I have already told most people this, but I will say it again - I love Lisbon. I can't believe that I was considering skipping Portugal and missing out on this great city. After spending over four weeks in Spain I was definitely ready for a change. My last stop in Spain was Sevilla and despite the fact that many people told me it was a great city, I simply found it, well, lame. Spain was getting on my nerves and even a chunk of semi-cured from the cheese counter at El Corte Inglès was not improving my mood. So I was feeling relieved when I began the seven hour bus ride from Sevilla to Lisbon. I was feeling considerably less relieved ten minutes after the journey began when I discovered that I was the only Australian on a bus full of American students, and they were already beginning to detail the 'sketchiness' of Sevilla. I knew then that I would have to listen to my iPod on full volume if I wanted to survive the journey without screaming. Surprisingly, the seven hours passed quickly, probably because I watched the hotness that is Mark Wahlberg in his gilly suit in the movie 'Shooter' on my iPod... twice in a row. Ah, good times.
When the bus arrived in Lisbon, I disembarked as quickly as I could and practically sprinted to the Metro station. I know what you are thinking, Bronwen is not really one to run, so what is the deal? Well, like most backpackers I have been booking my hostels through the Hostelworld website, where backpackers give a rating for each hostel. The hostel I had booked into in Lisbon was the top-rated one (and rightly so) and I just had a feeling that all these Americans that were on the bus with me would be at the same hostel. My competitive side reared it's ugly head when I arrived in Lisbon and I knew that I had to get to the hostel first, not just so that I could get a bottom bunk but also so that I wouldn't be stuck on a Metro platform as they assessed the 'sketchiness' of their surroundings.
Usually I get completely lost when I first arrive in a city and it generally takes me ages to find a hostel. Luckily for me, my internal compass had decided to join me on the quest to arrive first and so I was zipping around the Lisbon streets like I had been born with a glass of Port in one hand and a custard tart in the other. I am pleased to announce that I arrived at the hostel about twenty minutes before the rest and so was already sitting comfortably with my first glass of Superbock beer when the whole crew stumbled in, complaining about 'How, like, difficult it was, like, getting here.'
From that moment on, my time in Lisbon just got better. So good in fact, that I don't want to waste time forming coherent links between sentences and instead I will compile a list of all the great things about Lisbon.
REASONS WHY LISBON IS AWESOME
1. Everyday the weather was brilliant, nothing lower than 18 degrees and sunshine all of the time.
2. The Portuguese are incredibly nice, so much friendlier than the Spanish. If I stumbled over a Spanish word, then I often would be greeted with a sigh and an eye roll from the Spaniard I was conversing with. In Portugal, they just laughed with me and then helped me pronounce it correctly.
3. The city is really pretty. A lot of the houses are in those pastel gingerbread colours of pink, yellow and white and made for great photographs. The city is overlooked by the Castelo Sao Jorge, a castle on top of a mountainish-hill (I don't really know what I mean here either!) that provides great views of the city and ocean and you are also able to walk around the ramparts of the old castle.
4. Sintra. This is a town not far from Lisbon which is famous for it's lush gardens. They have these amazing botanic gardens and you can also explore the gardens of the royal holiday palace that is on the top of the mountain in Sintra.
5. Travellers House. This was the name of the hostel where I was staying in Lisbon. It was brilliant! The people who worked there were so nice, the beds were comfortable, a lady cooked you eggs for breakfast and they had Macs in their computer room! I could have easily spent more than a week there.
6. Futebol. Like most Europeans, the Portuguese are crazy for their soccer and I got to experience it first hand when I went to THE Lisbon grudge match. The two Lisbon teams, Sporting and Benfica, were playing each other the weekend I was there and I was able to get a ticket. It was a great experience, so good that I may need to leave that story for another blog.
7. THE FOOD. I know what you are thinking, you can't believe I left this until last! The food was simply amazing. The custard tarts blew my mind, I swiftly became addicted to them and ate one nearly everyday. The seafood was also great, but by far the highlight was the alcohol. I tried a lot of different wines and ports at a tasting that was held at the hostel, but my favourite alcohol was a cherry liquer called Ginja that was served to me at the end of my meal at a local restaurant. Most Portuguese finish their meals with it.
As soon as I left Lisbon, I missed it! It is such an easy-going place, it would be so great to live there. I am looking forward to going back.
