Living it in Portugal!

There are many things to like about the effects of the EU, but the ease and convenience of travel is definitely high on the list for me. To celebrate this opportunity, two friends and I packed our bags and headed out for an adventure to Lisbon, Portugal. For my good friend Daven it was a surf destination, I wanted to explore another country, and for Alex I am not sure…probably to keep us out of trouble, which was a good idea. Regardless, the trip was a blast and we had the time of our lives.

                Upon arriving in Portugal we no sooner hopped on a bus for a local coastal city with hopes of catching the weekend’s best surf. Ericeira has notably been known as one of the best surfing towns in Europe and contains arguably one of the top three beaches for surfing. The town itself was absolutely incredible. Looks of a freshly painted white city, small time beach feel and the grandeur of cliffs falling into the crystal blue Atlantic Ocean taunted us all day. This was a great start to our journey. Though the surf shop was closed, I think Daven still had a blast exploring the beaches and town. I mean, who can beat a ham and cheese sandwich on the rocks as waves crash feet away! For me, I was being continually reminded how much I enjoyed Portugal…which I later discovered is one of my favorite countries I have been to which is saying a lot when I am in my 20th something country.

                Spending our first days out was definitely a nice way to see more besides the city. Luckily though our Hostel is located in the middle of what I call the historic district, 5-7 minutes from the nightlife area and about a 3 minute walk to the beach. Best part is the fact that our Hostel (Lisbon Lounge) has been rated separately the BEST and CLEANEST hostel in Europe the past 3 years from Hostelworld.com. In the end, Lisbon Lounge definitely lived up to its awards. An incredible hostel which was spotless, fully staffed 24/7, private chefs, 2 smiles cleaning every crack and even a Bartender/DJ to set the mood. Just not your typically hostel and a reason not to leave our own place, which is funny in that the future held an adventure much greater.

                Our first night in Portugal was kind of a whim of adventures. We had no clue where to start so we had a Portuguese style dinner in our hostel which was 4 courses with the main dish being Portuguese Chicken. Our chef recommended we attend a once a year festival at the LX Factory which was a manufacturing district with converted factories into art exhibits, studios and create marketing studios. The festival was more like an open house and packed with some really eclectic pieces of art, women in cakes and an acrobat show to remember.

                Saturday we stayed busy all day with the idea of hitting all of the tourist things Lisbon has to offer. Daven is more of an outdoors kind of guy which has been incredible to get a healthy balance of both. I must say, without him counter balancing my “mortar and concrete” desires, I would not have seen as much of the natural beauty that I have gazed upon. Together we are a pretty good power team in seeing all a city has to offer from sun up to sun down. We set out Sat to see all there was old:

-Castelo de Sao Jorge

-Mosteiro de Sao Vicdngd de Fora

-Thieves Market (Funny name for a flea Market)

-Panteao Nacional

-Praca do Comercio

-Se Catedral

-Torre de Belem

-Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Where we saw the President of China is a visit to Portugal!  )

-Weird Statue to the Conquerors?

All in all after today I have realized that Lisbon and Portugal in general besides beautiful is one of my favorite places in the world. It is one of the oldest cities of the world, but just had a natural, unrestored historic feel. Trolley cars whipping through thin hills of cobble stone, incredible sites and helpful happy people. Plus the adventures in-between our site seeing makes everything so special…needless to say an incredible dinner at the famous Principe do Calhariz for the grilled Portuguese delights and all else that came with…plus, who could give up being moved 3 times during the meal. At least I had the company of Daven and Alex…this is after Alex was drilled by our hostel roommate why she was traveling with 2 guys…maybe because we are friends? Duh. As with many great days this fall, we find ourselves venturing out at night to find what is hot in the local area. Tonight’s venture took us to Barrio Alto which was about a 5 foot side cobble road with a steep steep grade navigated by a vernacular which was lined with bars and bands playing in the streets. It was an incredible stop to debrief from the busy day, plan tomorrow, take in the sights of all the people and listen to some interesting music. Today was a good day!

                Sunday had to be one of my favorite Days…but definitely our longest. We decided no trip would be complete without the adventure of a road trip, so we rented the smallest little 2-door Ford with only 400 Km and headed out for an adventure. I must say…I was impressed with my manual driving skills for the first time since I learned years and years ago down the beach in an old VW pickup truck…thanks Bill Miller ( One of the many lessons I still use today). We began by taking the Basque da Gama Bridge which is the longest bridge in Europe and when in a car on EMPTY it makes for an adventure! We were heading for the city of Setubal which took us about an hour to get to. Our hopes and what ended up happening is we ventured into the Arrabida Natural Park. It really was a gorgeous park with incredible views and a really nice day! Pictures can only speak the words I would love to be able to find. Speechless views and adventures!

                We ended up having the car to keep which is kind of funny because at 2 am when I jokingly mention we should take the car on an all-nighter road trip, I found myself packing the car and setting out for the road. 3 am and drving through the empty historical streets of Lisbon were definitely an adventure to remember. 

We ended up trying to make it out to Sintra National Park in search for Cork Trees and the Western most point of Europe for the sunrise. Besides relearning stick and the 4 am costal views on our way to Cascais and our first stop in Cabo da Roca, we parked the car for a 45 minute power nap. The hurling wind of the cliff and the idea of being as far west as you can get in Europe was too exciting to sleep, so we set out to continue our drive through Sintra and back to the airport. Dropped off the car at the airport, missed the sunrise and had 30 minutes to spare.

                Daven and Alex made the perfect travel buddies and I really think we all had an adventure of a life time….definitely some incredible laughs! Thanks EU for making it possible and thanks to the beauty of freedom!