After the crazy adventure that was my trip to Munich last weekend, I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous to head to Portugal with my housemates Alyson and Kaleb last Thursday. In fact, I was even more nervous, and frustrated, when our flight was cancelled and rescheduled to Friday due to a French air traffic control strike (apparently that type of stuff happens often in Europe). But as soon as we stepped out of the airport and into the beautiful, fresh Lisbon air, I knew there was no way I was ever going to want to leave.
After a long day of traveling, nothing could beat the views of gorgeous palm trees and sloping red roofs. When we checked into our hostel, we were pleasantly surprised to find out it was almost brand news, and looked more like a New York penthouse than a European hostel. There were travelers our age all around the common areas, and when we were handed our room keys, the desk attendant smiled at us and said “Welcome home.” With the environment that we were in, it definitely seemed fitting. Once we got settled into our new abode, we decided to scope out downtown Lisbon, as well as try out some Portuguese food. We were pleasantly surprised to find many cute outdoor cafes lining the streets, and we settled for a delicious dinner of paninis and sangria. After our stomachs were finally full, we headed back to the hostel and decided to meet some new friends in the common area. We met travelers from all over the world, including Australia, France, Canada, and even the United States. Exhausted, we went to bed early, since we knew a long day of sightseeing was ahead for Saturday.
We were lucky enough to have perfect weather for the entire trip, and spent Saturday walking around and seeing everything we possibly could. We started out heading towards the weekly flea market, which contained just about everything you can imagine. We picked up a few good finds, including some jewelry and clothing, and began the trek up a huge hill to Castelo de Sao Jorge. When we arrived at the castle, we found that there wasn’t much to see, except the great view and pictures from the top. We spent a lot of time crawling through all of the towers and passageways, taking pictures from every type of view.
Our journey continued on to several other locations that were on our way back into the center of town, including the Lisbon Cathedral. We then decided to take the Lisbon Metro to the aquarium, or the Oceanario as it is better known, which boasts the world’s 2nd largest aquarium tank. Although we easily could have spent the rest of the day looking at all of the different marine life in the aquarium, we headed back to our hostel for a nap and the hostel dinner. We met up with some of our friends that we had meet the previous night, as well as made some new ones. After hanging out for quite awhile in the common areas, we decided to explore the nightlife, and then headed to bed in order to prepare for yet another long day.
Our last day in Lisbon was spent touring the cute and busy area of Belem, which is home to the Belem Tower, Monument of the Explorers, and the world famous “Pasteis de Belem”, which is known for its’ delicious pastries. Although we had to stand in line, it was definitely worth the wait. Our next adventure took us on a half hour train ride to the wonderful beaches of Caicais, which are known for being a favorite tourist attraction. The sun was hot, and the water was cold, reminding me of a summer day back home at the Dunes. After getting our Vitamin D, we sadly enough had to begin our trip to the airport, and back to England.
Lisbon was everything and more that I could hope for in a trip. In fact, I’m already looking into going back there before the semester is over. The scenery is beautiful, the people are friendly, and there’s enough to see and do for days. I suppose the phrase “welcome home” really is fitting when it comes to “Lisboa”, as the locals call it, and I look forward to returning “home” again one day.
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