The Most Fun Weekend of My Life, Part I

This past weekend was probably the best of my life. No exaggeration. For this reason, I am working backwards. I still have a lot to catch up on from Morocco, the Canary Islands, Valencia, and everything in between, but I don’t want to forget anything I did this weekend. Here goes.

My roommate and I signed up for this trip to Lisbon for the first weekend in May, which is a 4 day weekend. There are two holidays celebrated on May 1 and 2; Workers Day and Madrid Day, so it makes for good traveling. We did just that.

This company we went with, Forocio, did not disappoint. It’s a student travel agency located in Madrid, which I saw an ad for in the Español Ya! Magazine I read from time to time. The trip cost 190 euros and included bus fare, 3 nights in a three-star hotel, breakfast, and guided tours. Really, not bad at all. The website is www.forocio.com, in case any would like to find more info. Additionally, if you’re computer savvy, you can see pictures from our trip. I’d say they’re worth checking out.

I myself was looking forward to this trip for several reasons: I wanted to see Portugal, my friends said it’s relatively inexpensive (for Europe, after all) and a bunch of my friends raved about how much they loved visiting. I was excited, to put it lightly. Most important of all, I really wanted to meet some foreign people. I have like zippo Spanish friends, which is really disappointing. This trip remedied that, and then some.

It’s not hyperbole to say that I took a lot from every aspect of this trip. I opened up a lot with people I didn’t know, and even managed to get them to laugh a lot. The tours during the day were also cool, since the weather was perfect the whole time and the city is absolutely beautiful. I can’t tell you the last time I had nearly this much fun. I also met a few really cool girls, which is just as important. I’m supposed to be reporting to my friends what European girls are like, so I guess we’ll keep that in mind in the future.

Blah, blah, blah, I went to class Friday and got home at like 12:45. I packed my bookbag up and shoved off for Plaza de España to meet up with the group. Ryan and I stood around, sort of eyeing up the group. It didn’t appear to be saturated with Americans, which was good.

Anyway, we loaded up and hit the road. I think I packed a little too light, but that’s life. I wished I’d brought some more clothes to go out, but I mean, whatever. On the bus, we had 2 German people in front of us, and 3 Italian girls behind us. It’s interesting when no one is speaking the same language in a given area. Needless to say, we didn’t chat it up with them, at least at the time. To tell you truth, I sort of regret not speaking to more people on the bus the first day, but that’s not always the best space to really meet people.

Matias, our Forocio director, was an Argentine, although he’s actually darker than most, but I can see how girls would like him a lot. He handed out a sheet on our trip and what we’d be doing and got everyone’s names and all. The dude speaks like 4 and a half languages: Spanish, English, German, something else, and a little bit of Dutch. It was funny how he spoke to me and Ryan in English and I responded in Spanish. I just sort of do that. Matias was assisted by a guy name Raul, who was a little odd looking. Not like ugly odd, but more so the really well-shaped eyebrows and lack of body hair odd. Raul took lots of pictures for the Forocio website. Matias was really laid-back, and did a better job than I even expected.

Looking around the bus, without being too creepy, we found there to be an extremely high number of attractive girls. This can never be a bad thing. Honestly, it was pretty amazing. The American contingent was mostly up front and was probably the majority. Ryan and I were in the middle, as I’ve mentioned, sandwiched by non-English and non-Spanish speaking. The Italian girls were really hot, though. Good thing I got to talk to them in later parts of the trip (we’ll see about hanging out in the next couple of weeks). Not really any Spanish girls, to tell the truth; only like 2, and one was married to this guy, I’m pretty sure. They were at least a serious couple, if not married. Plus, they were like 30. The German girl looked to be half black and probably half white, but she was really attractive as well. We didn’t get to talk to her, because we couldn’t tell if the guy she was with was her boyfriend or if he was her gay friend. That happens with a lot of Europeans; although as I’m writing this, I’m about an hour removed from having a couple of gay guys on a moving metro car blow me kisses. At least I had my sunglasses on and they couldn’t tell if I saw them.

Ryan and I found out later we were the only American males on the trip. Not bad. There were people from 20 different countries on the trip, which was so cool. I got to know a few Americans, but for the most part, I was hanging out with people not from my country. I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved that. I wouldn’t say that I was a novelty item, but I think I was a little different from their stereotype of Americans…other than how much I partied. But we’ll save that for later.

The bus ride itself ended up taking a lot longer than we originally anticipated. Our expected time of arrival was like 9 or 10 p.m., but it ended up being more like 11:30, I believe. At least we got to watch a couple of movies, including Van Wilder. It was interesting to see how people responded, since all the movies were in English with English subtitles. Surprisingly, there was a lot of laughter in the back where nearly no one was American. At one of the stops, I asked a group of girls if they would watch my bottle of water while I went into the little market. They did, with no trouble, and when I came back out with Ryan we talked to them for a bit. The three of them were from Mexico, which I’m certain my roommate was happy about. He’s studied in the Dominican Republic and spent like 5 weeks in Costa Rica in high school, so he prefers Latino accents, and I suppose Latinos in general. Just having my bottle of water helped the guy out, as he ended up hanging out with them throughout the trip.

Upon arrival, everyone waited in the lobby and got keys; we lucked out in getting a double. That was nice. Matias told us we’d meet up outside the front door at 12:15 to go out to some bars nearby, which I was all for. No better way to meet new people.

There was only like 15 people who actually went out with us the first night. The first bar we tried to go into was closing or something, so we headed just down the street to this Cuban bar. That place was ok. It was just really, really small. It wasn’t suffocatingly crowded, but room did come at somewhat of a premium. As far as ordering drinks goes, it wasn’t the easiest. Fortunately, this one Spanish guy flagged down a waitress for me and ordered the drinks for me and Ryan. I had a Poncho Colins, which I believe is just a Tom Collins, but I can’t recall. I was doing my best to fit in by not just ordering a beer, as I often prefer to drink. It worked out, though, as the Spanish guys started talking to us, and they were drinking beers. I ditched the mixed drinks and hit the frothy stuff. We honestly weren’t at that place too long, as it ended up closing. The prices weren’t bad though; like 3,00 for a mug of beer.

Once we got the boot from that bar, Matias took us to another club that opened up at 2. It was empty, which I thought was weird for a Friday night in a big city. It worked out, though. Ryan and I chatted with these 2 Spanish guys in particular, Saul and Carlos. Saul is 27 and an engineer of some sort; Carlos is 26 and I’m not sure what he does. I’m positive he’s really funny, though. We also ended up talking to this guy David, and I can’t remember his girlfriend/wife’s name, and their friend Laura. I’m not certain, but they may have previously known Saul and Carlos. Their other friend, Nico, was talking to some girl from Colombia, although to me, he looked to be a little bit older than them. They said they felt old when we told them how old we were. They didn’t look much older than me, to be honest, so it wasn’t a problem. We all agreed that there was a distinct lack of girls out that night, but that it would be better the following night. It really was, so I’m not torn up about things from Friday.

So I believe I got home somewhere around 3 and went to sleep. We got up around 9 for breakfast, which wasn’t spectacular; an odd amount of lunchmeat and cheese, and some bread-ish things. I at yogurt and ham, everyone’s favorite things for breakfast. The orange juice sucked, much like the majority of orange juice I’ve had over here.

The Portuguese language itself looks like a retarded guy trying to spell in Spanish. I can read it ok, kinda like Catalan in Barcelona. Understanding when someone talks, though, is entirely different. It sound like someone speaking in Spanish with a heavy German accent. It has that -sh sound and some more guttural aspects than Spanish. Regardless, I was just fine with my understanding of two languages while on the trip.

Saturday morning started off with deciding to go with the Spanish speaking tour guide or the English. Take a guess where we went? I’ll end the suspense—the Spanish guide. His name was Pedro, and it was really funny, because his English was probably better than his Spanish. From time to time, he’d start speaking in English, then try to speak in Spanish, only to actually continue in English. He also spoke American English, which I liked to hear. But his Spanish was obviously good, so understanding was never really a problem.

Our 3 hour tour went a little off-course and we ended up getting marooned on an island with this guy named Gilligan…but really, we did a 3 hour foot-tour of the city. We got to see the standard issue statues and plazas, and the cathedral as well. It was cool. I also talked to the Spanish guys some more, and could tell they were a lot of fun. We talked about school and our countries and language and everything you’d expect. But really, I can’t tell you enough how much I liked them. It’s usually difficult to approach Spaniards, since they’re in their native environment and generally with friends. This trip provided a setting conducive to me meeting people.

As for the city itself, Lisbon is very pretty. Many of the streets are made of this material that feels more like tile than brick. It’s white and smooth, so I was thinking it could be a problem when wet…but who knows. It looks nice and I liked it. The buildings aren’t terribly different from those in Madrid, but I’d say things look a little more spaced out. I liked that. The plazas were very pretty, and I can’t begin to tell you how nice the weather was. It was between 75-85 and sunny, and going into the shade felt terrific. You really can’t ask for much more when you’re on vacation.

Our tour included walking up to the top of this big tower to get a nice view of the city. It’s their equivalent of the Eiffel Tower. I chatted with my newly found Spanish friends, and told them that Portugal to them was probably like Canada for Americans. We made our way around a little more and I discussed some language stuff with Nico, and made jokes with him and the other guys about various things. It was a good time.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel for a little break. Ryan got his fill of Doner Kebap, which was conveniently next to the hotel. After that, we loaded up on the bus and headed out to visit some of the closer cities. First up was Sintra. It was a really pretty area: full of mountains and some breathtaking views. We were so high up in the mountains, and the view of the ocean was incredible. We got to walk around and see the village, which was full of little cafés and some touristy places. As we walked, we also met Alex and his girlfriend Gloria. They’re both Italian, although Alex’s mom is American. When he asked me a question in English, it took me by surprise, especially since he didn’t really have an accent. They were both extremely cool and a lot of fun. He’s about to take some tests for his job as an engineer and this is part of his way to cut loose before the real world takes hold. I really wish him luck in all that.

Ryan and I ate in this little pastry shop. I ate this thing that was like tortilla, but I suppose it would be a quiche, with ham and the like in it. I also ate another pastry thing with cheese and mushrooms in it, and both were quite good; the prices were also cheap. All this stuff cost me 4 euros. Not too shabby in my estimation.

After a wee bit more walking around, Ryan and I sat down and waited to get on the bus at an actual bus stop where other people were waiting. As we sat, I was approached by a girl asking me if I was from Pittsburgh. It took me a little by surprise, but it was because of my Got Ben? shirt I was wearing. Saturday was the NFL draft, and I hadn’t forgotten, even I was in Europe. We started talking to her, and she was very nice. Her name was Amanda, and she’s from Harrisburg, PA, and goes to school at Pitt.

Eventually, we got back on the bus and headed to Cascais. As our guide explained to us, Cascais is the Beverly Hills of Portugal. It really was pretty. I guess a lot of rich people live there, although we obviously just passed through residential areas and went down to the more touristy part. There were some small beach areas, and lots of stores and what not. I saw a t-shirt I liked, but not for 56 euros. Not a ton to do there, but it was worth seeing. I liked it. I imagine going to the beach or a vacation there would be pretty nice. Once we waited for the bus, we talked to the Mexican girls a little bit more, and then headed back to the bus. Ryan and I got separated, as I sat in the middle and didn’t see where he was.

Of course, he was in the back with the Mexican girls. I moved back to an open seat a row in front of him and incidentally sat next to Amanda. We got to talking about Pennsylvania and such, as I have a rudimentary knowledge of the state; at least, I have a working knowledge of the western part of it. I’ve never been east of Hershey, and Philadelphia is a place I have yet to experience. Even so, we chatted, and she’s extremely cool. I also got to meet some of her friends, who were very nice. Lots of people meeting. My polite face was on, and I don’t think I said a single sarcastic thing the whole time; then all of a sudden she was about to make a comment, I forget about what, and she stopped herself. I knew she was going to say I’m a smartass, or at least sarcastic. I just sensed it. It must be the way I carry myself. I honestly didn’t say anything that would point to me being…well, me. I can’t win. Ryan laughed at the whole situation.

After that we went back to the hotel. For 18 euros more, we had an optional dinner and trip to a disco. I was in. So everybody got dolled up and what not (I sort of got dressed better, considering I had like 3 t-shirts in my bag) and off to the traditional Portuguese meal. All the girls really got dressed up and what not for the big night; after dinner, we were going straight to the discoteca on the bus.

At dinner, Ryan and I sat at the end of a really long table with David, and the Moroccan guy (I feel bad because I can’t remember his name). The seat immediately next to me was vacant, and on the other side was a guy from Nicaragua. Next to David sat Laura, and next to her, his wife (we’ll call her that from here on in). The food itself consisted of a soup to start that was pretty much just vegetables, but with a base that tasted like it may have been green beans. It was tasty. Next up was a dish called Bacalao a la Brasa, which is essentially a noodle dish with cod and some clams and what not. Also, quite tasty. Then came another rice dish with beef, although I’m pretty sure it also had pork in it. It didn’t taste entirely like beef, but I didn’t exactly care. I was pretty well famished. I felt bad for any Jews in the room who may have eaten swine. Makes me wanna see Pulp Fiction:

“I don’t fuck with swine,” says Samuel L. Jackson. By the way, Google “Snakes on a Plane.” This is an honest to god movie coming out. Samuel L. only signed up because of the title. Gotta love that man.

Lastly, we got this pot that looked like soup, but it turned out to be another rice dish. We washed down our meal with red and white wine and some water. The red wine was good but the white sucked in my opinion. If I take one thing from this trip, it’s a newfound appreciation for red wine. I never liked it much, as my parents stick to white. Unfortunately, I was drinking white with the beef and red with the fish. Totally off, but it was only because I didn’t know what I’d be eating, so I couldn’t plan my drink well. But it was still alright. Dessert was this ice-cream cake thing. With the exception of that, everything was served family style.

Conversation was good during dinner. We talked with David about a myriad of things, as he spoke English, and said he liked speaking in English to us and having us respond in Spanish. Fine by me. He swears a lot in Spanish and speaks really fast, so between him and the Moroccan guy, who spoke terrific Spanish, but who was a little difficult to understand, we got some interesting topics. Laura, his friend, asked me and Ryan if we were brothers. That was especially amusing, if you’ve ever seen Ryan and me next to one another. I’m skinny, a little darker skin and have dark hair. He’s more of a normal build, reddish hair, and tons of freckles. We told her no; apparently, all the Spanish people had been calling us “Hermanos Ryan” or “Hermanos O’Brian.” Either way, she thought we were actually brothers. That was pretty damn funny.

All in all, I enjoyed the meal. After we were done chowing, Amanda came over to our vacant seat and chatted with me and Ryan. She sounded like she’d gotten a little “happier” with the dinner wine. It was kinda obvious, but I mean it’s cool. We played 20 questions, and no joke, when I gave them mine with the clue, “men and women both use it,” she guessed razor right off the bat. WTF? Who does that?

On our way out, we met some more of Amanda’s friends, who were clearly somewhat drunk. The funniest, by far, was this short girl named Rose. As Ryan and I were talking, she comes up to us and says, “You guys speak English?” Well, yeah. She had heard us speaking for about 2 minutes before she even asked. Incredible. And apparently they were obsessed with birds at this restaurant, as there were swans in the pond…because that denotes obsession. I got some laughs out of these comments.

Next up was the club. As they would say on MTV Cribs, this is where the action happens. And so it did. My goal for the night was to essentially have a good time. To facilitate this, I planned on drinking a lot. Let me tell you, I did a good job of it. Typically, I’m not a big dancer. Most people who know me well could tell you this. When you go to a club, however, you pretty much have to dance to not look like a total stiff. My plan: get drunk enough to have a good time, and have no inhibitions about dancing. As long as I didn’t get blackout annihilated, I’d be just fine.

Well, I can tell you that I started out drinking Gin & Tonics. Only 4,50 at this place. Not horrible, for Europe. The dance floor wasn’t huge, but it was cool. My friends were in the back corner by the bar. Girls did their dancing, as girls tend to do. Nico wanted to meet some American girls, and Ryan was just chilling with me. So, I did my best to introduce Nico to some people. In the process of all this, I was pretty much pounding down drinks. Not really sure how many G&Ts I had, but there were quite a few involved.

My newfound Spanish friends found my ability to put down booze amusing, I suppose. Being the cool guys they are, they started inviting me to do tequila shots. I guess that’s their thing. Tequila shots and Rum & Coke seemed to be the Spanish way to drink. Fine by me.

After some salt and lemon, tequila got my engine running full blast. Someone said they thought I looked like Adam Levine, the singer from Maroon 5, and I had a couple of pictures taken with me. That was amusing. Matias thought it was funny. Some of the American girls wanted me to dance, but I told them I wanted to finish my drink…that turned into at least 1 or 2 more.

Eventually, I got my groove on. I would dance a little, then end up taking a break for a drink. One of the hot Italian girls was flirting big time with Saul, and I asked him was his deal was. He’d just had some sort of knee injury, so dancing wasn’t in the cards for him. He told me, anyway, that he liked the dark haired one anyway. Such trouble for a man to have. He ended up flirting with the one bartender and got some rounds of tequila for free. Worked for me. I ended up doing like 5 or 6 shots of tequila, and most of them straight up. Needless to say, I got tanked. Even so, I continued dancing and drinking and all that jazz. It was seriously so much fun. I’d known these guys for less than 24 hours, and like every 15 minutes it would be, “Ryan, otro chupito (another shot)!” They friggin loved me, I guess. I ended up demonstrating my signature dance, the crotch point, made famous at my senior prom. Me and Carlos ended up pointing at each other the rest of the trip, and when we weren’t, we’d point at our crotches. We made plenty of jokes, and I was having a terrific time.

Ryan danced with some of the American girls. It was a good time to be had by all. Carlos introduced me to Marzia, the blonde Italian girl. I didn’t know they had blondes in Italy; I’m not complaining though. She’s really cool, on top of being really hot. Jeez. That’s like the theme of this journal. But no less, it didn’t hurt being the only American guys on the trip. We were well-received by all, foreign or domestic. I laughed with all the Spanish people and drank a ton with them, and danced with all comers, basically. A good night. Making it even better, we were only half way through the weekend.

---

---