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Published: November 3rd 2008
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My weekend in Portugal was amazing. Today marks two months in Spain and I can't imagine going home yet! I am almost positive that Lisboa (Lisbon) is the prettiest city I have ever been in. It was like a mix between the beautiful hills and bay of San Francisco, the green lushness of Portland, and the cultured European vibe of Paris. Yes, that perfect! If only they spoke Spanish instead of that silly language they call Portuguese. So weird.
We left on Friday morning. I huffed it to the bus at 8:30am and well, stopped at Starbucks for a yummy treat to have on the bus. Yay $29 mocha. The bus ride was really long, but I love all the girls that went on the trip and I was reading a really good book ("Where Rainbows End" is written by the same author as PS I love You) ! We finally arrived in Lisbon at our hostel. It was a youth hostel, not so beautiful... We met our Portuguese tour guide, Rita, who spoke "Spanish" which was really a mix of Portuguese with the use of a few Spanish verbs. Easily understood anyway. We went on a bus tour of
Elevador Santa Justa
me ans ashley while we were waiting to go up the city and then got off in the center of it all. We went on this famous elevator that was built like the Eiffel Tour. Like by the same people or something. It was built on 1902 which is a little unsettling to hear when you are getting in an elevator, but the view was worth it. Then we went on a "get oriented" tour of the city with all the cute neighborhoods. Very cute. That night we were all so tired, so we went to a nearby mall to get dinner. I had soup and salad and it was so cheap and so good compared to Spain. Portugal is obsessed with fruits, veggies, and pastries. You will see that that is all I ate the whole time!!
Saturday...
started early with a hostel breakfast... yum. It was actually good, not sarcasm. Then we were off driving to the nearby town of Sintra. Sintra has a completely different climate from the rest of the peninsula because of the position of mountains and the coast around it. It is amazingly green. So beautiful. We climbed up to an old castle that was so amazing and breathed in all
the fresh air from above it all. Wow. I loved it and really got to know a lot of new girls that are really sweet. I especially bonded with three girls from Texas. After the hike, we went down to the center of town for some free time in Sintra. We walked around the cute shops and then had lunch at a little cafe. I had a tuna sandwich with tuna, lettuce, and tomato and a coffee with cola cao. Then we walked around some more, toured an amazing palace, and went to a super cute famous bakery. I got two amazing amazing pastries there. Portugal is obsessed with custards and cinnamon and sugar and these did not disappoint.
Then it was back on the bus to head to the most western point in all of europe. It was a beautiful place on the sea. It was really just some beautiful cliffs that happen to be a super Western point. Super windy!! Then we got back on the bus to go to Cascais, a cute shopping town on the coast. It was really fun. We just walked around all the stores. In the end, I ended up with Ashley
and we just sat and talked. I loved it. We ended the night back in Lisbon. I was starving when we got back and fell in love with this cool vending machine-like thing they have. It is like a gumball machine or like one of those candy/toy machines they have at the grocery store or some movie theaters, but it was mixed nuts... perfect. A lot of the girls wanted to go out, but I was feeling sentimental and pooped. I decided to spend the night alone in Lisbon. You would not believe what a good night I had. I first went to the Sheraton to use the bathroom and all their washcloths and products. Then I had the same soup and salad dinner at that mall. Then I went to another nice hotel, curled up on the couch for hours, and finished my amazing book. I had such a great night. I was so proud. When Ashley came home and I was getting ready for bed she asked me what I had done because "I was glowing."
Sunday...
We started Sunday with a trip to some monuments on the river front. Please don't hate me for not
remembering what they were called. It was so in Portuguese and I was turned off by those words. Later, we went to have the rest of the day free in the center of Lisbon. Surprise, Ashley and I went to the mall for soup and salad for lunch. We really had a great time. Then we walked into town and meandered through the AMAZING streets. There were so many cute shops. And there we began our pastry day. We went into every pastry shop because they were all so cute and we ate a few!! hehe!!
Jenny and Ashley and I first all got these little fried dough things. They were a little bigger that donut holes. They were pumpkin flavored and covered in cinnamon and sugar. Then Jenny and I got these "rocks" that were honey fruit scones. They were super honeyish and filled with tons of dried fruit. Some of the fruit was normal dried fruit and some was candied. It was divine. We walked for forever, shopped, and talked. Then we came across a churros stand that looked way better than any in Spain. Woah, it was. We got ours to share and we asked for it
me and Elise
on the way up to the castle covered in cin-sugar and filled with chocolate. They do it on the spot and it is pumped full with melted like chocolate bar. WOAH!! Let me just say wow. We loved it so much. We all got our own after that and called it dinner. Later that night, a bunch of girls went to the mall for dinner. I ended up getting a fruit salad with soft serve. I swear, Portugal is right up my alley. Then a few girls and I got a cab to the nightlife area and just walked around there for a while before going to bed.
Monday...
Monday was just a morning of free time in Lisbon. We had breaky in the hostel again, and then headed out to the beautiful day. We spent the hours wandering through the streets and stores. Jenny and I both bought another rock. We all did last little pictures and purchases. It was really fun because it was a really a great group of girls.. I don't really feel like that about the program as a whole, so this trip was a pleasant surprise. I love going on the trips because I meet new people every
time!! Now, blah!! I am back for a short 3-day week of school. Poor me!! I am in Spain... haha
Overall, I felt like this weekend was a really strong step for me. I really came to Spain to listen to myself, think about who I was, and take care of me on my own. I really did that this weekend and feel great!!
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