Tuesday, February 18 // Martes, 18 de febrero
ENGLISH This weekend was my first weekend trip with the program - we went to Lisbon, Portugal!
After a six hour drive from Sevilla to Lisboa (Lisbon in Spanish), I was stunned when all of the sudden our little bus, packed with 14 American students and our program director, was driving over a bridge that looked exactly like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco. I looked to my right and I saw a huge statue, apparently called Christ the King, that I thought was in Rio de Janeiro. Our confusion was squashed later when our tour guide informed us that the statue resembled the one in Brazil in order to honor the ties between Portugal and Brazil. Both make up a spectacular scenery, seen below.
We were in a whole different country!!! None of us could believe it. In the United States, you can drive for an entire day and still be in the same country. We drove a few hours and landed in a place with a whole different official language, culture, and set of values and traditions. Amazing.
Our hotel was very nice - Talia and I were rooming together and quickly settled in before we were scheduled to take a tour of the city. The beds were so fresh and I was tempted to hit the sack right then and there after an exhausting bus ride, but there was exploring to do. Also, there was a balcony in our room, so naturally we went out on it and yelled down to our friends that were one floor below us.
The tour was led by a multilingual woman who was very kind - she spoke Spanish to our driver, spoke in English to the students, and then spoke in Portuguese to other citizens as we explored the city. I was in awe.
First we visited the Jerónimos Monastery and Cathedral, which are examples of Manueline architecture, a gothic interpretation in honor of King Manuel I. The interior was outstanding too - we got to see the tomb of Vasco de Gama, unbelievable stain glass work, detailed altars, and a beautiful courtyard.
The next stop on our tour was Belém Tower (Belém = Bethlehem in Portuguese). It was originally constructed to defend the city. The sun was so beautiful and cast its glow on the bit of sand that was in front of the tower - a great photo op.
Near the Belém Tower was the Discoveries Monument. It is a massive representation of a ship ready to depart into the river in honor of Prince Henry the Navigator.
After the tour of the city, we had a free night. A few friends and I decided to check out an Italian restaurant, in which I had pasta carbonara, which reminded me of my trip with Jo last summer.
Feeling fresh and rested the next day - Saturday - we got on the bus ready to discover new cities. We traveled to Sintra, a palace haven. Pena Palace was the first destination. The castle was so colorful! We hiked up a hill in order to see it and explore the ins and outs of the complex. It's like the place was made for tourists - they were everywhere and there were endless amounts of lookouts and balconies.
Incredible, right? Well, somehow, the trip got even better after this. I don't even know how that's possible, but I was so stunned by the next leg of the trip.
Quinta de Regaleira, also in Sintra, is a 20th century residence with insanely cool gardens that include caves, an underground well tower, castles and lookouts, and gorgeous nature to explore freely. While we had to park and walk about twenty minutes in order to get to the park, it was well worth it.
THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING!!!
But we are not done yet! The next city we visited was Cascais, a beach town. Talia and I ate lunch at a local café and then a bunch of us checked out the beach. While taking pictures, though, the waves took out a pile of our stuff, including purses, phones, cameras, etc. Most of the stuff was fine, but we did buy rice to dry out our technology as a precaution. Nonetheless, we got some great pictures anyways. This town was so unique - I loved how everything seemed to be pastel colors.
Last but not least my friends and I went to the Time Out Market for dinner - it's a market with tons of international food and dessert booths. Here we shared traditional Portuguese pork belly, cod, sushi, pad thai, Portuguese cookie cake, raspberry cheesecake, and the country's infamous pastries de Belém. Of course I could never forget the Portuguese wine - Port wine and green wine.
On the way back to Sevilla on Sunday, we stopped in Spain for lunch, where I got to try stuffed mussels, grilled veggies, and croquetes. The trip as a whole was so worth the long drive and the tired feeling afterwards. I had such a fun time in Portugal and I got to spend time with some pretty amazing people in my program. SAIIE knows how to do it!!!
If you'd like to see more, check out the new videos from Portugal on my blog or take a peek at my travel instagram, @pov_liv_eisenhauer.
Also, look forward to an upcoming blog about my first visit to the Real Alcázar (Royal Palace) in Sevilla!