I just arrived back in the USA yesterday, and not a day too soon. Life was so exciting back in Portugal there really wasn't much time for me to get any work done. So, I'm glad to be back home, getting ready for the winter and trying to figure out how to cover this event.
I definitely wasn't prepared, having only a month to get ready from the time 
Once I got to Lisbon, I checked into my hostel and spent a bunch of time learning a few simple words and phrases in Portuguese, while getting to know many amazing people from around the world.
To this point, I haven't gone too much into my personal life, here on SteemIt. Part of the reason for that is that I've spent much of the past 10 years of my life hitch-hiking, and vagabonding across the USA, and developing a few unhealthy habits. I'm working hard to move away from that lifestyle, and slowly learning how to have a "professional" life. For this series of posts, I will have to "break character", and share a bit more of myself. I don't see any other way to fairly represent the fest, and my experience there.
As fate would have it, I started off SteemFest in the Gonzo style. The day before the Hackathon a few friends from the hostel were wandering around Feira da Ladra, a big flea market in the streets of Lisbon. I reached into one of my kilt pockets and pulled out a piece of paper, which concealed a small white strip which I knew contained LSD over a year ago. The kilt had been through the wash since then, so I knew there wouldn't be much left... but I had faith in the paper it contained. It still worked... maybe a little too well.
I showed up super early, after a night of no sleep, and a lot of confusion trying to find people and the space. I was wearing these huge wild pants made of silk that looked like a skirt (which I bought there at the market), and I was definitely out of it.
The first person I met was 
After the awkward introduction was over, everything started feeling better. Everyone was super nice and awesome. It's truly a testament to our community that such a diverse group could come together and co-exist peacefully for 5 days. A great time was had by all. The Steemit Inc dev team represented so well, they all were very cool and approachable. It was a complete 180 from the feeling of disconnect the community has experienced online. 
"What we perceive is only a glimpse of reality. Our strongly-held position can change in a moment with more information and a new perspective (if we let it)."
It's really difficult to know how to cover such an amazing event, but I can assure you that I will be rolling out some detailed coverage in the days to come. I'm trying to catch-up with the #steemfest tags, and the rest of my posts will be in my traditional style of detailed and well sourced, with a sprinkling of the gonzo reality which was my time there.
I hope this introduction to the series will whet your appetite, for the moment, and prepare you for the type of content which we've come to expect from 
