Like any vacation there were many bumps in the road before we arrived to Lisbon, some baggage problems and a lost group member but we eventually came together and made it to the hostel.
Upon arrival we were greeted with a welcome shot of traditional Lisbon liqueur called Ginjinha (very early in the morning) and very friendly faces. This hostel is the best place I've ever stayed in and as we found out is ranked as the second best hostel in the world!
For our first day we wondered around the city and looked at the various sights and places. Taking in this city was no easy task a place of just grandeur and beauty Lisbon is absolutely amazing. Everywhere you look there are beautiful tiles marking the walls and waves carved into the streets everything has beauty. Walking around instead of eating at the large restaurants and places among the main streets we took a chance on a small restaurant down a side street. Let me tell you we were not disappointed by the food, quality and price of this little place! I enjoyed a peach tea and a spin off on traditional Portuguese paella but with duck and it was delicious. We walked around some more and eventually headed "Home" to have dinner with Momma. I should explain and say that our hostel is called the Lisbon Home Hostel and it is known for their famous dinners with Momma. The hostel is run by two brothers and their own mother comes and cooks dinner for about 20 something odd people every night. We sat down at the dinner table and I was not disappointed. 10 euros for soup, a main dish, dessert, sangria or beer if you so please and a dessert liqueur plus Momma's company. I would say our first day was a complete success
I'd have to say overall Portugal was amazing and I couldn't have chosen a better group of people to share it with. We walked everywhere and met such beautiful people! We ate with Momma and people and went on a walking tour on the second day. Our tour guide was named Sophia and she was PERFECT. I loved the tour because she was a local and we got to see the city in a different perspective as well as learn a ton of history. Fun fact about Portugal there was a horrible horrible dictator there named Salazar and JK Rowling spent quite a lot of time in Portugal and named Sylthern house after the dictator Salazar.
Here's a list of the things I loved about Portugal:
The architecture everywhere is absolutely beautiful. My favorite part was the tiles all through out the city squares and centers, they were gorgeous waves and are supposed to remind the people of their sea roots.
Some of the buildings all around the city were abandoned or even just kind of decaying. I know that's not necessarily a good thing but just seeing these buildings in such an urban city was somehow beautiful.
The old tiles everywhere, it added color and beauty to everything.
I loved learning the history of Portugal. One of my favorite moments was learning about the street art all throughout the city and how people express old folk tales through graffiti. We learned about a beautiful women who found the Portuguese sailors and convinced them to stay with her in the sea and one day they left her and she got so angry she turned into a sea monster so large that when her tail hit the ocean it created all the waves in the sea.
-Side note we also learned about traditional fado music through graffiti and how it came to be. It is said that a beautiful prostitute named Maria Severa would feel such heart break and loneliness when the sailors would cheat on their wives and children and leave her ultimately. She began to sing and created the traditional music now called fado.
Portugal was one of my favorite experiences i've had so far with some of my favorite people. I love to travel not only because I learn about another culture but I learn more about myself and what I value. Here are some of my favorite pictures from my trip.
