After a quarter century in the business, it’s wonderful to visit a country I’ve never been to before. Somehow, Portugal had never made it onto my radar; so when the opportunity arose to visit the famous Oceanário in Lisbon — one of the world’s greatest aquaria — I jumped right in.

 It’s a very 00’s thing, visiting a country specifically to see their aquarium. Let’s face it: as much as one might like fish, and I like them a lot, an afternoon is about as much finned fun as you can stand. True, it helps if there are penguins, and otters; but even their antics, which mainly involve posturing and kelp, add only an hour or so to the mix.

My point is, no one (unless they live next door, in Spain) travels to Lisbon for a single afternoon. And so, with boundless curiosity and a ridiculous amount of luggage, I arrived for a four-day visit, hoping to pack the equivalent of a Fulbright-length residence into one long, extended weekend. (more…)