Lisbon, Portugal

      For my last weekend in Europe, I was fortunate enough to make it to Lisbon, Portugal! I had anticipated a trip to Portugal ever since I decided to study abroad. I was so excited to make a trip to the motherland. J Because it was the last weekend, many people opted to stay in Seville and attend the school-planned activities so it ended up to be a girl’s weekend, which I was so ecstatic about. Me, Emily, Sharron, Victoria and Nicole hopped on a bus Thursday night at midnight and arrived in Lisbon around 6am on Friday. As we arrived in Lisbon I was immediately shocked as to how industrial and built up it was. I was expecting a more rural and quiet town. That definitely wasn’t the case for Lisbon. Being that it is the capital I guess I should’ve had a better idea of what to expect. We grabbed a cab that took us to our hostel. We couldn’t check into our room til noon but they were very accommodating and let us crash in their TV room for a quick nap. The hostel was really cute and was well suited for a young adults and teens.

              After we took a catnap we were ready to head into town. We weren’t really sure what to do so we asked the receptionist at the hostel. He told us about the main tourist attractions and handed us a map. From that point on we were completely on our own. We decided to check out the iconic Lisbon sights. We took the tram, which one of the several public transit systems Lisbon has (buses, subway, trams, cabs, trolleys) down to the famous church. We didn’t go in the church but it was massive! Next we walked over to a Christopher Columbus monument. It was right near the water and had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge… Yes, they have a golden gate bridge too. I actually felt like I was in San Francisco a lot of the time considering they have a Golden Gate Bridge, trolleys, hilly streets and tons of tourists. We walked along the pier like walkway they had from the Columbus Monument down to the famous Tower. We had such beautiful weather so it was enjoyable to be outside and walk around. I also enjoyed not really having a set schedule. We were able to enjoy ourselves without the rush of having to be somewhere or worry about other people’s schedules.

            We grabbed lunch right along the water at some Italian restaurant. I was so happy to order Sumol, which is a Portuguese soda I sometimes get at home from my friend’s Portuguese grandma. We got on the trolley again and decided we wanted to go to opposite side of the Golden Gate Bridge. We took a ferry across the river and then took a bus up to another famous monument. I forget the exact name of it but it basically was a replica of the Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro. The monument looked over the river with great views of Lisbon. While we were there we took pictures and  walked around the top of the hill. As I was waking pictures of the bridge I was a approached by an old Portuguese man. He was speaking Portuguese to me but of course I had no idea what he was saying. After using some hand signals and trying to use the basic Spanish that I knew I’m pretty sure I understood the whole man’s life story and he knew mine. It was one of the most awkward, funny, and amazing experiences. He was happy to understand that I was Portuguese. Emily and Victoria thought I was crazy for talking to this random old man but he seemed harmless. He even wanted a picture with me; He was such a kind soul. After that we headed back to the other side of the river and did some souvenir shopping down one of the famous avenues in Lisbon.

            For dinner that night we decided to go to an authentic Portuguese place our hostel highly recommended. When we got there it was pretty packed so we went to the place next door to it. We had a great Portuguese meal that consisted of steak, mushrooms, gravy and fries. It looked like one big mess on a plate but it tasted so good! While we were eating we got a delivery of flowers courtesy of the table of guys sitting behind us. It was a cute gesture that turned into great conversation, a few drinks, and a night at the bar down the street with them. The next day we decided to take the tram in the opposite direction. We went to the aquarium (not as good as Monterey Bay), saw the finish of a triathlon and enjoyed lunch at an outdoor café. We also of course had to do a little more souvenir shopping. I picked up some great things I cant wait to share with everyone! We headed out that night at 10pm and got on our bus back to Seville. Overall I loved Lisbon, Portugal. It was a cute city, both historical and modern. I hope to go back to Portugal again one day and see a different part of the country. 

in the hostel