Meet Me in Lisbon

I’m going to learn Portuguese and move to Lisbon. That is the decision I have made after my 3 days in Portugal. Many of you might be wondering, why did she go to Portugal? That’s such a random country. And I thought the same thing when my friend Lynne suggested we include it as part of our fall break. Of course Lynne is Brazilian, and fluent in Portuguese, so for her Portugal isn’t so random. She seemed pretty excited about it and so I figured sure why not, we’re going in November and it will still be warm. Needless to say I didn’t have many expectations for this trip. Well boy was I surprised when I got there. First of all it should be mentioned that we flew TAP airlines, which is a member of the Star Alliance with British Airways, Lufthansa, and Swiss Air. These are real airlines. With assigned seats. And meals served on board. After our horrific experience with Meridiana in Palermo, this was a welcomed change that started the trip off right. Upon arrival the cab ride cost 4€. In Venice, the taxi costs 110€. That alone won me over haha. When we got to our hostel we were amazed. We had each paid 18€ a night and so our expectations were not high. Again we were mistaken. Lisbon Lounge has been rated the best hostel in for WORLD by Hostel Bookers for multiple years running. The décor was beautiful, the location was perfect, and our beds were comfy. Also the hostel has its own chef that cooks a 4-course meal you can enjoy for 8€. Being poor college students, we were hooked. After dropping our bags we wandered around the city oohing and aahing at the tile facades covering most of the city’s buildings. We strolled through the winding streets and hills in search of shopping and Starbucks. We were not disappointed. It should be noted that baring Rome, you cannot find a Starbucks in Italy. Sure there are numerous coffee shops and cafes throughout the Italian cities, but being Americans sometimes all we want is an ice coffee. After our icy caffeine fix we found heaven in the cheap prices of Zara and H&M, among other stores we had never heard of. At 8pm we headed back to our hostel to enjoy the delicious meal prepared by Pedro. The meal started with pumpkin soup, was followed by a salad with strawberries and cheese, and finished off with a seafood stew over rice. It was absolutely, mouthwateringly wonderful. Again, in Venice we never would have found a meal that was so good and so cheap.
The following day I had a lovely tapas lunch with pork chops and brie served on toast and a chorizo omelet. After lunch we took the trolley (just like the one Ali and Roberto ride in the Bachelorette!!!!!) to Belem, a waterfront neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. We visited a beautiful monastery that was covered in sculptures and inside was the tomb of Vasco da Gama. [A note on good ‘ol Vasco. He was Portuguese. And pride is an understatement when describing Portuguese feelings towards him. To them he is a god. Granted he was the first man to round the Cape of Good Hope and the first man to sail from Europe to India. But he also aided the success of the African slave trade. So bravo Vasco, bravo.] After the monastery we visited Pastéis de Belém, a bakery famous for their pastéis de nata a warm pastry filled with creamy custard and topped with cinnamon. When I tell you I could eat only those for the rest of my life and be okay with it, I’m not lying. If you ever see one in a bakery, you should order it, no questions asked. After the delicious desserts we walked to the waterfront where one of the many monuments dedicated to Vasco is found. From the waterfront you can also see the Ponto 25 de Abrile, or the April 25th Bridge. Citizens of Lisbon refer to it as the Portuguese Golden Gate because it is almost an exact replica of the bridge in San Francisco.
On our third and final day our flight left around 3 and so we only had to morning to explore. We woke up early, had a delicious breakfast of crepes and Portuguese rolls (provided free of charge by our heavenly hostel), and were on our way. We decided it would be best to visit the Castillo de San Jorge (the very castle where Ali and Roberto had their dinner date lol) and then walk around Almafa which is an old neighborhood built during the rule of the Moors. Visiting the castle was easier said then done. For those of you who don’t know Lisbon has 7 neighborhoods, for the 7 hills it was built on. Of course whoever decided to call them hills was a fool because they are mountains (I’m exaggerating, but seriously they’re not hills). For those of you who really know me, you know I don’t like to climb. Stairs, hills, mountains, I hate them all. So when we essentially scaled a mountain to get to this castle I was not pleased. But of course when we finally reached the top I was grateful because the view was amazing. The castle, which was built in Medieval times was added onto during the rule of various peoples both Moors and otherwise. After wandering around the castle we began our dissent down the “hill” and stopped at Sè, a cathedral reminiscent of a smaller Notre Dame in Paris. Before leaving for the airport we grabbed lunch at a small café on our street Rue San Nicolai. The café was filled with various Portuguese treats we essentially sampled them all. But at last it was time to leave for the airport and so we hopped in a cab and were on our way.
Our trip to Lisbon was short because we didn’t know what to expect. If I knew then what I knew now I would have stayed in Lisbon for much longer so I could have explored every little corner of the city before venturing to other Portuguese cities nearby. I loved everything about the place. The people were beautiful and kind, the architecture was amazing, the food was good, and nothing was too expensive. Walking around I knew it was a place I could live. Of course I don’t speak Portuguese (thank God we had Lynne with us) and I love American too much, but if I could pick up Lisbon and plop it down next to Jersey I would be happy. It has by far been the most amazing place I’ve visited while abroad and I fully intend on going back.