Halloween in Ericeira

Happy Halloween!  🎃

   Before leaving Lisbon, Cindy and I made sure to thank our hotel staff for all their help and professionalism while sorting through the reservation mix up.  Again, I do not recommend using @hotel, Expedia, and anything shared by Lisbon.Travel on Instagram.  
  We caught the Metro to the Campo Grande bus station and searched for Line 2740 to Ericeira.  We had only 10 minutes to catch the next bus, so I did not hesitate to ask one of the drivers for help.  My initial instinct now is to speak Portuguese first and only resort to English as a last resort.  Even when I see a "i​" on a map or sign my mind thinks "informação".
  We found the bus, which took an hour to bring us to the coast.  Cindy is not a fan of public transport, so this pretty much met her limit of "fun".
  The hotel was fairly easy to find and checking in was a breeze.  The staff told me I could speak English if I wanted to, but I insisted I wanted to practice my Portuguese as much as possible.   Our room is cozy and the window has a view of the beach.  Everything is within walking distance and we even found a Mexican restaurant for Cindy! 🌮
  The coast is beautiful and there are cute cafes and restaurants everywhere.  While we enjoyed a quiet dinner outside, we noticed many of the children (and dogs) were dressed up in costumes and going store to store for "trick or treat".
   Here is a little backstory.  I have had this trip planned since March, so when I booked this hotel in Ericeira I knew about the Mexican restaurant as well as the galadaria around the corner.  So when we walked back to the hotel from dinner, I made sure to stop for ice cream.  Score another WIN!  Cindy and I stopped for a few scoops and I was able to chat with the two employees behind the counter.  I told them I have been wanting to visit their store since March and they chuckled. It turns out one is Cuban and has been in Portugal for only 6 months, so she is learning Portuguese as well.  Her coworker was also very friendly and asked why I was able to speak Portuguese.  We chatted about my language lessons and the weather in Cuba and South Carolina among other things.  I think we chatted for a good 10 or 15 minutes.  Definitely going there again! 🍦🍦🍦