Lisbon: An Unexpected Treasure

The first destination in our 10 day break from classes!

Day 1: After finishing our exam, it was time for some last minute packing and then head to the airport. To get to Portugal we definitely needed to fly. The flight took up a good portion of this first day, not that the flight itself was long, but we had to get transportation to and from the airports. And I’m not someone who usually takes a bunch of pictures of the clouds, but the views from the plane were exceptionally beautiful. Maybe a sign of what Lisbon would be...

When we did finally get off the plane and catch the metro to our hostel, we found out just how cool our hostel was! Oasis is the best hostel I’ve stayed in thus far with the friendliest staff all making sure our experience was the best it could be.

This night we got all settled in and then the girls (there was 9 of us) grabbed dinner at the hostel. The hostel had an inexpensive bar so we hung out there for a while and a couple of other guys from our Riva group met up with us before we all went to the famous Bairro Alto street.

Bars bars bars! The entire street was crazy with bars and so many people. We went into a couple different ones, all having different vibes. At one there was really good live music, the singer so unique. She sung a lot relaxed music, like Bob Marley. The night was a really great start to Portugal!

 

Day 2:

We woke up and ate breakfast at our hostel. It had a cheap breakfast deal for some really good food! I had such a delicious ham and cheese sandwich with a salad and juice for like 3 euros. As we walked out of the hostel, we were met with an overlook of a portion of the city!

We then caught the trolley car that runs throughout the city of Lisbon! The trolley added to the cute, quaint element of the town :)

We were headed to the Saturday Market!! The market was so so cool! I felt relaxed exploring the street, lined with little tents all selling unique products. Again, it was truly really fun. Everything was so brightly colored and the atmosphere very lively.

Of course I had to get something from here… so I got a cute headband! And if anyone ever asks “Oh where did you get that from?” I can say “In Portugal!” haha I don’t know, just sounds pretty sweet to me. 

We got lunch at a little café on the street and were able to sit outside. Again the music playing was Bob Marley (I just feel like that shows how relaxed the whole city is) It was funny, I said “I’m guessing One Love and Stir It Up play next!” And what do you know, they played next and I was so happy haha. I got a nice salad with bread and we sat there for at least an hour or so just taking it in. This is another reason I loved Lisbon, everything is at your own pace and there is no rushing. I feel like this is the opposite of back home in the States. It might be weird, but I loved just being there with no worries (as Bob Marley’s lyrics of “Don’t worry about a thing” play in the background)

 

 

Afterwards we walked around the sights in Lisbon. We saw one of the local monasteries, San Georgia Castle, and Praca do Comercio. Just basically relaxed strolling through Lisbon for the day, stopped for a little gelato as well! Praca do Comercio is a big square with large buildings and statues and right across from it is the water. We sat at the waters edge for a good amount of time. I was just reflecting on what a great day it had been. 

But the night was young!! Haha we went back to our hostel and had dinner there. Unfortunately I really wasn’t feeling well, but I told myself I was only in Lisbon once (unless I get the opportunity to go back in the future) and forced myself to feel better! Tonight we met up with everybody that was in Lisbon, all the guys and girls. We had a group of about 20 of us!!

Oh, the night was so much fun. Like I said before, our hostel was awesome and they set up a pub crawl through the city that we all went on. We went to 3 different places (one bar with free hour of drinks and then 2 clubs!) But probably my favorite part of the night was what we did after.

Me and three other people had heard about this kabob place that is the best to go at night after every one goes out. We headed there and it was so worth it!! We got the local food called pao con chorizo… soooo good! While we were trying to figure out what to order in line, we met such friendly locals who helped us order. They then told us after we got our food to come sit with them.

We literally were at that restaurant talking with them for 2 hours. Even though it ended up being a late night because of it, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I felt that in the 2 hours we talked with them, I learned more about the Portuguese culture and perspective on life than I would have if I spent 5 days seeing sights. They were very easy to talk to because they study Portuguese and English throughout school, so it was not an issue at all. They told us how they view America as the standard and everything their country does gets compared to it. They liked our movies, our music, our education system, etc. I told them how much I loved their relaxed way of life haha they said it was a good and bad thing because then nothing gets done. Really they were so cool and welcoming towards us, ended the night on such a positive note.

Day 3:

Breakfast at the hostel again, this time eggs and bacon :) We took a quick train over to the historical and monumental area of the city called Belem. The first activity of the day was the Jeronimos monastery! We didn’t see in the inside where mass was held because mass was actually going on, but we got to wander through the intricate corridors and hang out in the courtyard.

Next stops of our day were to famous monuments. We hit up the Belem Tower (which somehow we got into for free and when we walked back out we noticed everyone was paying... we had no clue how that happened) and the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, the sword shaped one dedicated to adventures and explorers.

Man sight seeing builds up an appetite! Well luckily for us (even though it was planned) the famous Belem pastry shop was close to the next train we were catching. And boy, these pastries were so scrumptious!! I got one that was a puff filled with cream and sugar on the outside and the other was the pastry famous to Belem. I honestly can’t describe what that one even tasted like because I hadn’t had anything like it before. But they truly were amazing…

 With our satisfying pastries, we headed out to the beach town of Cascais (pronounced like Kash-Ki-sssh: a very fun word to say!) This little town was so cute and I wish we could have had more time there but at least we got a solid 2 hours on the beach. A lot of people around, with beautiful sand and clear waters… for me it was an interesting realization as I thought about how I was now on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean! And what a great beach day it was!! Literally a perfect way to end our time in Portugal :)

Now I have to mention it. On our train ride back to Lisbon (about 40min from Cascais) I really wasn’t looking too good as I had just gotten off the beach and had no make up on or anything. But nonetheless, a young guy on the train serenaded me and I think he fell in love with me? Not too sure what was going on haha but it was adorable and funny. He was with about 7 people, guys and girls, and he had his guitar on the train. All of a sudden, he pointed at me and told me I was beautiful and was dedicating a song to me. He sang a really sweet song in his language and all of his friends joined in. He then came up to me and just kindly asked what my name was and where I was from. I found out he was from Cape Verde, Africa. Well what would you know the next song he sang had the lyrics of “Lauren, oh Lauren, I love you.” Haha oh my… not to sure how I was suppose to react to that. Never had that happen to me before, that’s for sure.

When the train stopped, we went back to our hostel to grab our bags and head to another train station. This one for an overnight train to: Madrid!!

I cannot get over how much I loved Portugal. When people plan trips to Europe, I think a lot of times Portugal can get skipped over for other places to visit. I am so happy I did not forget about Portugal. I loved its people and their way of life, the atmosphere and culture, and the true beauty of the country. I don’t know at the end of the trip what will end up being my favorite place I visited, but I know Portugal will have a top spot.