On the morning that we left Evora for Monsaraz, we had tried to phone the Canadian Consulate in Lisbon in response to a message that they had left with our Pensao the day before. However, having only reached their answering machine, we decided to get underway while the day was still fresh. About an hour later, we pulled into the small town of Reguengos de Monsaraz for fuel, so I decided to look around for a public telephone for another try. Eventually I spotted the Post Office off the town square. In I went looking for a phone and, sure enough, there was one looking just like a regular house phone sitting on a little table. When I picked it up I got a dial tone so I phoned Lisbon again but, once again, no luck with a human. I waltzed out to the car thinking that this was a great country - free long distance telephone service!!
We continued on to Monsaraz where I tried to call a third time, from a pay phone in the middle of the village - no luck. On our way back through Reguengos I decided to try one more time at the Post Office to save searching for another phone. I managed to find the same lonely telephone - this time finally getting through to the Consular Official to lay the problem to rest (please see my 'Lisbon' page Off-the-Beaten-Path tip for details of the problem). Great, so once again I waltzed out the door as happy as could be! All of a sudden I heard voices behind me and turned to see two employees halfway out the door beckoning me to come back. It soon became evident that I owed them 0.26 Euros for my call. I guess I should have known that it seemed too good to be true - but still dirt cheap! Actually, the pay phone system all over the country was fantasic. Only a few coins, usually less than 1 Euro, and you could hold a decent conversation anywhere in the country!
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