Third day in Lisbon

If you are traveling alone, you have the advantage that you can do whatever you want without having to justify it. The disadvantage is you have no one to fall back on.
Today I went to the beach. It took me awhile to get going; I was trying to find anyone else interested in coming as well. No one. So, I hop on the train to Estoril and spent the afternoon there. I had other options for the destination, but after arriving, this place seemed fine. Not crowded with people, but still enough to interact with. And hopefully someone I can trust to look after my stuff while I’m swimming.
I met a pretty girl from London. She is here working as a dancer for a local casino. She thinks I should come see her show. It’s apparently like Cirque du Soleil. However it is at 11:00 at night and I’ve made plans for tonight. Tomorrow I might not get in because there are private shows.
Talking with girls makes sunbathing much more tolerable.
I’ve enjoyed Portugal. The place seems more civilized than most warm countries I’ve been to. I don’t see the ultrapoor making me feel guilty, and I feel reasonably safe among the locals. I am getting annoyed by the hash dealers who always seem to descend on me and won’t take “No” for an answer. But so far my worst experience was my late lunch in Estoril.
I ordered food, and he brought some other items that I thought were complimentary. Why would I expect to be charged for a basket of bread that was placed unasked in front of me. I suppose you can see where this is going. In the end though, it saved me money. The bait dishes were fairly cheap, and was less than the tip the waiter was going to get before he pulled this scam.
Tonight, I wish I had gone to the casino to see the show. My plan was to go to a bar, Capella, a pretty girl recommended and said she might see me there tonight. (Since found out to have a boyfriend.) But that expedition never got off the ground. People around here wandered off aimlessly and didn’t feel like going.
I might go tomorrow since the show will be done at 12:30 and things don’t seem to happen here until after 2:00 AM.