Looking for Silvertown

I have a friend who is addicted to cruise. Her father even advises, "When will you save money and buy a house?" She retired and left for Portugal because she liked Portugal among the places she had been. Do I to go live there too? I was just thinking about it, and I visited there.

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is a seven-hour flight from New York. It's five hours ahead of New York. The airport procedure is also fast. It is a Mediterranean climate with palm trees everywhere. I gave up carrying my bag to the hotel on the hill. I rode the Uber, which was so cheap, because the road floor was with 2.5 inches of natural stone. I looked out of the window before going to bed. The stone floor twinkled in the dark. I thought it had rained. It was amazing that such a sparkling stone floor wasn't slippery. The walls of the building are tiled as if it were a mosque temple from ancient Muslim rule.

Wandering through the narrow alley hills as if yellow and red trams almost touched people. The city is neither dirty nor very clean. It's a simple, casual. There are no legal regulations for marijuana and alcohol. But people were kind and gentle and didn't bother on the street. I was surprised that the goods on the market were so cheap. Especially wine. There is no tax and tip in the restaurant. At any restaurant my husband's favorite cod dish is varied and delicious. 

About three hours north of Lisbon, there is a city called Porto. When I went there, It took about 3 hours and 20 minutes to get there by cheap train, so it went very smooth. However, when I return to Lisbon, I took the fast train for two hour at double the price. The train was so shaken that I threw up and lay down. My memory of Porto is hazy as I wander about on the train. Others say Porto is better than Lisbon.

"I think Portugal fits me somehow. I like it because the prices are cheap, the climate is good, people are kind, cultural history is deep, and it is not as colorful or grand as other European cities. We've been living away from my home country. Now shall we live in Europe? What do you think?" There is no answer from my husband. Come to think of it, it occurred to me that throughout the trip, my husband was only eager to find restaurants that are good at cod dish. "Artists don't retire. There's no place like New York for the artist to live. The problem is that prices are high. Look at the fork-lane going up everywhere. Soon it'll be expensive here, too. After a tour of the southern beach, where many retired American people live." "It's the place where the American style mess." "Why don't you try living alone for half a year in Portugal?" Suddenly, I was very tired."

Is it really necessary to devote this much time, money and energy to get rid of lingering feelings about the place of travel I want to go? I was despondent at the thought of not being able to understand myself that keep leaving my comfortable home and returning repeatedly.