Alice says...

so, it's been loads of fun here lately! we have met some wonderfully supportive people and have been exploring the city and its surrounds with new friends, with couch surfers, well with anyone who wanted to come along really. i remember saying that the best way to get to know a city is to start having fun in it, and i don't think that even i knew how true that was until i started doing it! in the last few weeks i've seen so much, i have a much better cultural and social understanding of the people here, i'm picking up a little bit of portuguese each day, and the amount of times i've laughed so hard that i've cried lately is just too many to count...

we started selling food on the streets on weekends, as selina mentioned a few weeks ago, kicking off with santos populares-- the biggest celebration in lisbon each year-- and it was a success! our first weekend and already we made some friends who are 'friends to keep' as selina would say-- and how true it is :)

since then, we have been on the streets each weekend selling chinese springrolls, and gaining popularity amongst the night time crowd.  and it's working! people are starting to recognize us!! some are even actually looking for us by the time we arrive!  as we don't have a stall, we are simply strolling through the crowds offering our goodies, and so sometimes people have to chase us down. i love it :) last weekend we had an entire posse with us walking through the crowds and it was great!  so, for anyone who is here in lisbon, if you ever get hungry on friday and saturday nights,  you will have to follow your nose to bairro alto and bica, where we wander between the two. look for anywhere between 2 and 8 people carrying springrolls and smiling lots-- and that's us! if you are somewhere else.... sorry.... well you know where to find us ;) as today is friday, we will start preparing later today for another night of food and fun.

i am on a complete high today because selina just celebrated her 30th birthday, (don't forget to wish her a happy birthday!!) and even more, my sister just gave birth to two beautiful and healthy twins-- who now share the same birthday as my best buddy!! congratulations to zoe and tai, the new happy parents, to valentina and rio, who made it safely into the world, and to our parents who are now proud grandparents :)  and i am an auntie now! much love to everyone!! <3

peace and other wonderful things,

alice xxx