Pardon the hiatus! I'd like to say it was due to a heavy workload or having other important things to do, but such is not the case. I went to Portugal last weekend. There are no words to describe the beauty of this country, emanating from the language, historic buildings, and natural wonders.
Our viaje began as our group (7 in total) gathered at the bus station for our midnight ride to Lisbon. Traveling with a small number was much more pleasant than being with the entire group. The ride wasn't bad, however the man in front of me snored the entire way. This was no average snore, let me tell ya. It sounded so painful, I have no idea how he didn't wake himself up.
We arrived in the early a.m. and immediately went to our hostel, which ended up being a very enjoyable first hostel experience! There was a large lounge room complete with comfy couches, two computers, and marilyn monroe/elvis-adorned walls. The staff were kind enough to let us throw our bags in the backroom even though we were a few hours early for check-in.
Time to muster up some energy and explore the city. Lisbon is suprisingly easy to navigate. We bought day passes for the metro, which were definitely worth the buy. We immediately headed to an area called Belem. Situated there is a monument dedicated to the "discoverers." A further walk along the river brought us to the Belem Tower:
The tower was built in late-gothic style and serves as a symbol of Portuguese power (and as a tribute to Vasco de Gama) during the age of the discoveries. Nearby is the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. The cathedral is very similar to the Spanish style, though with intricate designs on the tall columns.
We took a much-needed break at Casa Pasteis de Belem, a cafe known for its signature pastry, pastel de Belem. A cup-of-coffee later and we were refreshed and ready to continue exploring. We headed back to the city center on a trolley, where we ascended and descended the hilly, swerving streets. This was only about half the day, but I need to talk about Lagos!!
Lagos is a small town located on the southern coast of Portugal, called the Algarve. The town is booming with tourists in the summer, and as a result, most people there speak English (and perhaps because very few people are anxious to learn Portuguese, which is unfortunate considering the beauty of the language!) The highlight of the trip was our 3-hour kayaking tour of the caves and rock formations.
Overall, the trip was fantastic. Portugal is highly underrated. It's kind of Spain's quiet wingman that never really causes any noise in the world. I am in love with the language. The best way I can describe it is as a French-Russian hybrid with a few noticable Spanish words thrown in the mix, if you can imagine that haha. Many of the words look the same, which was a huge help in getting around the city, but due to the differences in pronunciations, one would not guess that Portuguese and Spanish are two of the most closely related Romance languages in written form.
Note: These pictures are stolen from various sites online, thanks to Google Image and generous photo-uploaders. I will for sure post kayaking pictures after I steal my friend's camera...wow, a lot of stealing going on on my part!
Tomorrow is the last day of school for the week, and Friday we leave for Granada. I am so very excited, Barb's sister Claire told me Granada was her favorite city in Spain. I have heard nothing but good things.
Luego!
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