As my time abroad slowly starts to come to a close, I was able to squeeze in one more trip out of the country--this time, to Lisbon, Portugal. I wass joined by my friend, Reaga, currently on a Fulbright to Morrocco, and let me say...this city shattered all m,y expectations. We arrived on a Friday and made our way through the metro of Lisbon to our hostel.
Despite lots of rain, we were still able to walk around the city, see the oldest Bookstore in the world (!) and find chips and queso at a funky Mexican restaurant called El Cabrón. Soaked and full of food, we headed in early that night and hoped for some sun for day two.
Our wishes did end up realizing, as the sun came out and stayed out for the rest of the trip. We started Saturday with a trip to the local farmer's market near our hostel, and checked out TimeOut, the famous food hall nearby also. We found the cutest pottery necklace pieces with our birthdays on them, and dug through the booth for almost an hour because it was not only so pretty, but so cheap!
Next, we hopped on a train ride to Belém Tower and then LX Factory, which was an old factory converted into a shopping district, with restaurants, art galleries, bookstores and shops. Transport in Lisbon was among the best I have seen, with subways, busses and trolleys all across the city. Plus, we bought a 24-hour transport pass for less than six euros!
At LX Factory (Lx being for Lisbon, or as they say, Lisbosh), we explored and found the coolest bookstore, Le Devagar. We scrolled through books, records and even found a puppet art installation made by a local artist meant to simulate a classic Lisbon trolley ride. It was SO cool, and that´s coming from me who gets creeped out by puppets (it's a family gene, I must think).
I want to take a moment to say just how beautiful the sardine shops, of all things, were in Lisbon. Floor to ceiling, gilded and reminiscient of an 18th-century study, it was gorgeous and the sheer quantity of sardines was insane. Unfortunately for Reagan and I, we don't like fish, so we admired from afar.
We hopped back on the train and got to see the subway stations, all decorated and colorful, like the rest of the city. We then hopped over to an ocean-side restaurant for a bruschiatta and (bottle of) wine (we love you Carol the server).
We got to know other people staying in our hostel, our favorite being my French bunkmate, Pierre. We got the chance to explore the city with him and probably annoy him with our constant singing and Tiktoking. Reagan was able to preserve the moment with a bothced panorama, but I'm aware that I look like that all the time...
The last day started without a hitch--we visited Fauna & Flora, a swanky brunch restaurant, and sat at a table on a slight hill. Just so everyone knows, Lisbon is situated on seven hills, due to its Roman history. Let's just say, in a battle of Reagan v Hill, the hill won (and we did lose some bacon, and maybe a functional tailbone) when Reagan slipped down the hill out of her chair. I guess it could always have been worse...
We continued to stroll around sunny Lisbon, and I even bought a cork hat. Cork was everywhere in Lisbon, from shoes to hats to shirts. Eventually, we stumbled upon the Portguese Museum of Beer, where we were treated to a full look into the fermentation process and a nice cold one after, complimentary (I settled for cider, but I still appreciate beer from afar!)
Then, it wouldn´t be a trip to Portugal without a trip to Pink Street, clouded with hanging umbrellas and painted a bright rose color on the pavement. We even saw people dressed in head to toe pink, who definitely looked better than my outfit.
Our last day was finished with a walk through the center, trying the famed Pastel de Nata, seeing the Elevador de Santa Justa, and climbing yet another hill with worthwhile views. It was really difficult to settle on where to take pictures, as every time we peeked through alleys and side streets we were treated to a beautiful panorama of the colorful city. (I failed to get photos, so here are some!)
It was so great getting to experience a new city with an old friend. As someone who never planned to make it to Portugal, it is now at the top of my list to visit again. The colors, the food, the sights--don´t miss it, because I already do! Special thank you to Reagan for having the best camera and photo-taking skills, I miss you too!
Yes, life is good, indeed.
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