July 11. Mastering the equipment

We resolved three technical challenges today: getting dishwasher and washing machine to work. And drying the stuff here. In our travels we found that European hardware manufacturers sometimes make their creations serve dual purpose to stimulate and challenge your brain, and that typically is the primary function. After some random button punching we did what any elevated ape would and scrounged around kitchen drawers to ultimately get rewarded wit the manual.

Washing machine was not as easy. How do you interpret the image of the sun? Or half the sun for that matter. We saw that buttons with numbers were on a separate set of dials so it was not the temperature. “May sun shine upon your laundry?” “Warm rays of the sun will gently bleach your socks.”

In any case the first round worked like an infinite loop. We started the load at night and it kept going through the morning next day until we shut down the machine. Since then we tried multiple approaches eventually divining the algorithm. Add as little detergent as possible since you don’t know how long it will rinse for and rotate the main cycle level as long as necessary while pressing the power button on and off until it “takes.” Afterwards rotate the same level seeking to hit somewhere where the image implies rotation to maybe get a wringing cycle. If that does not work, wringing by hand in the kitchen sink works as well.

Dryer was next. We had some challenges in Lithuania too. Eventually we figured that drier is not a machine in these parts. It is a stationary contraption of thin metal bars that unfold to create multiple drying surfaces. Apartment owners usually take their dryers with them when they go. It is like your toothbrush, you take it everywhere and don’t give a second thought to who will need to brush after you leave. So for now all the underwear is hanging on all the available chairs in the apartment. Ultimately we will invest into some rope to stretch it across our elegant living room. Let’s ready to move on to the better things. Namely food.      

We were extra good today on that account.

For lunch we went to incongruous combination of Indian Italian called “Ganghi” in Bairro Alto. They have two full menus featuring very good selection of both Indian and Italian. Inside décor and staff are more predominantly Indian. They take slow service to the next level. We had to have most of it taken out and eaten at home. However the food was seriously awesome. Five stars. Somehow they were able to impart the hint of Italian/Mediterranean cuisine to Indian dishes. Maybe it was the mixing of spices. Or how they prepared it. Don’t know what they did but the flavor was unmistakable and the combination incredible. If we come back to any one restaurant it would be it.

Next we went to Mezo Giorno pizza for dinner. Super-fresh mozzarella cheese folded in the shape of a poopsicle was nice as an appetizer. And then there was another Portuguese spot in Bairro Alto whose name we will have to look back up again but it was not worth the visit scenic that it was. We tried Niza cheese, which is sometimes offered by other Portuguese eateries. Definitely worth a try – very different and nice. We chased it all with a pastry and coffee at Starbucks at 11pm. 

Some random notes about living here. It is nice to live right next to the theater at night when they perform but today they outdid themselves during practice! Especially the violin. I’ve started to block it out in the afternoon but poor Dan kept hearing every false start. Mental reminder to crush any attempts of kids to take violin lessons.

Back on food,  eggs and milk here are sold non-refrigerated. There are rows and rows of them in the hypermarket. It is kind of weird, how long can you keep it non-refrigerated until it goes bad?

Had a nice run today, apparently locals get a lot of joy from watching me. There was lots of cheering on, someone even shouted “Run, Forrest, run”. I ran along Avenida da Libertade where cops and business travelers are posted at every block so did not feel that any onlookers would join.

Finally, shoes with traction is the best way to go in Lisbon. It is horrifying to watch some ladies negotiate slippery tiles and uneven grade in platform spikes at night. People with foot braces, casts, bandages or missing limbs altogether are also pretty apparent.