Portugal

When in Portugal, we explored Lisbon (the capital city) for a day/night and a small beach town named Lagos for three. Lisbon is very city like, although it’s definitely not your average city. It has a lot of old Moorish influence, which comes from the ancient Arabs and Moroccans. There is a labyrinth of windy roads with no names in the middle of the city. One of the explanations for this common street work with the Moors is that it was a self-defense tactic against any invading enemies. It’s very common in other places I’ve been too, such as Morocco and Granada. The city is settled on the banks of an inlet and there is a large red bridge (highly resembling the San Francisco bridge) that connects the two banks. Just outside the city limits, deep within the Serra Moutains, lies the ancient city Sintra. It is filled with ancient castles, fair-tale palaces, and verdant gardens. Here we wondered around the hillside trying to discover the road to the palace. We finally settled for a bus to the top after it drove by, but not before discovering all the splendors of the mountainside and the small villages nestled within it. We saw the Castelo Dos Mouros which was built in the 8th century by the Moors. Also the Palacio de Pena and Palacio Nacional de Sintra. The Palacio Nacional de Sintra was once a summer retreat for the Moorish sultans, but then taken over by the Portuguese after the Muslim defeat. After our visit to the castles, gardens, and palaces of Sintra we hopped on a bus and two connecting trains to Lagos.

Lagos is a very small and quant little beach town and probably would never be talked about if it weren’t for it’s renowned surfing. The population is about half Portuguese and half Australians/New Zealanders. After talking with many of them, I discovered that the majority of them came for a visit and never returned home. I can definitely see why, me and one other girl were extremely tempted to do so ourselves! During our vacation, we stayed in the most amazing hostel (The Rising Cock) that has been recommended to me by two friends from the states, a few friends from Spain, and one of our Moroccan guides - so you can imagine how good it was. Word of mouth really travels, huh? This guy in his late twenties whom grew up half in Portugal and half in the states opened up the hostel and a restaurant right across the street. The hostel was extremely clean, had a fully stocked fridge, and enormous chill room with 2 computers, a big screen, and numerous couches, a large patio, great rooms, and best of all, a lady everyone calls “mamma” who makes an abundance of crepes and lemon tea in the morning. There is a word in Portuguese that means something like “I’m stuffed, or can’t do anymore.” Unless you know this magic word, mamma will be forcing crepes on your plate in the 10s! The first day, my fellow travels and myself were bulging all day from the crepes! However it was a day full of surfing, so we were able to work it off thankfully. We went with this group of 15 or so auzzies who opened up a surf shop out of their house. They had three old land rover vehicles to pile everyone and all their gear in, and head to the best surf beaches. They supplied; transportation, lunch, wetsuits, a board, and lessons for only 45 euro, it was a great deal! I had only been surfing one other time - in Tahiti when I was 13 or so and at the prime of my basketball playing years. I don’t remember it being all that difficult when I was little, but wow was I wrong! That was by far the most difficult sport I have personally tried, and I just would like to say - props to all you who can actually surf! That night we went out to a couple local bars - Three Monkeys and Inside and Out. It was a great time and everyone spoke English, which was a great change! The next day we hung out on the beach recovering from our hangovers and soaking up the sun. Rocky cliffs and tunnels galore surround the beaches in Lagos. Unfortunately the tide was too low to jump off the cliffs. Although for those of you who know my fear of heights, probably know that I was secretly relieved, as they were 40-foot cliffs. We spent the day cruising around the town’s windy roads, ports, and beaches. Afterwards, I had one of the best meals I have ever had. Portuguese food is delicious - it’s seasoned with a variety of great spices, and you can even order things “spicy”! They don’t believe in spices of any sort in Spain, not even salt and pepper, and it’s unheard of for something to be “spicy” so you can imagine my excitement at this. I’ve never eaten so much in one sitting! The next day was filled with travel back to Lisbon in order to catch our plane in time. Portugal, or Lagos in particular, has so far been my second favorite travel next to Morocco. It was the most relaxing vacation yet, with absolutely nothing to worry about and nowhere in particular to go. I stayed in my swimsuit for over 24 hours one day and my biggest stress all vacation was if I was getting sun burnt. The town’s atmosphere and people don’t allow for stress or worry of any sort - it’s literally impossible!

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