The first weekend of February, 4 of my friends and I went on our first trip of the semester: Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese), Portugal! We left Friday morning at the crack of dawn and arrived an hour and half later in the capital. No longer along the Mediterranean, we were now next to the Atlantic and in a time zone one hour closer to home!
After arriving bright & early and taking an early morning nap, we headed off to lunch in the city center. We ate at a swanky restaurant in the plaza called Aura and got the always-economical Menu del Dia- soup, pork, dessert, and Sagre- Portuguese beer. Two and a half hours later (yes, lunch in Europe is no quick feat), we headed to Cascais beach via a 25minute train ride.
Cascais Beach:
On Saturday, we got right to business and visited the 3 main historical sites located in the nearby district of Belem: Jeronimos Monastery, Discoveries Monument, and the Belem Tower. Throughout the day we met some great people. More than the sites, I will remember how kind and happy the majority of the Portuguese people were and who helped us along our way!
Jeronimos Monastery:
Our walk between the monastery and the other historical sites proved to be entertaining. What began as us being innocent bystanders to a german shepherd obedience school, ended with a few of us participating in impromptu dog tricks. “Ladies, put your head down, cover your face, and don’t cry!” -Very random & very memorable in Portugal!
Discoveries Monument- Dedicated to the Portuguese explorers:
Tower of Belem:
After returning back to the city center, we decided we wanted to watch the sunset from a high viewpoint. I stopped to ask this older man for direction to the Castle of Sao Jorge and he insisted on tagging along for the rest of the hike. Even with the language barrier, he was so kind and helpful! He even showed us a short cut to the uphill climb through the city: up 5 stories in a super market elevator that landed us on top of a restaurant! When posing for the photo, he joked about pretending to be an American with us. An awesome encounter indeed.
It’s always a wonderful gift to encounter one from another country who will help and guide. Michele