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| I <3 Lisbon |
If I had to sit down and make a list of the top ten best things to happen in my life I feel like study abroad would be on the list. Not only do we get to travel around Spain for 3 months we just spent the weekend in PoRtUgAl. In case you all are considering a trip to Portugal here are the top lessons I learned:
1) Do NOT trust the Taxi drivers. Luisa, Felicia, and I got ripped off by a super nice man who explained the best routes and sights to see while in Portugal. Instead of taking the direct highway to the airport that costs a meager 7 euro, he decided to take the side roads and longest routes possible to charge us a whopping 21 euro! I’m still a little bitter about this situation.
2) The pastries in Portugal are delicioso! I am on kind of a chocolate diet you could say and I have developed quite the taste buds for good chocolate. Portugal definitely measures up to my standards for chocolate and gelato! We had major withdrawals for American food and at this point it was a necessity to satisfy those cravings. We enjoyed Hard Rock Café, Pizza Hut, and of course McDonalds.
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| I have never been so excited for a meal in my life. |
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| THE BEST DINNER EVER |
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| I have the best manners. |
3) No matter who tells you that Spanish and Portuguese are similar. . . DO NOT TRUST THEM! It is true that some word are similar in the two languages but we are just so lucky that nearly everyone we ran into spoke English or Spanish because the only word I know in Portuguese are Seem (yes) and Nao (no)-Portuguese speakers please excuse the spelling on those.
4) Never order apple juice. I was craving the biggest glass of ice, cold apple juice and I was sorely disappointed when I received this: Pretty much a straight up crushed apple. How was I supposed to drink that?
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| Flavorless Applesauce |
5) Sintra is probably the most beautiful city that I have ever seen. It is absolutely gorgeous! We spent the majority of our time there and were only able to see about 2 of the main sights. We made it to the Moorish Castle and some Gardens. The view from the castle was breathtaking and we also managed to meet some photo buddies who we just happened to keep track of the whole tour ;).
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| Our first pic in Sintra |
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| The Gardens |
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| Moorish Castle |
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| Our photographers for the day! |
6) I really wished we lived near the beach. There really is nothing like walking bare foot in the sand and feeling the cool ocean breeze. It was so fun having nice sunny weather and being able to explore shops along the coast. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and this is where we had to say goodbye to Portugal. We did leave our mark though!
7) I am traveling with the coolest people ever! They can make sketchy subway rides, smelly trains, and stinky hotel rooms (our feet may have been the culprit here) so fun. You know you are a tight knit group when you have to split one bed with 4 people.
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| Portugal Subway |
