PORTUGAL. (Lisboa, Sintra, Belém)

21-March-2009

21:57 LISBOA

Hands down, favorite country ever.

Thursday, March 19 was Día de San José (and Mommy & Daddy's 26th wedding anniversary!) so we had a day off from school and me & Lori decided to go to Lisbon. We got there Thursday morning after an overnight train and let me tell you, sleeping in a chair for 9 hours.. QUITE the experience. Once we got there, we got lost on the way to the hostel because the streets are even more tiny and twisty than in Spain, if you can believe it. We ended up asking an old lady in a bakery for directions. She only spoke Portuguese and many a hand gestures were involved in this thorough explanation of "Turn left, walk up one street, turn right at the street light."

The hostel was INCREDIBLE. If anyone is traveling to Lisbon and needs a place to stay, you must go to the Alfama Patio Hostel. It was run by two girls and one of them was from Latvia so we spoke Russian! The hostel had a great view of the streets, trams and of course, the Rio Tajo.

We go there in the morning, dropped off our stuff and then went to explore the city. We followed the tram lines into Portas do Sol and decided to look for the Castelo de São Jorge. And look we did. The castle was enclosed in a wall and we couldn't for the life of us find the entrance. We ended up following some group of tourists through this torn down and abandoned alley that finally led us to the Castelo. Inside, we walked around and climbed all of the towers and walls and everything possible. Lori is afraid of heights, so it was quite the adventure. In one of the yards, there was a man playing the guitar and it was amazing music.


After that we went to the Praca do Comercio, which would have more impressive had it not been under construction, but still good. We sat by the water at the tip of the Praca and enjoyed the sun for a bit. After that we walked to the Praca Pedro V and had some yummy sorbet and watched two guys in rabbit suits jump around. You know, like you do..

Then we went to this building near the Archaelogical Museum which, upon climbing up, gave us a beautiful view of Lisbon. After that we had dinner at this tiny place called Ti-Natercia, run by one woman who is the waitress, owner and cook.

The next day we went to Sintra and saw Palacio da Pena, this gorgeous, colorful castle on top of a mountain. It looked like something Disney World should had been based on.


Then we went to Quinta da Regaleira, which was a mythological castle below in Sintra. There were these tunnel things you had to go through and towers to climb. Simply magical.

After that we took a bus from Sintra to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in all of Europe. THAT was impressive. I was speechless upon arrival. All you saw was the Atlantic and the horizon. Many thought it was the end of the world before the Americas were discovered.

By the time evening came around, we hopped on a bus that took us through Cas Cais and took a train back to LIsbon.

The next morning we got up early and went to the flea market behind the church near our hostel and bought some knick knacks to comemorate the trip. (Yes, knick knacks.) In the afternoon we caught the tram to Belém. There we visited the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and the Torre de Belém, which was my desired location. Right on the water, small and beautiful. After lunch we went to Pasteis de Belém, the most famous pastry shop and had quite possibly the most delicious pastries and coffee. Am I allowed to like Portuguese coffee more than Spanish coffee? Because it's been amazing so far. Every cup.





Until the next trip,
-Midget in Portugal