Lisbon, Portugal

Now let's rewind to the beginning of June, when Laura and I spent a week in Lisbon, Portugal while I attended an engineering conference at the Instituto Superior Técnico. I include the university's name here simply because it sounds really cool; the picture at left is a completely unrelated building near the Parque das Nações (Nations Park), built for the 1998 World Fair's (or "Expo") in Lisbon.

I don't have a lot to say about Lisbon because frankly, I spent most of my time inside a series of conference rooms. Meanwhile, Laura did quite a bit of exploring and you can see her pictures on Flickr. She walked all over the city, visited an aquarium, took a chair lift ride, etc.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The rooftops of Lisbon
Lisbon is a reasonably safe city, and Laura didn't have any trouble when she was out and about by herself. When we were together, on the other hand, I found myself fending off drug dealers at every turn. If you ever visit Lisbon, don't be surprised if you're approached, even on a busy street in daytime, and indiscreetly asked if you'd like to buy some "hash." Say no, even in a suitably revolted fashion, and they'll assume you're holding out for coke. Then it's time to run away.

While in Portugal we were determined to experience fado, a type of Portuguese music that I would describe as operatic; Wikipedia's adjective of choice is mournful, which is also accurate. We picked a restaurant with fado and enjoyed being serenaded by a procession of men and women of all ages, sometimes with guitar accompaniment. It's a truly unique experience to sit outside a restaurant in Lisbon, eating cod or some such thing while an elderly Portuguese woman croons what may be the world's saddest music from a nearby doorway or balcony.

The afternoon after the conference was over, Laura and I also went to the Lisbon Zoo, which was a lot of fun. We saw the usual giraffes, zebras, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, bears (at right) etc. The coolest animals we saw were the sea lions, though, who put on quite a show at their feeding and then joined a dolphin show to do more tricks. At one point during the show, the trainers actually walked the sea lions into the seating area of the ampitheater, into a row of seats, and then they circled the whole place. Seriously: Laura and I had to move out of the way when a sea lion came barreling through our seats. It was cool.

A bizarre pet cemetery at the Lisbon Zoo; RIP "Gigi"
We were able to get really close to the giraffes

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

Since our trip to Germany was centered around a conference where Matt was presenting a poster, we spent the middle part of the week in Hannover. Most guidebooks skip over this town as it is mostly a convention and shopping town. Since it was low on the typical tourist sites (churches, art museums, and memorials), I decided Hannover called for a visit to the zoo!

The brochures touted it as the number one zoo in Europe and it did not disappoint. The complex was as themed as Disney, as educational as a museum, and as clean as a hospital. I easily spent the day lost in their world of animals as there were animal feedings every half hour, hourly shows, plenty of playgrounds, many eateries, tons of animals and exhibits, and a boat ride.

The zoo showcases a major difference between play areas for kids in the US and in Europe. At home things are designed so no one can get sued, here things are designed for kids to explore. Between every exhibit there was the traditional paved pathway for adults and strollers, but the second pathway was where the fun was. It criss-crossed back and forth with the paved pathway so parents could keep an eye on their kids, but it was a "wobbly trail". A trail of bridges, rope courses, things to jump on and off, balance beams, and anything else you can imagine for a kid to climb on, over, around, and in while making their way from point A to point B via point M. In addition to these wonderful paths there was an awesome play area for kids to really run loose. It feature a river system controlled by the kids and had wonderful fixtures like a trampoline hut, a mini rock wall, and multiple kinds of swings.

Yes - I played on it all by myself and had a ball!

If you are ever in Hannover at the Zoo, make sure not to miss out on:

• The Monkey feedings - see how many carrots one monkey can hold!

• The baby Elephant and its mom, who will 'pet' you with her trunk

• The adorable Giraffes and their wobbly legs


• The larger than life Rosa Pelicans, who if you are patient will let you pet them

The only reason I headed home that day was because it started to rain...or else I might still be hanging out with the giraffes!