The day began with Consejo. I was quite tired, but we went over a lot of good information. Afterwards, I printed our boarding passes. In Spanish, my professor, Ari, showed us a brief PowerPoint slide of hypothetical statistics if the world population was condensed to 100 people. I found it very interesting and eye-opening. After Arab World, I walked with my watercolor class to our destination for that day--my very own Plaza Bib-Rambla. I would have loved to stay and paint there, but I had to leave for Portugal! So I ran upstairs, dropped off my school stuff, grabbed my backpack, and said goodbye to Delia.
Then I caught a bus to the bus station. Paige and I didn't judge our time well, and probably would have missed our bus to Madrid. However, there was something wrong with our bus, so we changed buses and ended up leaving 15 minutes late. We agreed that someone "up there" was looking out for us; we counted our blessings. The bus left a little after 2pm, made a short stop, and arrived in Madrid around 7:30pm. I slept for part of the journey, and watched the captivating landscape for the remainder of it.
In Madrid, we took the metro to the airport; I felt like such a professional traveler after Semana Santa. At the airport, Paige and I ate dinner at McDonald's and window-shopped before catching our plane to Portugal. It left late, around 11pm.
We arrived around midnight, Portugal time (an hour behind Spanish time). The buses weren't running that late, so we had to take a taxi to our hostel. In the cold rain, it took us a while to find Smile Hostel, perhaps because it is a tiny hostel on one floor of an old building. Javier had warned me of this; many cool places in Portugal look like nothing from the outside, and you have to ring the doorbell to enter. The hostel was very comfortable and cute with a quirky staff. Plus, Paige and I lucked out and had a room of eight all to ourselves. After settling in, we fell asleep almost immediately, hoping that the rainy forecast for our trip would be wrong.
FRIDAY:
After getting ready, Paige and I took advantage of the great hostel breakfast, and left by noon. We walked a ton along the shore, which is when we realized that Lisbon is located more so on the Tagus River than the Atlantic coast; so much for spending the weekend at the beach! However, the weather was a bit cool and windy anyway, with periods of light rain and some sun.
Afterwards, Paige and I took a bus back to our hostel area. We encountered many peculiar experiences throughout our trip, the first of which was a man and woman yelling at each other across the crowded bus.
Before returning to our hostel, Paige and I picked up food and wine. Then we cooked delicious pasta and sauce. One of the bonuses to traveling is having the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen.
After dinner, we took a nap with the intention of going out afterwards. However, maybe we walked too much or had too much wine, because we never woke up from our nap!
SATURDAY:
At breakfast that morning, Paige and I met two sisters traveling together from none other than Pennsylvania! One of their boyfriends was teaching English in Madrid; the wheels in my head started turning as I eagerly accepted his program information.
The weather was about the same as the day before, so Paige and I took advantage of the sun and hiked up to the old neighborhood, Alfama. The higher we climbed, the more incredible the views of Lisbon we found. At the highest point, was the Castelo de São Jorge. Paige preferred to sketch for a bit, so I explored the Moorish castle by myself. It reminded me of the Alhambra and had breath-taking views. I was eager to read up about the history later. Oh, and there were peacocks too!
Once Paige and I reunited, we shopped around and had a beer and pastry at a hole-in-the-wall cafe in the old district.
A bit later, Paige and I caught a bus to the Oceanário de Lisboa. At the bus stop, we witnessed a second funny experience: two old men cutting down large bushes, which had a strong possibility of falling into the street full of cars. On the bus, we passed through a poor part of the city, which reminded me of the shanty towns in Morocco. It made me sad to think about.
As the rain set in, Paige and I caught a bus back to our hostel area, where we picked up food and drinks. We made hash browns and cheesy scrambled eggs, and shared pastries for dessert. I noticed many French and Portuguese-speaking travelers at our hostel.
Again, Paige and I woke up late from our nap, but we forced ourselves out of bed and in the streets. It was pouring rain, so everyone ran for shelter under nearby awnings. Eventually, we made our way up to the district, Barrio Alto. The streets of this area were filled with young people. We found one crowded bar with live music. According to Javier, Portugal is known for the traditional music, Fado, as well as for Brazilian and African music. At the bar, we met a group of French guys that spoke English. We shared a taxi with them to the famous club, Lux, but realized too late that we didn't have enough money to get in. Paige and I were bummed, but we took a taxi home, killed a bottle of wine, and called it a night.
SUNDAY:
Paige and I woke up a bit late, but we eventually made our way to the artisan market in la Praca do Comércio, where we picked up a few great gifts. Then we walked to the ferry station and took a ferry across the river to the town of Almada. There we caught a bus to el mirador del Cristo Rey. The views were as spectacular as the giant Jesus statue. It was great to finally see it up close after having a clear view of it from everywhere in Lisbon. I was also interested to learn that the original statue is in Brazil. The weather seemed to be getting better--thank goodness the forecast was wrong--and the clouds made for incredible pictures. I took a few minutes to close my eyes and meditate at the mirador; it felt so refreshing to be present and feel the wind on my face.
Back at the hostel, Paige and I ate a light lunch: croissants, cheese, and oranges. Then we headed back out to Barrio Alto, where we ambled about. The old and charming streets were stunning in the afternoon light. Apparently we looked lost, because a local asked if we needed help getting somewhere. He was very nice, but had trouble finding our location on our map and couldn't direct us to where we needed to go. Still, we found the cafe that Javier had recommended, but unfortunately it was closed. Instead, we ate delicious bravas potatoes at the eclectic Tapas Bar 52. Upon receiving our bill, however, we were stunned at the total and at the fact that we had to pay for the bread and sauce that they gave us. Apparently our shock was obvious, because the couple sitting nearby gave us five euro. We tried not to accept it, but the nice old man replied, "We have daughters." So Paige and I decided to hold onto it until the "right time".
Afterwards, Paige and I walked to a large plaza area (one of many in Lisbon) that had a small park and great views of the city. There was also a group of people playing music; we hung out for a bit and watched. The setting sun added beautiful colors to the clouds.
MONDAY:
Paige and I woke up early and picked up lunch on our way to the train station. We left for the small city of Sintra around 10:30am, arriving around 11am. I immediately felt as though I had stepped into an enchanted forest. We continued our theme of long days of walking as we hiked up the mountain. By the end of the day, however, the cobble-stone streets had taken a beating on my poor little feet!
At the top of the mountain sat a Moorish Castle and palace. Paige and I bought tickets to see the fairytale-looking Pena National Palace. The large palace was painted in beautiful bright colors and, of course, had amazing views of Lisbon and the Atlantic Ocean. However, it was a hard place to photograph because it was crawling with tourists. One of these tourists--an older friendly man--I met in a tower atop the palace when he kindly offered to take a picture of Paige and I. Of all places, he was from Pittsburgh, with a degree from Pitt Medical School (the funny encounters continued)! We also spotted a group of French tourists that we had seen in random areas of Lisbon four times, and possibly a woman from our Madrid hostel. The world is big, but the world is small. As we toured the inside of the palace, we learned about its history.
Afterwards, Paige and I took our time descending the mountain through the mystical Pena Park, which was filled with a variety of trees and exotic plants; it was incredibly photogenic. Plus, we were lucky again with nice weather, though still a bit cool in the shade. Following our descent, we walked back through the quaint town and took the train back to Lisbon.
That night, Paige and I found a good place in the streets to people-watch while sharing a beer and talking about life. Then we returned to the hostel to pack and get some sleep.
TUESDAY:
May 1st already! Paige and I reluctantly rolled out of bed at 7am and checked out of the hostel. We eventually found a bus to take us to the airport. I was sad to see that my face wash did not make it through security. At our gate, we finished the potato chips and consolidated our stuff into our small backpacks--I finally learned to travel light! Our plane was late, not taking off until around 10am.
Loosing an hour, we landed in Madrid around 1pm. Again, we ate at McDonald's for lunch, and caught the metro to the bus station. We were both feeling very exhausted from traveling as we waited for the bus; I was content that this was my last major trip.
Our bus left at 4:30pm, stopped for a break, and arrived in Granada around 9:30pm. I couldn't sleep on the bus, so I watched the purples, browns, and greens of the beautiful landscape in the setting sun; oh how I will miss this palette of colors a month from now.
At the bus station, I caught a bus home and reluctantly said goodbye to my travel partner. Finally at home, I caught up with Laura and Aja. Laura had a good weekend, despite the bad weather. She returned my sleeping mask, and I was pleased to see that her English had improved! I was also happy to hear that Aja had a good weekend in Barcelona. I was starving, so I made myself something to eat. Once Delia came home, I greeted her, unpacked, and caught up with my email before passing out.
I had such a wonderful experience in Lisbon. Paige and I are great friends and, accordingly, great travel companions. It was also nice spending so much time in one city, because we were able to see many things while taking our time to amble about, as opposed to rushing. Plus, all the walking was great exercise! I would love to return to Portugal some day to explore more of its cities.
We arrived around midnight, Portugal time (an hour behind Spanish time). The buses weren't running that late, so we had to take a taxi to our hostel. In the cold rain, it took us a while to find Smile Hostel, perhaps because it is a tiny hostel on one floor of an old building. Javier had warned me of this; many cool places in Portugal look like nothing from the outside, and you have to ring the doorbell to enter. The hostel was very comfortable and cute with a quirky staff. Plus, Paige and I lucked out and had a room of eight all to ourselves. After settling in, we fell asleep almost immediately, hoping that the rainy forecast for our trip would be wrong.
FRIDAY:
After getting ready, Paige and I took advantage of the great hostel breakfast, and left by noon. We walked a ton along the shore, which is when we realized that Lisbon is located more so on the Tagus River than the Atlantic coast; so much for spending the weekend at the beach! However, the weather was a bit cool and windy anyway, with periods of light rain and some sun.
Our walk began in the picturesque square, la Praca do Comércio. Then Paige and I ambled along the riverbank, admiring the buildings and graffiti. We loved the diversity of the buildings; there was an interesting mix of red-roofed buildings and abandoned, run-down buildings. I also picked up on the diversity of the people. Similar to Nice, Spanish and English were of little help to us; Portuguese and French were the main languages. While I could read Portuguese better than I could understand it spoken, the only word that I learned was "obrigado" ("thank you").
We walked under the bridge, Ponte 25 de Abril, had a sandwich picnic on a grassy lawn, and had our first taste of the famous Belém pastries--amazing custard tart-like pastries. In the quaint town of Belém, we saw the Jerónimos Monastery and a very wealthy residential area. The Belém Tower had just closed, so we walked past the monument, Padrão dos Descobrimientos, on our way to the popular cafe, Pastéis de Belém. Famous for their Belém pastries, there was a line out the door for take-out, an enormous cafeteria area that went on forever, and a production area. We had two more pastries each; quite possibly the best pastries I've ever had.
Afterwards, Paige and I took a bus back to our hostel area. We encountered many peculiar experiences throughout our trip, the first of which was a man and woman yelling at each other across the crowded bus.
Before returning to our hostel, Paige and I picked up food and wine. Then we cooked delicious pasta and sauce. One of the bonuses to traveling is having the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen.
After dinner, we took a nap with the intention of going out afterwards. However, maybe we walked too much or had too much wine, because we never woke up from our nap!
SATURDAY:
At breakfast that morning, Paige and I met two sisters traveling together from none other than Pennsylvania! One of their boyfriends was teaching English in Madrid; the wheels in my head started turning as I eagerly accepted his program information.The weather was about the same as the day before, so Paige and I took advantage of the sun and hiked up to the old neighborhood, Alfama. The higher we climbed, the more incredible the views of Lisbon we found. At the highest point, was the Castelo de São Jorge. Paige preferred to sketch for a bit, so I explored the Moorish castle by myself. It reminded me of the Alhambra and had breath-taking views. I was eager to read up about the history later. Oh, and there were peacocks too!
Once Paige and I reunited, we shopped around and had a beer and pastry at a hole-in-the-wall cafe in the old district.
A bit later, Paige and I caught a bus to the Oceanário de Lisboa. At the bus stop, we witnessed a second funny experience: two old men cutting down large bushes, which had a strong possibility of falling into the street full of cars. On the bus, we passed through a poor part of the city, which reminded me of the shanty towns in Morocco. It made me sad to think about.
The oceanarium was located at the exposition grounds of the 1998 World's Fair. This part of town was once again different; it seemed more modern and industrial.
The oceanarium was awesome! It revolved around a huge aquarium that was filled with diverse fish and sharks. The one that I found the most interesting was the sunfish, which looked like a flattened fish. The science nerd in me enjoyed every minute of this experience.
The oceanarium was awesome! It revolved around a huge aquarium that was filled with diverse fish and sharks. The one that I found the most interesting was the sunfish, which looked like a flattened fish. The science nerd in me enjoyed every minute of this experience.
As the rain set in, Paige and I caught a bus back to our hostel area, where we picked up food and drinks. We made hash browns and cheesy scrambled eggs, and shared pastries for dessert. I noticed many French and Portuguese-speaking travelers at our hostel.
SUNDAY:
Paige and I woke up a bit late, but we eventually made our way to the artisan market in la Praca do Comércio, where we picked up a few great gifts. Then we walked to the ferry station and took a ferry across the river to the town of Almada. There we caught a bus to el mirador del Cristo Rey. The views were as spectacular as the giant Jesus statue. It was great to finally see it up close after having a clear view of it from everywhere in Lisbon. I was also interested to learn that the original statue is in Brazil. The weather seemed to be getting better--thank goodness the forecast was wrong--and the clouds made for incredible pictures. I took a few minutes to close my eyes and meditate at the mirador; it felt so refreshing to be present and feel the wind on my face.
Paige and I took the bus and ferry back to the main area of Lisbon. During our visit to Jesus that morning, we encountered two more peculiar experiences:
- While waiting for the bus, an old man offered to drive us to the monument "for free". Don't worry, Mom, we rejected his offer.
- Upon boarding the bus, the woman in front of us was holding a very scary-looking baby.
Then we decided to take a ride on one of the traditional yellow trolley cars. Had I known that it was only going to take us down the hill, I probably would not have paid. Oh well!
We made our way back up to Barrio Alto and sat at a cafe/bar and shared a delicious caiprinha (Brazil's national cocktail). We were still wearing our backpacks and felt like tourists, so we walked back to our hostel, grabbing a few pastries on the way. We went to bed semi-early, but not before realizing that there were finally two other women sharing our room.
MONDAY:Paige and I woke up early and picked up lunch on our way to the train station. We left for the small city of Sintra around 10:30am, arriving around 11am. I immediately felt as though I had stepped into an enchanted forest. We continued our theme of long days of walking as we hiked up the mountain. By the end of the day, however, the cobble-stone streets had taken a beating on my poor little feet!
At the top of the mountain sat a Moorish Castle and palace. Paige and I bought tickets to see the fairytale-looking Pena National Palace. The large palace was painted in beautiful bright colors and, of course, had amazing views of Lisbon and the Atlantic Ocean. However, it was a hard place to photograph because it was crawling with tourists. One of these tourists--an older friendly man--I met in a tower atop the palace when he kindly offered to take a picture of Paige and I. Of all places, he was from Pittsburgh, with a degree from Pitt Medical School (the funny encounters continued)! We also spotted a group of French tourists that we had seen in random areas of Lisbon four times, and possibly a woman from our Madrid hostel. The world is big, but the world is small. As we toured the inside of the palace, we learned about its history.
Afterwards, Paige and I took our time descending the mountain through the mystical Pena Park, which was filled with a variety of trees and exotic plants; it was incredibly photogenic. Plus, we were lucky again with nice weather, though still a bit cool in the shade. Following our descent, we walked back through the quaint town and took the train back to Lisbon.
On our way back to the hostel, Paige and I followed the setting sun to a cafe in a large plaza and shared a few pastries. It seemed as though everyone else had the same idea, but we managed to find an outside table at last. As we soaked in the faint sun, a crippled beggar approached, and we agreed to give him the five euro that the nice old man had given us the day before.
Afterwards, we picked up food on our way to the hostel, where we made the rest of the spaghetti and sauce. I was pleased to learn that Tabasco sauce is a great addition to spaghetti sauce. We also tried to make Spanish tortilla, but it ended up being a potato and egg mash-up--still delicious though! Then I munched on some potato chips and watched part of the soccer game with the hostel worker while Paige skyped her friends from home.
TUESDAY:
May 1st already! Paige and I reluctantly rolled out of bed at 7am and checked out of the hostel. We eventually found a bus to take us to the airport. I was sad to see that my face wash did not make it through security. At our gate, we finished the potato chips and consolidated our stuff into our small backpacks--I finally learned to travel light! Our plane was late, not taking off until around 10am.
Loosing an hour, we landed in Madrid around 1pm. Again, we ate at McDonald's for lunch, and caught the metro to the bus station. We were both feeling very exhausted from traveling as we waited for the bus; I was content that this was my last major trip.
Our bus left at 4:30pm, stopped for a break, and arrived in Granada around 9:30pm. I couldn't sleep on the bus, so I watched the purples, browns, and greens of the beautiful landscape in the setting sun; oh how I will miss this palette of colors a month from now.
At the bus station, I caught a bus home and reluctantly said goodbye to my travel partner. Finally at home, I caught up with Laura and Aja. Laura had a good weekend, despite the bad weather. She returned my sleeping mask, and I was pleased to see that her English had improved! I was also happy to hear that Aja had a good weekend in Barcelona. I was starving, so I made myself something to eat. Once Delia came home, I greeted her, unpacked, and caught up with my email before passing out.
I had such a wonderful experience in Lisbon. Paige and I are great friends and, accordingly, great travel companions. It was also nice spending so much time in one city, because we were able to see many things while taking our time to amble about, as opposed to rushing. Plus, all the walking was great exercise! I would love to return to Portugal some day to explore more of its cities.
