Birrrrfday

18th was the day … but I got it wrong and booked the restaurant at TiNatercias for the Friday (19th). Woops. Anyhow, on the 18th there was an Erasmus meal at a restaurant, oragnised by some of the Portuguese students. They are SO SO very nice. They have been terribly welcoming. I was expecting to be handed a timetable and told to go to class. But these students have organized meals, have asked us all in the corridor if we are ok, have given us numbers to ring. They have been just fantastic. The night was wonderful with lots of chatter in various mixed up European Languages. On the Friday, I went to TiNatercia with the usual gang, minus a few members. It got going and was a great evening. We went to the viewpoint in Alfama and sat around with “champagne”.

This is my favourite viewpoint in Alfama with all the orange-lit houses stacked up against eachother looking out to the river, with occasional palms, lit from underneath, poking out and the beautiful churches towering behind the buildings. Then we went to Bairro Alto, Usually we all get separated but we stuck together and even made it to the brilliant tree in Praca do Principe Real where we all clambered up and sat in the branches. The night ended in Jamaica, an odd but great club, a little Jamaica-coloured, stuffy place near the dock where you have gypsy music, bob marley and reggaeton back to back.. you don’t know what to expect. I felt really happy at the end of the night: all these friends from such different corners of Lisbon, together, and staying together and keeping the spirit up all night. I felt very happy indeed!