We went to Lisbon on our winter holiday. It was our first time in Portugal. We stayed at Neya Lisboa because the price was right, breakfast was included in the price, and there's free wifi in the rooms. Besides, it has a decent rank at Tripadvisor and there is a spa in the hotel as well as a Shiatsu massage pillow in each room (though at that time we had no idea what it would feel like to use it). Here are some photos of the breakfast room, which was used as a restaurant, as well. We had dinner there on the first night because we arrived late and we didn't want to go anywhere else. The food was great, though the price of the food was a bit more pricy. For breakfast, though, we realized it was nicer to go there earlier (at 7 instead of 8 am for example) because then it would be empty he he...
I did consider ordering taxi beforehand (like what we did in Budapest), but people in Tripadvisor suggested hailing a taxi from the airport instead of booking online. Someone even said that going to the departure area to hail a taxi from there would be cheaper. Well, that person was right. It cost us €18 to go to the hotel, but it only cost €13 to go to the airport from the hotel. Both drivers were driving at such a high speed. It felt nice, though, that the hotel wasn't located too far from the airport. Usually the journey from the airport to the hotel took longer than 11-13 minutes. We flew with TAP Portugal from Helsinki and Finnair from Rovaniemi to Helsinki. On the way to Lisbon, we only had a little over one hour to change the plane, so we were relieved to know that they could transfer our luggage straight to Lisbon from Rovaniemi, so we didn't have to check-in our luggage again in Helsinki airport. I was a bit worried that the luggage wouldn't be transferred in time to the TAP plane, but thankfully our luggage was safe and sound when we arrived at Lisbon airport. Anyway, on our first full day in Lisbon, we went out to buy the Viva Viagem ticket from the ticket machine at the closest metro station. The card cost€6 and it provided unlimited use on many different kinds of transportation (bus, metro, tram, etc.) for 24 hours. The card was reloadable, so we had to keep it with us. Funny thing was that it was the very first time I had ever used a machine like that. In the past whenever we had to use metro, we bought the tickets from a stall or a ticket seller. So you know what I did? I tried pushing the money inside the machine first, but of course it wouldn't swallow my money because I had to choose first what kind of card I wanted to buy LOLLLLL!!!! I made a mistake the first time around by choosing to buy 2 reloads at a time (so I paid €0,50 for the card and €12 for the reload instead of €6). I was scared that I was losing money that way, but no...the amount was still available to use the next day after the first reload expired 24 hours later. Phew! Here's a photo of the metro station near our hotel. Some of the stations have nice decorations.
Our first task that day (other than browsing around and visiting some places) was to find the train station, as we were planning to visit Sintra (the place where we got to visit the colourful palace) by train. Here's the lovely Rossio train station and the big square nearby).
I find this image hilarious. Don't you think that the statue looks pissed of because of the birds? HA HA HA HA...
One of the things I love about Lisbon is that there are so many lovely buildings and colourful ones everywhere. Here are some examples:
Okay, I'll end this here before it gets too long. I'll write more later. Expect many more photos and some videos! :-D
P.S. Oh yes, the Shiatsu massage pillow was very helpful to help reduce the ache from walking around the Lisbon (the city of 7 hills). I could use it on my calves, the soles of my feet, back, and even shoulder. I LOVE it!!!!
I've been neglecting this blog because I had been busy (was sick, then busy with work and preparation for our trip), then I decided not to get online at all during our trip unless to check out maps and places to visit. I managed to not check anything other than maps and places to visit until last Friday he he...It felt good to be offline for a while, you know?
I only had a day to recuperate from the trip, then I have four days of work this week, so I'll catch up with you all later and I'll be blogging about our trip as well bit by bit. I took over 1,000 photos and some videos, so it takes a while to sort them through and decide which ones I'm going to use ha ha ha ha ha...
However, here's a sneak peek of our trip (photos taken by mobile phone).
1. Be kind to your body. 2. Learn to accept your limitations and then slowly begin to work beyond them (through regular practice). 3. Listen to your body. If you can't go/bend that far yet, don't push it. You don't need to prove anything to anybody. 4. If you need to some help by using a prop (a pillow/blanket/towel/yoga block), feel free to do so. We all need help from time to time. 5. Deep, mindful breathing can help you relieve some tension and they're especially important when doing twists. 6.
Be patient. When one part of your body is tight, take deeper breaths to
relieve the tension and then allow the muscles to soften at their own
pace. 7. We are rarely symmetrical. We carry tension in different parts of our body. 8. Simple movements (no jumping around) can really target your muscles and make them ache. 9. A good muscle ache is OK, but you shouldn't feel any pain at all. 10. Yoga can be so addictive! :-D Here's the latest one I tried yesterday and my goodness did I feel a lot of muscle ache afterwards! I like doing different ones to spice things up, but I'm a total beginner.
***** pardon the language/wrote this just for fun ****** Shit happens, they say. Damn right, I say. Sometimes you can feel that shit is going to happen, You fidget, you can't sleep, you worry, Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, And all you can say when it does happen is, "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!" Sometimes shit happens when you least expect it, Out of nowhere, out of the blue, Knocking you unconscious, dazed and bruised. And yet again you yell, "SHIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Every now and then the injustice of life befalls you When you have to clean up someone else's shit Yet you have no other choice but to grind your teeth And grumble inside, "I'm so fed up with this shit!"
Sometimes you're in deep shit and in a raging moment You raise your fist to the sky and exclaim, "Come on! Is this all the shit you're going to give me? Bring it onnnnnnn! I can take more shit!" Sometimes, though, when you're in deep shit, In a desperate voice you moan, "Why me?!?!?!?! What did I do to deserve all this shit?!?!?!?!?!?! Somebody, help me!!!!! I can't take this shit anymore!" Every once in a while when you're in deep shit, You meet a kindred spirit in a similar deep shit That makes you feel less alone and shitty And it makes all the difference. And then there are times when everything is fine, Nothing is out of order and all problems are solved, Yet out of the back of your masochistic brain A voice wonders, "Will it be pouring shit soon?" Last but not least, though, there are special moments - Magical moments that you want to freeze and bottle up Those moments when you stand in awe and say, "Though life is full of shit, it's still worth living."
Been busy at work again and battling some viruses/bugs. Some coworkers have gotten sick, as well, and now it's my turn. I tried to avoid getting sick, but couldn't help it. The other day what made me worried was that it was getting a bit heavy to breathe. Luckily work covers me to go to a clinic instead of the local health centre, so I didn't have to wait too long. The last time my husband went to see the doc, he had to wait 2-3 hours because there were lots of emergencies. I could even book my appointment online without having to make any phone call (such a bliss for an introvert like me!). The only problem is that it's not open during the weekend, but other than that it's very handy to go there.
So apparently I'm down with some kind of infection of the upper respiratory tract. Been taking it easy, though sleeping a lot can be a little problematic. For some weird reason I've been waking up so early (4 am) and then it takes time before I can go back to sleep again. Duh!
They say that it's particularly bad this year when it comes to viruses/illness/getting sick due to the mild winter. I read in FB that there are lots of sick people down south as well (mostly flu). It's a bit hard to believe that it's already almost mid March. Where did time go?
Last night I was thinking to myself that I had consciously and subconsciously chosen the right man to marry. The conscious ones were obvious from the start, but the subconscious reasons have only started to appear to the surface much later (during the course of our living together). It's fascinating when the subconscious reasons started popping out here and there, making me understand everything even better. I cherish the moment when I feel that I can see things more clearly (or at least more clearly than before). :-)
Anyway, during one of my off days I accidentally found this epic song online and I just love it so much. When I first listened to it for the first time, I was thinking how awesome it must've been to work together to create this kind of music. Mmmmm...If you're listening to the song, how does it make you feel? For some reason whenever I listen to this song, I feel invincible he he he he...
We saw this Korean movie the other day and it was funny, though definitely not for children he he...It's an Oriental Western (cowboy) movie. In the beginning it was a bit confusing as I thought the location was Korea and there were people speaking Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Turned out the location is Manchuria. It's funny because my husband can't distinguish the three languages, but I grew up watching Chinese series and Japanese anime on VHS and then Korean series started booming on TV, so even though I don't understand the languages, I can more or less tell which is which.
Anyway, The Weird dude in the movie is the one who's making things so funny. And then when I checked him out online, I realized that he was in Snowpiercer as well. Snowpiercer is quite a movie, but it's kinda dark as it depicts a dystopian world. In the beginning of Snowpiercer, I almost didn't recognize Chris Evans (Captain America) as the main character there, but I think the one that really plays her part so brilliantly is Tilda Swinton. Man, she really rocked her role there!
But I digress. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is very entertaining and there are a lot of stunning scenes other than the many funny bits and the lively action. Word of warning: the ending of the movie came after a few seconds of empty (black) screen, so make sure to watch it until the end.
I was in a huge mansion last night. The rooms were big and the dining table was huge. I was simply awed at being able to be in such a place. I don't know if I was myself or if I was somebody else at this point in my dream. The host organized a party of some sort and he had arranged a very beautiful white dress for me. It was so gorgeous that I felt like I was in a dream to even be wearing such a thing LOL!
Then the scene changed and I was out of Capitalia (whatever that means). There I met a cousin of mine and my aunt (mom's eldest sister). It was actually very nice to see that aunt in my dream, because I didn't get to meet her the last time I visited Indo. Anyway, so I knew somehow that my cousin and my aunt lived in that place that I was sent to, but I was desperate to go back to Capitalia. The problem was that I had no money and didn't know the area. I had no map with me, but I knew it was a long way from Capitalia. I did try to visit my aunt again to get some help, but when I noticed her leg problem (she was limping and was in some sort of pain), I decided to slip away from her place and decided to try to walk back to Capitalia.
I remember having to walk across this type of pond, but when I tried to hop to the other side, something leapt out of the water and bite me, as if they were trying to stop me from going. I think first it was a fish and then on my next try, it was a frog. Ouchhhhh!!! It hurt! Yet I had to go back to Capitalia no matter what it cost. And then I woke up LOL!
What a weird dream! In another patch of dream that I woke up to, there was my Junior High School friend who wasn't confident about singing who finally found his voice (this is not a true story, it was just in the dream he became that kind of person). He was stunned at how beautiful his singing voice was when he finally had the guts to sing and it was such a nice experience to be able to witness a moment like that in someone's life, even though it's only a dream he he...but no more biting fish or frogs, please! ;-D
I'm running out of ideas on what to write, so I was browsing online for something that could help me with it ha ha...There's this question I found here:"If you could visit one fictional place for one day, where would you choose to go and why?" I had a hard time choosing one, because I'm a greedy person LOL!!! Then I figured it out! My answer would be The Holodeck in the Star Trek series. Going into the Holodeck means I'll be able to go to any fictional place that I want HA HA HA HA HA HA...So depending on my mood, I can play as Sherlock Holmes or become even an elf in The Lord of the Rings or whatever I want in the course of that one day instead of just being in one fictional place LOL!!! In the wikipedia page, it's said that the Holodeck is good for entertainment purposes but it can also be used for training purposes. How cool is that? Ever since the first time I saw it years and years back on TV, I've always been daydreaming about being able to use it. Here's more info and photos on Holodeck (I grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation with Captain Picard as the leader). Just looking at the photos brought me back to the past he he he...
1. Been busy with work, but it feels great to reward myself every now and then with these lovely chocolate eggs. Although it's crazy that they've started selling them way ahead of time, I'm glad that they exist ha ha...
2. Going on a walk on a sunny day on my day off. Here's a LOOOONNNGG shadow of mine. Love the sun on my back, warming it up. Oh, and I got to see a pair of squirrels on my walk. So cute!
3. Finding one of the gifts for hubby's upcoming birthday (on a discount YAY!). It's safely hidden somewhere. Now need to find the other gift (still wondering what I should choose). 4. Finding two pairs of cheap jeans (one pair cost €10, whereas the other pair cost €15). 5. MIL helped me shorten those jeans using her sewing machine. Bless her! 6. Working together with hubby to clear up the thick pile of snow on the roof. 7. This sight on my lovely walk:
8. Fried brain. The other day I was SO tired that I was going to string this sentence in my head, "Oh boy, it's unbelievable that they've started selling Easter eggs already!" in Finnish. However, my slow brain slipped. Instead of forming the word "pääsiäissuklaata" (Easter chocolate), it became "paskiaissuklaata" instead. Pääsiäinen = Easter, whereas paskiainen = bastard/asshole. Ahem...I sure don't need any bastard chocolate eggs HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH...
You know how finding old songs can bring out a certain memory or flashback, right? Well, the other day I was suddenly in the mood to listen to a song in Moulin Rouge again and it brought me back to the past. I saw the movie with my mom at the cinema. I used to be able to go out with my mom every now and then, treat her food or go to the cinema with me. This was one of the movies that she liked. Yep, not all of the movies I took her to were her taste (though she always let me decide) ha ha ha ha ha...If she didn't really like the movie, she didn't complain, but she'd fall asleep in the middle of it LOL!!! Funny how seeing her fall asleep on the chair reminded me of my grandma (her mom) dozing off so many times on the couch. Whenever we told her to lie down in bed, she'd refuse and pretend that she wasn't sleeping, though every single time she'd fall right back to sleep on the couch ha ha ha ha...
Anyway, I saw Moulin Rouge with my mom but during the last scene my bladder was screaming like crazy. I had no idea how much longer the movie was going to be and the toilet was a bit far away, but I took a chance because I was afraid there'd be a long queue if I waited until the movie ended (as what usually was the case). When I came back, I found out that I had missed the climax. Doh! My mom had to tell me what was going on. She said it was a good story. :-D
Any movie/song memory you'd like to share with me?
