Weekend in the Clouds: Lisbon + Sintra

Look how gorgeous!

Hello again!

Today marks the beginning of the fourth week of studying abroad. I have thus far gone to Rome, Edinburgh, and Lisbon. Lisbon is holding strong at first place. It was absolutely a dream. It does help that this is the first trip where I was not pitching a 101 degree fever.

I have kept to my promise of attempting to travel to mostly coastal cities during the warmer month of September. Before the chill sets in, I want to escape London’s dreary rain to some sunshine. Lisbon had the most picturesque weather, gorgeous clear skies, and never over 72 degrees. Sightseeing was never exhausting because the heat was never too smothering.

Regarding my mental space throughout this trip, I definitely appreciated the quieter moments the city offered me. I've needed time to sit, write, and sort through overwhelming thoughts + feelings; Lisbon proved the perfect oasis. Not saying I got it all worked out, but it's easier to breathe in a gorgeous city like Lisbon compared to rainy London.

I got back home last night at 2 a.m. and had to be up for classes at 7. I’m definitely feeling slightly overwhelmed with the amount of academics and post-grad planning I need to do. As lovely as traveling has been thus far, I need to find the middle ground between school work and leisure.

Now, to run through my trip..

Thursday, September 21

Arrived in Lisbon at 10:30 at night and was pleasantly surprised by how cheap the Ubers were! Seven euros total to get to our hostel in the heart of Rossio. I stayed at Safestay in a six bed female room. Definitely the nicest hostel I’ve seen so far… huge French windows, fireplace, view of the water. I went to bed the second my head touched the pillow.

Friday, September 22

I’m absolutely crazy when it comes to waking up early on vacation. I’m up at 7:30 and out the door by 8:30 so I can see as much as possible. I went to Brasileira for a classic Brazilian breakfast. My first choice was to go to Dear Breakfast but my roommate is Brazilian and said she heard amazing things about this breakfast nook. I have no complaints, it was tasty!

Off for sightseeing… something about me is that I sometimes feel like I only connect with a city if I walk around solo. I love traveling with a group but I become too distracted having to remain in conversation, when sometimes the only thing I want to do is slowly putz and marvel at the city around me. I'm convinced I could stay silent for hours without even realizing. I wandered off alone for a little bit and made my way through the “New City.” I saw the “famous” elevator that offers a beautiful view of the city horizon, and then continued down one of the main avenues to the Praça do Comércio. I bought a Pastel de Nata, a classic Lisbon-based pastry – and I think I got diabetes from just one of them. I took plenty of photos of the beautifully tiled buildings I passed.

Before arriving in Lisbon, I heard quite a bit about two neighborhoods: Alfama and Bairro Alto. Alfama is the “Old City” and thank God I wore sneakers. I of course went to see the Cathedral first. It was built in 1147 and maintains quite a bit of its Romanesque and Gothic styling. As stunning as it was, it is no where near as ornate as other churches of the time period. The lookout point from the mosaic was gorgeous but terrifyingly tiny. After that, I made my way to the scenic point, Miradouro da Graça. Everywhere I went in Alfama, there were crowds of tourists waiting for a chance to take the most Instagrammable photo.

I truly look like my mother in this photo ..

I really wanted to take the 28 Tram throughout the city (my legs would have been grateful) but I’ve never seen a more packed tin sardine can in my life. Literally 40+ people with their heads poking out the windows for air as they make their way up the hill. I can’t imagine enjoying the scenery when you can’t even sit down. Next time I’m in Lisbon, I’ll be sure to do it at 7 a.m. or 10 p.m.

After lunch (octopus) – I was quite intrigued by these Tuk Tuks. I met up with my roommates again and we decided to barter for a decent price. We had him agree to 80 euros total for the three of us for one hour (looking back, I was scammed). My roommates wanted to see the New City, I wanted to see the Old City. Either way, I spent nearly 28 euros for a tiny tour in the one part of the city I had already thoroughly explored that morning.

Back at the hostel, my roommates and I attended the local Bar Crawl. It was my first one and I definitely can say they are rather effective. Our guide took us to the (beyond busy) bar area of Bairro Alto. 40 young travelers are rather noticeable in each location, but the tour kept its promise, we got free shots. All my roomates headed home around 1:30 feeling too sick, but I hadn’t drank and the only thing I really wanted to do was dance. One girl and I split an uber to Lux, a supposedly well-loved club on the outskirts of the city. It resembled the Barcelona clubs to me, a huge building situated right on the beach. At 3 in the morning, the line was definitely still flowing to get in. The music was great, the people not so much. Moving on!

A cute grandma took this of me

Saturday, September 23

Exhaustion. 3 hours of sleep later, I decided the only thing I wanted to do that morning was find a beautiful lookout point and sit and journal. I made my way to this gorgeous landing past the Cathedral in Alfama again and sat for two hours. I journaled, called the family and then headed down the hill again. On my way back, I impulsively decided it was time for yet another tattoo and booked my appointment for later in the day. After a mini nap back at the hostel, I came back out for some more sightseeing.

Another thing I should mention about myself is I basically personify f.o.m.o. I refuse to miss out on any moment on vacation so something as small as taking a nap made me feel like I missed half the day. Rather than continue uphill from the hostel, I went down our main block and discovered a beautiful part of the city. Large squares and detailed architecture that reminded me of the city center of Tirane. I sat outside and ate a croissant while people watching. I then met my roommates for dinner at Zero Zero (a not so kind 1 km walk up hill). The food was absolutely delicious and when we went for gelato after, we ran into Ebon Moss-Bachrach with his daughter. Small world!

Sunday, September 24

My favorite day traveling is almost always the day I have a tour booked. There is no better way to learn a city / town than having someone deliberately guide you and teach you details you’d never think to ask. My tour of Vatican City in Rome was the highlight of my trip, as well as my guided tour of the castle in Edinburgh. But this tour was truly unlike any I have registered for before. My friend recommended me to this company (Go 2 Lisbon), specifically the guide Igor. It was an eight hour guided tour of Sintra, Cascais, and nearby coastal viewpoints.

Spot the castle!

Igor was genuinely the kindest soul and the best guide. He had a clear passion for his field and a warmth towards all. He guided our small group with such wit and energy. The tour was only eight individuals, so there was no shortage of time to talk and get to know each other. The tour began in Sintra, an infamously beautiful, dotted city village. The gem of the city is the Pena Palace, built by Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Prince) who was 1. Seeking cooler weather among the mountains and 2. Trying to overwhelmingly convince the Portuguese people to like him (he was German). The history was fascinating, whether of the family themselves or the ideas behind every detail of the palace itself. The colors are chosen for specific reasons, the symbology and iconography was used to assert nationalism + coloniolaist mindsets, the Moorish influence is evident. When I walked into the palace, I immediately thought it resembled Alhambra from Granada. Turns out the arch is from there! It was like stepping into a history textbook but your textbook is super picturesque!

We then made our way to lunch. The tour of the palace itself was nearly two hours. Igor took us to a locally produced, and incredibly authentic restaurant in the outskirts of the city. It was d.e.l.i.c.o.u.s. I ate my body weight in ham and cheese. I could barely finish my meal. Following lunch, we made our way to what I think was my favorite view of Portugal – the Westernmost tip of Europe. The cliffs were gorgeous, and just knowing that you are standing at the edge of the continent .. I mean wow. I always find my anxiety is diminished the second I am in the countryside, but this was truly surreal. It was probably the most tranquil I felt in my entire trip to Lisbon. I took a photo with the Cross and tried to meditate for at least a few minutes before heading back to the van.

We then went to Cascais (where Ronaldo is building a multi-million Euro home) and went to two lookout points. Hell’s Mouth is an infamous rock formation whose ceiling collapsed after hundreds of years (probably thousands) of the waves hitting them. Today, you can look through the arch to the ocean. It was absolutely gorgeous, especially in the 17:00 sun but I found myself getting oddly emotional. Happens sometimes when I see something so serene and tranquil, it’s like my brain sabotages me and bombards me with anxiety. I headed back to the car short after.

Truly, this tour made my weekend. It was beautiful scenery, beautiful company, and some much needed space from overwhelmingly large cities.

Sun too bright!

Now, here I am back in London, typing from a cafe and eating a croissant. Off to Paris this weekend. Feeling very blessed.

Cheers,

Chloe