I Was Followed My First Day in Lisbon

I arrived at my hostel at around 2 PM and had an amazing lunch. My first impressions of Lisbon were incredibly high. Everything I had seen so far was gorgeous and I relished being able to wear just a t-shirt and jeans outside. It wasn't until I was coming home from a splendid walk around the area that things started to go South.

I had made my way down the large shopping street called Rua Augusta in Barrio Alto down to the coast. There was a gorgeous arch and a large open square leading up to the shore. There were some fun sand sculptures that were quite impressive.

I spent time walking around and eventually sat on these stone steps with two stone columns looking out at the water.

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After around 30 minutes, I decided it was time to head back. I made my way to the arch and took a few selfies, which is when I noticed a man in a black and yellow jacket in front of me.

We made direct eye contact and his presence immediately made me feel uneasy, so I put my phone down and continued walking back to the hostel. A guy doing street football tricks had a decent crowd around him, so I stopped and watched...until I saw the same man appear directly across from me.

I waited for a few seconds and looked around for somewhere to go. There was a sketchers store nearby, so I went in. I knew if he appeared there that he was definitely following me. A minute later, lo and behold, there he was.

I was in the back of the store looking for a side entrance, but the only two were the ones on the same side I entered. A clerk asked me if I needed help and I hesitated, wondering whether I should ask for help. I chose not to and I still feel like I should have. Eventually, I left the store and turned immediately towards the street. I saw an old-fashioned car waiting for a tourist to scoop up that I could hide behind while I waited for the light to turn green. The driver smoking next to me gave me a strange look, but I didn't care. As soon as the light turned, I speed-walked with the crowd until I could find another smaller shop to hide in. I found one quickly and ducked down, pretending to look at items lower on the shelf. I feared that if he entered, I would really be trapped, but I ended up in the clear. Once enough time had passed, I left the shop and looked for him down the main shopping street I turned from. The relief when I saw his black and yellow jacket was immense.

To be safe, I chose not to go down the shopping street just yet in case he turned around. I stumbled upon a lovely vintage store and tried on some pretty earrings whose posts were too short for my lobes. When I exited and turned right, I saw a lovely church and one of those old trams, so I decided to check it out. A block away, I recognized him instantly waiting at the tram stop. I knew I wasn't going to risk anything and looped around the block to avoid going straight through. When I got close to the church, I scanned for him as I looked both ways to cross the street and saw him still at the bus stop. I questioned whether I should still go inside the church for a moment, but decided if he wanted to do more then he would have.

The service put me at ease and my thoughts and breath slowed down. There was a beautiful celebration taking place that I was happy to have found this safe space full of love and light.

Once the service finished. I made my way back to rest before dinner. I couldn't wait to lie down after being on my feet for so long. There was unlimited sangria and beer waiting for me at the hostel bar once I recharged my social battery.