A Walk in My Shoes

For the past 3 weeks I have been going to language school every morning. I get up at 7.00am and catch the bus to Campo Grande, then the Metro to Rossio station, central Lisbon. It takes me about an hour to get there. The school specialises in teaching foreigners how to speak Portuguese, from beginners through to advanced levels. There are four of us in the class – me, Po Yi from Canada, Alexandra from Germany and Ruslan from Chechnya.

These are just a few images I took one morning on my way to the school.

This is the view from the bus stop over the road from our apartment. We live on the top floor with Filipa’s brother, Toze.

The bus trip takes about 30 minutes, through the outer suburbs of Lisbon. It’s the end of summer here, just heading in to autumn and the morning sun and the colours are just lovely. The bus stops at Campo Grande. This is where you will see the funky stadium of Sporting Football Club (a major soccer team in Portugal) which is green, white and yellow and covered in tiny Portuguese tiles. Rivalry is strong and fans of opposing Portuguese teams refer to the ‘Jose Alvalade XXI stadium’ as just a ‘large bathroom’.

All the Lisbon Metro stations are beautifully designed with tiles, drawings or poetry.

Inside the Campo Grande Metro station….

 

I can stay on the same line, Linha Verde, and don’t have to change lines. I exit at Rossio station in the centre of Lisbon and climb the stairs to feel the sunshine on my face in Praça da Figueria and the beautiful equestrian statue of King João I.

Like any major city, Lisbon has its fair share of homeless. The vents from the underground Metro blow warm air and is the perfect place for the homeless to stay sleep under pieces of cardboard. I also pass the same two guys every morning, bright and perky, sitting on the steps of a nearby church.

From the square I walk down Rua dos Douradores to the school, about a five minute walk. On the way, I stop for a quick coffee, made by a cute little senhor in his coffee shop and soak up the Lisbon architecture and vibe.