And then I tripped on a stone and dropped my phone over the castle wall in Lisbon. 😟😢😭
But, let me back up…
I had a wonderful lazy morning. I had a few cups of coffee, stood on the balcony overlooking a major pedestrian street, and headed out. I wandered around, slowly making my way to the castelo (the central tourist stop in Lisbon, old Moorish castle). Since it is my last day in Portugal and I am done walking 10 miles a day minimum with an 18 pound backpack, it was time to start shopping. 😁 I enjoyed wandering in and out of shops spreading the love and buying stuff for the niece and nephews…and a few other things. I was having such a GREAT day.
Then I made it to the castelo, got my ticket and went in. It’s a cool spot with great views of the city. I decided to ask someone to take my photo and got my phone out, got it ready, walked to the perfect photo spot by the wall…tripped on an uneven stone….And dropped my phone OVER THE WALL!!! Seriously.
Well, since then had been a saga. It looked like a garden/park area that my phone fell into. I mistakenly thought it would be easy to access. Nope.
It turns out that it is a series of private backyards. And the local folks are a bit tired of the tourists who drop things over the wall…in the words of one resident, “this happens at least once a week that someone drops something important, phone, wallet, lots of things.”
Yes, I spent at least a couple hours trying. Most people have been kind, one lady very mean. I have not found it, yet. But I plan to try one last thing. I realized I needed to be more strategic once I realized the situation. I went back up to the castelo and observed closely in the area where I dropped my phone. I think I know which house is the most likely…but there’s no one home. Helpful neighbors confirmed this building has access to a large section at the base of the wall and that many people have successfully recovered their phones. I was also told to try back later around 5 or 6 when people will likely get home from work.
I am currently having lunch nearby because I needed to eat, and I needed the break. Not sure what I plan to do now ( it is almost 3pm). I can’t wander around too much or, without my phone, I will end up lost. I think I could find my way back to my hotel well enough. If the phone is truly gone, I am grateful it happened on my last day and that I already know how to get to the airport tomorrow. As a back up, I have my tablet I can use as long as I have wifi.
Maybe I will be lucky….