep we were off again.  This time we are headed to Madrid!!

Days 13 - 14... Istanbul, Turkey... WOW!

Our last night in Mumbai we got the word... be ready to head to the airport at 3:00 a.m. We're heading to Istanbul... WOW!  This place has always been on my list!  The Blue Mosque!  Whirling Dervishes!  Baklava!  Kebabs!

Oh yeah... this place is great.  Details to follow.

Incredible India, and some thoughts...

We spent two days in Mumbai India!!  This was the first time David and I had travelled to India, and we really didn't know what to expect here.  Mumbai is a very big city and many people do speak English... just not very many of the people we needed to speak with.  The first taxi driver we got barely spoke any English at all, and I couldn't wait until we caught the next taxi.  Unfortunately... the next driver was even less able to understand us, and vice versa!  So for two days we struggled.  But we managed to always get where we needed to be.

We have found that people everywhere are willing to help when approached in a nice way.  "The Ugly American" won't get much assistance or good service.  However, by treating others with patience and graciousness we more often than not found them going out of their way to help us.  One gentleman took time out from his schedule to lead us to an area we had been seeking.  Another business owner opened early one evening so that we could complete a mandatory food scavenge that required us to eat a meal in a particular area.

Explaining that we are in a competition... a game... a race... always creates interest.  But it does not always get the desired result.  Some people get nervous or suspicious because they just do not understand what we're all about.  Many absolutely do NOT want to be photographed.  We've had people beg to be in photos with us, and others get upset at the prospect of having their picture taken.  We have learned never to photograph someone without their permission.

One thing we've learned is certain... kids are the same all over the world!   They all are curious.  They all are shy at the age of 2.  They all love stickers (thanks for the tip, Derek).  We have delighted in seeing children in all of our stops, and in Mumbai we visited with children living the Dharavi slum.  Despite their living conditions, these children are just as happy as any other child elsewhere.  Material things may be lacking, but those same material things do not endure.  It's more about what they get from family and community in terms of love and security.  A good lesson...

Days 11 - 12 in Mumbai, India

We arrived in Mumbai in the evening and checked into our hotel.  The group met at 0800 the following morning and got our scavenge booklets.  We had until 8:00 p.m. the following evening to accomplish what we could.  Here's some of what Team Weathehekawi did... (not necessarily in this order)...

 Rode in a Mumbai taxi

Visited Elephanta Island to see the Trimurti

Tasted 3 different Indian sweets

Had a drink at the Dome Bar on top of the Intercontinental Hotel

Attended a local cricket match and had a young boy teach us how to play

Visited the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum (aka The Prince of Wales Museum)


Saw the Gateway of India

Located the Mumbai house that is "the highest-priced residence in the world"

Explored the Hanging Gardens

Took a tour of the Dharavi Slum... home to 10 million of India's poorest people