Lovely Lisboa

Ngoc and I took our first trip outside of Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. Not only was it was first big trip in Europe, but it was also our first roadtrip of the year. Luckily, Alex was also going to Lisbon the same weekend as us and we all drove together. All the positive things we had heard and read about Lisbon held true, it was a lovely city to visit. Not only is the city rich in history and culture but also home to decadent desserts. Street after street was littered with pastelerias full of sweets. The skies above were adorned with beautiful architecture and breathtaking statues/monuments. All the beauty absent in Huelva is more than abundant in Lisbon. We spent our four days walking like it was our jobs, I just wish I had of known the city was built on hills so I could have trained for the marathon that became our eight hour walking days, up and down incredibly steep hills. Nonetheless, it was fun to see a different city and do lots of sightseeing.



After spending a summer in Europe in 2006 and several thousand dollars poorer, we have smartened up when it comes to traveling and saving money. Rather than spending lavishly as if money grows on trees we now are taking the cost of things into consideration, just a little. Thus we decided to stay in a dorm style room rather than a private room. Being my first dorm experience in a hostel I was a little nervous but fortunately enough we enjoyed a fun four days of meeting new people from around the world. On my first night as I was falling asleep on the top bunk I turned to Ngoc and asked, “you think this bed is clean? I mean, people don’t have sex in these beds do they?” to which Ngoc comforted me and immediately responded, “of course not!” Later that night, I was awoken to which I thought was an earthquake, unfortunately for me, it was just two strangers in the room getting to know one another a little better. On a positive note, we managed to pick up some new slang from a group of Mexicans who provided much entertainment and eye candy—if only they weren’t tan joven. Although the hostel was by no means a 5 star hotel it did provide free warmth, a stark contrast from our freezing piso, which was much appreciated. All in all, minus the mini earthquake scare, it was a fun hostel. After routinely dropping 50 Euros a night on dinners in famous cities throughout Europe, we’ve learned that shopping at grocery stores is the way to go. We both ate lunch for a combined grand total of 2.89 Euros. When you only make 700 euro a month every penny matters. Oh the joys of being poor, why would anyone want to leave home?


In terms of sightseeing, pretty sure we managed to conquer Lisbon and see every castle, monument, statue, tower, church, monastery and any other sight to see. I couldn’t help but remember our times in Granada and many visits to the Alhambra while walking through Lisbon and seeing the castle. It is up high on of the hills and has a view of all of Lisbon from above. You can see the castle from pretty much anywhere in Lisbon, just like the Alhambra. Of everything we saw my favorite thing was the monastery in Belen. It was truly breathtaking. I always love moments when I look up and see an enormous building towering over me, which has been standing for hundreds of centuries and am pleasantly reminded I’m in Europe. We just don’t have that history or anything comparable to see in America. Sure, there is the Space Needle in Seattle or the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Statue of Liberty in New York, but there is no comparison to European skylines. The National Palace and Torre were also memorable for their beauty.

Without doubt we enjoyed our best dinner in the past 3 months while in Lisbon. Up in the famous Bario Alto we found a nice little Thai restaurant tucked behind a corner on a tiny little cobblestone street. Although expensive at over 45 euro, being able to have a decent dinner was worth the money and I enjoyed every little noodle. If only Huelva had food other than jamon o gambas. Portugal is also home to the Porta Agua (Portuguese Waterdog) and I felt as if I saw Wilson about ten times, just not as cute, of course.

As lovely as Lisbon is, I have to be honest and say I was glad to come home to Huelva. After visiting a big city I now appreciate the smallness of Huelva and being able to go wherever I desire by foot. Moreover, its nice walking into the bread shop and having the owner know you. Huelva affords me the opportunity to create a new home and feel as if I’m part of the community rather than just being another tourist abroad. I don’t think I could have that same feeling in a major city with millions of people. I like being one of the few Americans in Huelva and knowing I will see a familiar face while walking around town. For all the complaining I do about Huelva it does have a certain charm to it, just don’t ask me what it is, because I don’t know. I guess Huelva’s not so bad after all!

Besos
Allison