Lisboa

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So this past weekend I went to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, here they call it Lisboa. There was a lot more to see there than I thought there was, and more complicated with the Portuguese language. It sounds nothing like Spanish, but many people spoke English. So after the 10 hour overnight train ride on Thursday night, we arrived in Lisboa, with an hour difference of Madrid, at 8:30 in the morning. We left our bags at the residencia but couldn't check in yet, so we went for breakfast and walked around the nearby park. After we checked into the hostel, we took a walk down to the main area, saw the Sao Roque Church and did a walking tour of the area. Then we shopped a little, but I didn't buy anything. Later that night we went to a nice restaurant that had Fado, a Portuguese type of music. After a night of sleep, we spent our morning in Belem, an area of Lisboa that is a little out of the way. We saw the Coach Museum, the Monastery of Jeronimos, and the Monument to the Disoveries. Then we left the main city for a town called Sintra. There we saw the National Palace and had a good lunch. We also saw the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, but from afar, because they closed earlier than expected. We headed back to Lisbon for a peaceful night after all the hill climbing in Sintra. On Sunday, we stayed in Lisboa to see the Ancient Art Museum, the National Tile Museum, and the Gulbenkian Museum. We also saw the Sao Jorge Castle from afar. From there, we took our time back to the hostel, to pick up our bags and head to the train station. It was another 10 hour overnight train ride back to Madrid, and we arrived in the morning.. small note: I was an hour late for class that day, because the watch and alram clock were still on Portugal time. Don't worry, it wasn't that big of a deal. All in all, Lisboa was impressive.

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Photos

Rua Augusta...

Praca de Comercio

Fado
Fado songs, as the book says, ´reflect Portugal´s bittersweet relationship with the sea.´ They are sad, but hopeful.

The Coach Museum
Supposedly the most visited museum in Portugal, the Queen created it in 1905 to store her carriages as she saw that cars were taking over.

Comments

[Candace, Zack's mom]

A comment has been added
Hi Cassie, Just a quick hello and thanks for the photos. I loved the one with the park and view of the city and ocean...just beautiful. Also, the weird art! Sorry the shopping didn't yield any treasures...bummer. I think it is great that you are keeping up your blog; I really enjoy it. Candace

[anonymous]

"Portugal won its independence in 1974" - That’s the end of the dictatorship, not independence! PORTUGAL IS EUROPE OLDEST NATION!!! Formation 868 - Independence June 24, 1128 - Recognized October 5, 1143 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal#History you should rectifie your information!