Kyle made it to Lisbon!

I had a blast in Tenerife but I couldn't help but drift off to think about my upcoming trip with Kyle from time to time.  We had been going on 6 months without seeing each other and I couldn't believe that all that time went by so fast.  I remember waking up super early on Wednesday and taking care of all my cleaning, laundry, packing, etc just because I couldn't sleep.  I left for Lisbon around 3 and checked into my hostel- I had my alarm all set for the morning to go to the airport!


Lisbon is a super hilly city (7 main hills) with look out points scattered throughout.  Lisbon is also Europe's sunniest capital- for the most part we had decent weather.

On Thursday I went and waited at Lisbon's airport, which seemed like an eternity.  He was pretty tired and jet lagged (its a brutal trip) but that's expected.  I didn't really think about our room not being ready until 2p.m. so we had to hang outside around Lisbon until it was ready (whoops).  This was the point that we started to be approached by drug dealers. Later, we researched and found out how lax the drug laws are in Portugal.  Within the first couple of hours we were offered drugs left and right.  I guess this is something Lisbon is known for and it got pretty annoying!  Men just kept approaching him asking him if he wanted drugs and we just laughed and walked away from them. 


I'm not even sure what this building is but I took a photo for some Spaniards and they returned the favor and took our picture here :)

Once our room was ready..we were able to lay down and relax.  Our room was in a bed and breakfast type of place in the central part of Lisbon.  We were perfectly located next to everything which was nice.  This was my 4th time in Lisbon so I had an idea of the layout of the city.  I really like Portugal in general, especially Lisbon. I'm more comfortable there than  in Madrid so I had Kyle fly in there.  Also, its a 3 hour bus ride from Badajoz and I'm familiar with the Oriente station which has the bus, metro, and trains (it's also very close to the airport).  I've been reading about Lisbon ever since we left...


"Lisbon is Europe's second-oldest capital (after Athens), once home to the world's greatest explorers like Vasco da Gama, Magellan and Prince Henry the Navigator, becoming the first true world city, the capital of an empire spreading over all continents, from South America (Brazil) to Asia (Macao, China; Goa, India). The former launch pad for many of the world's greatest voyages is now where modern travelers discover..." http://www.golisbon.com/

10 Reasons Why You Should Go to Lisbon

1. CULTURE: It's one of the world's great historical cities, with characteristic and surprising sights, cultural treasures, and a beautiful setting that make it a paradise for walkers and photographers.
 
2. VALUE: It's one of Europe's best values -- officially Western Europe's least expensive capital.
 
3. LOCATION: It's the closest European capital to the United States and just around a 2-hour flight from all the other major European cities.
 
4. CLIMATE: Its mild climate makes it an ideal year-round destination. Even in winter, when most other European cities are freezing, in Lisbon high temperatures rarely go below 10C (50F).
 
5. RESORT: It is the only European capital located so close to sandy beaches, enabling visitors to combine culture with fun by the sea.
 
6. SIZE: It's a compact and intimate city, ideal for a short city break or a longer romantic stay, with a lively café culture and a nightlife that is one of the most vibrant in Europe.
 
7. VARIETY: Its surroundings offer an incredible variety of tourist attractions, from fairytale palaces in one of Europe's most romantic towns (Sintra), to world-class golf and fun in Europe's largest casino in Estoril, to surfing in Cascais or escaping to a natural park in Arrábida,  to dolphin-watching in Setúbal.
 
8. GATEWAY: It makes a perfect base to explore many of Portugal's most outstanding towns and villages.
 
9. SAFETY: It's one of the safest European capitals. Tourists are always automatic targets in all big cities and visitors should beware of pickpocketing in Lisbon, but serious random violent crime is practically unheard of in this city.
 
10. WELCOMING: It's a friendly city with a cosmopolitan population, welcoming to all visitors and families with children, and open to minorities and alternative lifestyles
 
The last time I was in Lisbon was for my 23rd birthday with Kate.  She brought up a good point that Lisbon is like New Orleans.  It's not the most beautiful city but it has a lot of character and also a street car!  Kyle and I didn't ride it because it had a long line (more tourists where there this time) but I have pictures from when Kate and I were on it.




Us in the back





The inside of the car





Lisbon street car

 

Us at another look out point.  On our way up the hill to Alfama, the old part of the city that has the "Thieves Market" every Saturday. Alfama was occupied by the fishermen and the poor: its fame as a poor neighbourhood continues to this day. The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake caused considerable damage throughout the capital, but the Alfama survived with little damage.

We went out to dinner the first night at a very popular seafood restaurant called Ramiro, which was aired on Anthony Bourdain's T.V. show.  This moment was when we discovered how amazing Portuguese bread and cheese is...almost toooo good!  Excuse me ahead of time for talking a lot about the food during our trip but it was just that delicious.  I ordered garlic shrimp and he got snails and mussels but I think we both would have been happy with the bread and cheese.



Portuguese bread.  It reminded me of English Muffins (which I haven't had since I left the U.S.)

This trip was nice because I was able to relax more than when I usually travel with my girlfriends.  I booked us this bed and breakfast because it didn't have one negative review..and everyone raved about the owner and her impressive breakfast spread (I love breakfast).  When we first got there, we were a little creeped out with the decorations.  I was worried at first that I had made a mistake but once we got to know Paula, the owner, we realized she was a super hard working and nice woman. Our room was an explosion of bubble gum pink, I'm talking everytttthingggg was pink and Kyle's face was priceless when he saw it.   The breakfast was amazing and didn't fail to impress! This woman looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks and I'm sure she hasn't slept properly in years because she cleans during the day and baked goodies at night while the guests slept.  We woke up to an array of cakes, cookies, fruit, pastries, meat pies, bread, eggs, coffee, juice...you name it.  I was in heaven because I only get dull food at hostels so this was a big upgrade, plus I have a serious sweet tooth.



This was a crushed cookie and coffee cake called "bolo de bolacha".  It had layers of cream and crumbled cookies with cinnamon and coffee flavors




Her dining room looked like it should be on an episode of hoarders but once you found the food it was yummy

A special cake for Easter Sunday

The cake on the left is a traditonal Portuguese cake they eat on Easter

I left Paula a great review like everyone else because she was a sweet woman and gave us her recommendations for local restaurants.  We went to one of her restaurants and Kyle ordered rabbit (right before Easter) and I ordered soup.  Paula also gave us a heads up about buying our tickets to Sintra (next post) which ended up saving us money.