The next stop was Lisbon, Portugal where I celebrated good friend from business school, Claudia’s impending nuptials with 8 other chicas. Besides partying it up with some of my really good friends and eating excellent food, the best part of my stay was The Sheraton Hotel & Spa. I made full use of the hotel. I luxuriated in the beautiful rooms; indulged in a massage; relaxed in the sauna and whirlpool; and napped in the cabana rooms by the outdoor pool. I was in heaven. Between checking in Friday at 1PM and checking out on Sunday at 4PM, I hardly left the hotel except for going out in the evenings! Other amenities included a breakfast buffet in their lobby and a wonderful panoramic bar at the top of the hotel. If you are going in Lisbon, you must stay in this hotel!!! The other girls did walk around and see Lisbon. Luckily I had been to Lisbon already and between hangovers and jet lag, I was more than happy to skip the tour and fully enjoy the hotel. I was, after all, going to Africa for 3 months! I felt it was justly deserved :). It was an amazing deal, too – 145 euros for a deluxe double when normally the rate is 400 euros!!
Ok, I’ll stop gushing about the hotel for a moment to mention highlights from the trip. Friday night we went to this awesome restaurant called Olivier’s. You have to tell them to stop or they will keep coming out of the kitchen with plate after plate of magnificent food. I can’t remember what I ate but whatever it was, it was excellent. Then it was into Barrio Alto in search of a karaoke bar at the bachelorette's request. Mission accomplished. Amidst the teenagers, Claudia sang her heart out to Shakira. She had some stiff competition from a skinny teenaged boy who shook his hips in a way that Shakira would be proud of. The next Portuguese Idol can seriously be found at this bar!!
Saturday evening, Ana had the fabulous idea to surprise us all with a pole dancing class! The teacher broke out the 5-inch silver stripper platform heels and then proceeded to show us the way to sensual dancing. It’s a lot harder than it looks! We had too much fun as the class culminated into a whole choreographed scene that starts from the wall, on to the pole, and finishes off spectacularly on a chair. We had a chance to show off our moves at the Lux nightclub where we drank and danced the night away!
It was time to say good-bye to all of the girls on Sunday evening =( Ana was kind enough to house me for an evening and we had dinner with her brother and his family. On Monday I had a couple hours before catching a flight and I FINALLY got to walk around Lisbon. The sloth had to come out of hiding at some point ☺
