Are you enjoying yourself?

Lisbon, Portugal

This afternoon, I did a Segway tour of Lisbon. I had never been on a Segway before, but it proved to be a really cool way to explore the city. The first time I ever saw them was at Epcot at Disney World. They look so futuristic to me. Now, mind you, my first memories of Epcot from when I was there as a kid, are of Mickey and Minnie wearing space suits. While they have toned down the space age-ness a bit, I still associate all things Epcot with the age of hovercrafts and life on Mars. Upon getting on the Segway for the first time, I said, “Look at me! I’m in the future!”

Riding a Segway requires a different kind of balance, one I wasn’t entirely comfortable with until towards the end of the tour. I was only moderately terrified that I was going to go plummeting down a hill, with the Segway toppling after me. At one point, one of the tour guides even asked me, “Are you enjoying yourself?” The concentration it took to prevent that from happening showed on my face and, at times, was more important than taking in the sights.

After the Segway tour, I meandered around downtown. I wanted to take one of the famous trolleys to the top of the city and take in the view. Partly because I had already bought a postcard of said trolley and partly for the view. I saw a trolley stop and waited about 15 minutes. I was ready to give up on the wait and just walk up, but I told myself “Five more minutes.” No less than two minutes later, a taxi stopped at the red light, a lady opened the door and proceeded to vomit less than five feet in front of me. Considering how narrow the sidewalks are in Lisbon, it’s nothing short of a miracle that she didn’t puke on my shoes. When the light turned green, she shut the door, and they left just as quickly as they came. Taking that as a sign that maybe this trolley wasn’t meant to be, I walked down the block to see if there was another stop in view. Seeing none, I walked back to my original stop. I saw a trolley approaching and was excited that my patience had paid off until the electrical wire thing at the top of the car came unattached and started sparking. Not wanting to risk my life, I let that trolley keep on keeping on. By this time, quite a crowd of people with similar view-seeking ideals had formed at the stop. No less than 74 people attempted to get on the next trolley car that stopped next. The trolley car probably only holds about 30 people so I waited for the next one and then somehow managed not to pay. And the view really was lovely. I guess the third time’s a charm.