Portugal: Lisbon & Sintra

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I arrived at the hostel around 8pm. It was an OK transition from Heaven back to planet Earth. Little did I know what was in store for this week around my birthday, celebrated around the world (as New Years Eve). After Black Swan in Barcelona, this is the best hostel in the world. Good Morning Hostel is aptly named, due to the phenomenal breakfast. Every morning, we came down to Tatianna making fresh waffles and paninis for breakfast, plus bowls of fruit, cereal options, juices, milk, teas, coffee… from 7-11—always with enough leftovers to last us through lunch, and sometimes dinner :D If you know me, you must know one of my favorite things in the entire world is free food :D

Lisbon is a beautiful city with intricately designed black and white marble cobblestone streets that create the neatest walking experience on my trip this far. I came to learn that the iconic Portuguese street pavement designs using the 'tessera' are actually something they are famous for. They have a bridge that was designed by the same architect as the golden gate bridge, and therefore looks pretty similar, and it is a great background to the expansive sea view.

Back at the hostel one evening, they were serving free soup and bread with warm, homemade sangria for dinner. I think I’m falling in love….

The country changed some laws regarding hotel options about 7 years ago, which opened the door for hostels to come into the picture, thus boosting their tourist economy. Thank goodness! ***This may be the best vacation spot I can recommend to anyone.*** It is very common for people from Poland to come over to get married here. The city is quite sensual in many ways. One notable way was how the streets smelled of smokey roasting chestnuts, which were so big that one or two was super filling. The sights and sounds of the trolley cars climbing up the steep, narrow road passages, the feeling of the cobblestones on your feet when you walk - the streets are not level at all. It was great.

The hostel made a giant meal for the worldwide celebration of my birth (NYE) and kept this 5 gallon tub full of fruity, homemade sangria from 5pm until 1130 or so. Everyone drew a piece of paper out of a hat with a famous character on it, and our job was to ask the other guests questions to see if their character was the partner to our own. For example, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, or Rocky and Bullwinkle. I was Robin, looking for my Batman. I found him- the member of the hostel staff that had been maintaining the flow of sangria throughout the night. He was a ton of fun and I miss that guy. My Karaoke debut (this is what happens when you drink their sangria for 5+ hours) was Snoop Dogg’s ‘Lodi Dodi’ and I was told I nailed it after getting a standing ovation from 20 % of my audience, so like, 3 dudes, lol :D

Around 1130, Batman (Stefan), armed with 50 bottles of Champagne for a mere 30? of us, marched us down to the square to watch the fireworks off the coast of Portugual. What a great topper to an already unbelievably amazing bday! The next day, er, night, Stefan showed me a neat little food joint nearby, though I’ll never be able to remember which one or how to get back there. For you fight club fans, Stefan was my single serving friend that made my bday much sweeter simply by having shared it with me :D

I have been bookmarking every article with a title similar to “50 places to see before you die” and “31 places you cannot believe exist” and out of that compilation, only Lisboa has three!!! Most countries are lucky to have one, and tiny Lisboa has THREE!!! :D There are many options to take day trips to Sintra, Porto, and the Western-most point of all of Europe. You do not want to miss Sintra. My only regret about the whole trip was not having one more day to spend in Portugual to see more of Sintra and Lisbon.

When I left, I was seriously debating pushing it back another day. Too bad I had to get back to work, although I have a feeling I will return to Lisboa before this Europe experience I’m having is over. I need more times like these in my life. We all do! =D

I returned to Budapest on a gray, frosted morning.

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