Spring Break part I, Lisboa

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What do you when you have one week off? Take another week off and go around the Iberian Peninsula!

The start of the spring break adventure began with me meeting up with Lauren and Tracy in Lisboa. Typical to the rest of the trip, when I arrived at 2 in the afternoon, Lauren and Tracy were still out of commission. Though Portugal is right next to Spain, Lisboa felt very different from Barcelona. The city looked liked photographs of a European town from 40 years ago...it had a run down romanticism that only gave it more character. Lisboa felt much more like a quaint city rather than a bustling metropolis - most of the buildings are no more than four or five stories.

While I was on the bus from the airport to Lauren's flat, I saw two elderly gentlemen dressed in three-piece suits with matching fedoras give up their seats to equally old elderly ladies decked out in heels. Aw, may chivalry never age.

One of my favourite parts of Lisboa is by the water. The suspension bridge and the sail boats reminds me of San Francisco. The Tower of Belem is a gorgeous example of Manueline architecture. But even better, is the infamour Pasteis de Belem. Legend has it that it was created by monks at the Monestir de Belem next door, and only three people alive today know the recipes! It's an egg custard dessert that is topped off with cinnamon and frosting sugar. Mm mm good.

Another highlight of Lisboa is Bairro Alto. The hilly cobblestone streets are bustling with night life as small, smokey bars line the streets. But the real party is outside on the streets, where people walk around - drink in hand - and mingle through the crowds. The view of Lisboa at night is gorgeous from here as well! This is were we saw a funicular cart grafittied with "This Is Lisbon". Thanks for the reminder funicular cart.

Even though we only had a couple of days in Lisboa, we decided to take a day trip to Sintra. This fairytale town is populated by picturesque castles and secret gardens. The Palacio de la Pena is a fantastic mix of wedding cake and a giant version of Handsel and Gretel's candy house (minus the witch of course). I loved this castle because nothing matched and there is absolutely no symmetry. Tracy and I wondered the castle grounds, which are big enough to get lost in. And sure enough, we did. We walked all the way to another site under restoration...and ended up finding the exit 1.5 hours after it had closed. The security guards weren't fazed when they saw us walking through so late though.

Of course a visit to Lisboa would not be complete without fado and bacalao. Fado is a traditional music they have that's slightly operatic, filled with emotions and often a bit melodramatic. While watching Fado in a traditional Portuguese restaurant, I ate bacalao - dried salted cod. Apparently, the Portuguese can make bacalao over 100 different ways. Interestingly enough, they actually have to import cod - how did this ever become a national food?

We ended Lisboa by going to the Thieves Market, where Lauren swears that you can actually find stuff you had stolen there and buy it back! Apparently they steal everything - from jewellery to furniture to video tapes from the 90s.

After a weekend in Lisboa, we adeus to Lisboa, and hopped on the train to the beach town of Lagos!

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Photos

The beginning
View of a very early morning from El Prat