Goodbye 50's....Hello 60's

When I turned 50 I went skydiving with 3 out of 4 of my children and 10 friends.  Was it a metaphor for my 50's?  Maybe.  Take a chance, do things you have always wanted to do, live for today, start writing a blog, surround yourself with friends and family.  My 50's were some of the best years of my life... so far!  If you are 50-something, my advice to you is "enjoy it"!  Enjoy the empty nest.  Enjoy what is left of your smooth skin and firm muscles.  Enjoy your confidence.  Enjoy your independence.  Enjoy your health!  One day you will wake up, 60 years old and wonder how the time flew by so fast and ask yourself "why does my skin sag?".

This is my last blog post as a woman in my 50's.  Tomorrow I turn the big 6-0.  I will not be jumping out of an airplane.....been there, done that.  I will jump out of bed and greet the day!  TJ and I already took a fantastic trip to Portugal in order to celebrate changing the first digit in my age!  It only took a month or two for me to choose my destination.  I made a very good choice!  So, if Portugal is a metaphor for my 60's I think I'm going to love being 60!  Bring on the blue skies, red roofs, white houses, Piri Piri Chicken, perfect weather, good wine and friendly people!  I can do this!

Diving head first into my 60's!

This is the part of the blog where I shift, ever so cleverly, from turning 60 to telling you how great Portugal is/was!  I was given the choice to go "anywhere".  Portugal seems really random doesn't it?  I had heard good things about it and after doing my due diligence I decided we should go see for ourselves.  This time we would actually visit a place close to tourist season.  After visiting Croatia and South Africa in the "off season"  I was ready to go someplace where the restaurants were open and I did not freeze.  We found it!

Espresso next to a construction site....welcome to Portugal!

This picture reflects my arrival experience.  I made it to Lisbon but my luggage didn't.  It was expected, as we RAN to catch our connection...there was no way my bag was going to make it.  Thank goodness I packed a "back up outfit" and toiletries in my backpack.  Being "almost 60" has its advantages...namely, experience.  After we were able to drop our....well his....bag in our apartment, we took off for a bit of sightseeing.  Lisbon is a hill town.  There are narrow stairways that lead up or down to other streets.  We were climbing up some stairs in a narrow passage, TJ was ahead of me.  I opened my purse, got my phone out to check our directions when I felt and saw a hand from behind me going into my purse.  I instantly slapped the hand and loudly said, "Get out of my purse!".  I turned around and two men were behind me.  They started waving a map saying I had taken their map....yeah...right.  I said, "No...you were trying to get in my purse!"  Meanwhile, I started checking my purse for my wallet and passport.  They can have all the lipstick they want!  TJ was about 10 steps ahead of me and telling me to get away.  I did not understand that he just wanted me to get some distance between me and them.  I was MAD!  I could not believe someone had tried to pickpocket me!  They continued with their map story and I confirmed all my possessions were still in my possession and I told them they had no business in my purse and we left.  Welcome to Lisbon!  I must say I totally surprised myself!  You never know how you are going to react in a situation until you are in that situation.  I did not even think about it, I just slapped him!  Go figure!  No harm was done but I did not have to worry about any jet lag after that....I was very awake!

Since we were so wide awake, we climbed to the top of a castle!

 TJ was in big trouble in Portugal.  There are many miradouros (viewpoints) in Lisbon and they are all high up somewhere.  As you may all know, I love going to the top....skydiving on my 50th!  Gotta get the best view!  We had to climb to the top of every castle, hill or cliff so I could see the view.  He did not embrace it all but I will say that by the end of the trip he had come a long way.

We actually rode e-bikes to this hill top.  TJ was "all in" on the bike ride!

 On our second day, our friends from Montreal joined us for the rest of the trip.  They and their luggage made it!  We kept them moving through their first day and ended our night in a port bar.  When in Portugal you must try the port!  I never knew I liked port!

Just passed by this place on our walk home and had to stop!

Watch out behind you!!!

 One of the most unexpected finds in Lisbon was found through wandering.  My friend and I saw a very nice clothing shop and slipped in to do a little shopping.  Meanwhile, TJ explored the area.  I joined him in a playground, high up, with a great view.  I would take my kids there every day just to enjoy the view!  In addition to a wall of morning glory vines in full bloom, down below was what looked like ruins.  Such a contrast!  We found our way down to he ruins and realized they were a sort of shrine decorated by someone with "found garbage".  It was one of the most unique things I've ever seen.

The view from above

And down below

                      

                        Caught in the act of a selfie!

I just love finding undiscovered corners of cities.  We had lunch at a very nice cafe, outside, off the beaten path and it was just right for us!  We did plenty of the classic Lisbon tourist activities but every once in while it's nice to feel like you are paving your own way.  

One thing we followed the crowd on was tasting these delicious pasteis de nata!

 We each ate more than one pasteis de nata during our time in Portugal.  Our friend, Yvon, had the perfect description for them.  Creme brulee in pastry.  Ponder that!  Flaky pastry with delicious egg custard browned to sweet perfection.  They were decadent!

What would it be without a parade?

We went to mass on Sunday.  Noticed there were people making arches and banners with real flowers.  They told us they were having a parade later in the day.  We explored the Belem area and on our way back we just happened to see the parade.  I loved he flowered arches and the families parading, showing their faith openly for all to witness.  We followed them for a bit and admired the decorations.  It was definitely a good few days.

We headed south the next morning.  Lisbon is a beautiful city.  There are many areas to explore and we barely made a dent!

So on the eve of my last night in my 50's I say thank you to all of you for reading for the last almost 10 years.  I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts, dreams and experiences here on the blog.  I may be a bit less diligent in posting but I am not quite ready to say goodbye to this part of my life.  To new horizons!  Cheers 50's, hope my 60's are just as good or better!  Stay tuned for the rest of Portugal, the best is yet to come.  Hmmm, maybe it is a metaphor for life.