I've been to Europe before - England, Scotland, and Italy - but I wasn't sure what Portugal was going to be like. Though it had some similarities, it definitely had its own feel and flavor.
Day one
I took a flight from Detroit to Newark. BeReal went off right before my flight was going to be called. It captured blue skies! Our plane at the gate! How lovely.
Then they announced the plane was delayed 45 minutes due to air traffic.
My heart dropped. A traffic jam in the sky! Since I only had an hour layover in Newark, we all lined up to rebook...and the agent told me there were 11 people in the same position so they might hold the plane to wait for us.
The entire flight my heart rate was the same as when I run. (What a workout.) The flight attendant announced over the speaker that we would have more delays. On the plane as we flew, I watched the flight info change to us getting there later and later. But! We landed when my flight started boarding, and I sprinted to my gate...unnecessarily, I still had to wait in line for 10 minutes. Hooray!
On the plane, I couldn't hear the announcement. Couldn't make out a word! I took out my earplugs. It was in a different language. Ah ha!
I met up with two friends (Laurie and Kate, coming from NC and I immediately noticed their adorable accents) at the airport, and the other three (Alicia from MD, Aimee from NC, Anna from Germany giving us Euro cred) joined us later.
We dropped off our luggage at the Airbnb office and walked from there along the water to the Praça do Comércio, the main square.
We had a tiny cup of coffee on the way. Europe is funny about coffee. It comes in a thimble. So different.
We went up in the arch (Rua Augusta) to see the view. Only 3 euros. From the top, we spotted our next friend (Alicia) to meet us! She came on up to enjoy the view and giant toes of the statue.
There are famous pastries in Portugal called pastel de nata. They were custard in a crust, a little circle, and they were everywhere you turned. We tried them, and they were delicious. We then ate at Cafe Atico, an off the beaten path place a concierge at a hotel suggested when the rooftop place we wanted to go was closed. (Aimee and Anna joined us there!) The girls saw something on a different table that looked good, and they thought they ordered it, but instead they were served raw pork and beef and a grill to cook it on. Surprise!
We went to the square and rented a tuk tuk ($10 each) and driver as a tour guide. She was very enthusiastic and drove us all around the city, showing us the sights. We saw the Lisbon Cathedral, Statue of Saint Vicente, National Pantheon, and the best, Graca Viewpoint, from the top of the city. This was a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time.
She took us to a place (take your pick, they're everywhere) and told us we had to try cod cakes called pastéis de bacalhau, another Portugese delicacy. It is fish mixed with herbs and cheese, and then fried. I'll try anything, and it tasted like...fried fish.
We also looked at sardine shops, which were so attractive, even though zero of us ate sardines.
We were all jet lagged at this point, so we took a quick nap and went out to listen to fado at Bohemia LX SE. Fado is a kind of music Portugal is known for, and we heard Tina Sanchez, our waiter told us. Really strong singers, really talented musicians. We enjoyed it. We also ate there, and I had chocolate mousse, which was a dessert available at every restaurant. Better than cod.
Day Two
Aimee and I went for run. People say 'bom dio' as a greeting.
We walked to the square and ate at Nene for breakfast. Portugal is a little less expensive than the US, so you feel like you're getting a deal.
Staying anywhere in the city in an Airbnb is good. The city seems small and walkable, it is very safe, and Uber was cheap and immediately available.
We walked along the water to Monument of the Discoveries and Belem Tower, both impressive. This was a longer walk (about 3 kilometers), so we got scooters and went by the Jeronimos Monastery to the LX Market. This was super fun. Scooters were speedy, it was sunny and nice, and we got there quick. Aimee used her phone to unlock them all for us.
We went to a rooftop hostel bar for a drink, then walked around the market and ate burritos while sitting in a boxing ring in the middle of the Mex Factory Restaurant. Anna lives in Germany, and she doesn't often get Mexican food.
Portugal, boxing ring, burritos with a German? It was the best thing I ate the whole trip.
Our tuk tuk driver suggested we go dancing at B.Leza. Aimee and I had seen people still out at the bars at 9:00 a.m., and were happy to see this was one of them.
We went back to get ready and our power was out. Everyone in the building acted like this was normal. Happily, it went back on after an hour and a half. This helped because B.Leza didn't open until 10:30, and we didn't leave the Airbnb until 11:30 p.m.
We took an Uber and wavered between going there (6 euros) and next door (15 euros), where our Brazilian Uber driver wanted us to go. We picked B.Leza and it was unlike anywhere I'd been. People of all ages and races were dancing samba, which looked a lot like couples dancing close and not touching each other with their hands. It was a fun atmosphere to unfamiliar music. But only couples dancing. Not really the dancing experience I was expecting, but that was to come...
Day Three
I ran in the morning around steep windy streets. I went to the top of the city and it was all laid out in front of me.
We took our luggage to the train station and were informed they were on strike and there wasn't a train for two hours. So, we called an Uber and for $39 (with our luggage on our laps) went to our next Airbnb in Sintra.
Our airbnb host let us in and gave us suggestions on where to go. He was also very (rightfully so) proud of his place, which he had decorated and made so interesting. I loved the art. He suggested we eat at Mirra Serra, a quick walk from there.
Mirra Serra was a local restaurant that served Portugese food. It WAS so local. Go here. Our waiter told us everything toward Sintra after that would be more expensive, and he was right.
We walked to Pena Palace, which was funny, because we thought we were going to a closer palace, but a farther one came up on Alicia's GPS when she typed it in. So many palaces from which to choose! It took us about an hour to walk there on winding, steep, reallllly narrow roads with cars and tuk tuks speeding by. Very busy!
We got there and needed tickets, which Kate bought for all of us online. (If you haven't used Kitty Split for dividing things up in your group, it's amazing. Really simplifies it all, because one person can pay and divide it easily.)
We hiked first to High Cross, the highest point in Sintra Hills, which was beautiful. The palace itself was so, so cool. Colorful, old, quirky, interesting, historical, and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it. First palace!
We ate a late dinner at Passione Pizza, where Italian waiters gave us salad, pizza, and homemade tiramisu. Italian in Portugal - delicious.
Day Four
This was my favorite day of the trip.
I ran to the outskirts of the city and found an abandoned barn and active dirt bike track.
We went to Quinta da Regaleria, an old castle! We bought tickets (11 euros) online in line again.
I enjoyed exploring this castle so much, because it had underground tunnels and an elaborate, huge circular room, with stairs all around it, from the top of the earth into the ground. It was built into the rocks. I'm not sure how to describe it, except it looked like something from a movie set. They were also filming a movie outside.
Down the street, they were selling crepes, pastries, gelato, and we all ate something in front of Sintra Palace before we ordered an Uber to Cabo da Roca.
Cabo da Roca was absolutely beautiful. Cliffs! Waves! Flowers! Mountains! The colors were amazing. Aimee and I hiked way down toward the water and I was 100 percent happy. I could have spent all day there. This was the best spot of the whole week.
We went with the other girls to the other side of the lighthouse and just marveled at the sight. Someone there told Anna that it is usually very windy, but this day it was perfect.
We had one more destination, so we took an Uber to Cascais, farther south. Our driver told us it was a posh town, like the Miami of Portugal. It had palm trees lining the streets. We walked around and Alicia treated everyone to a seafood dinner at Baia do Peixe, right on the water.
We walked to the marina along the water to see the sunset. It was amazing! The waves were so huge that people got wet and I got sprayed unexpectedly! The rocks, the water, the sky...palaces, cities, and castles are great, but for me nothing compares to nature.
Day Five
I ran up to the Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros.) It was early, so it was different going up. No people, no cars. It wasn't open so I couldn't get all the way in, but could explore all around and be above the whole city, and I felt like the only person in the world. In my own castle.
We took our Uber back to Lisbon, and on the way there our driver played a documentary on Lisbon where they mentioned the oldest bookstore in the WORLD, Livraria Bertrand, (1732!) so we walked there. On the way we stopped by a market near the Rossio station, and we bought gifts for ourselves and others.
We ducked into Basilica of Our Lady of the Martyrs, another gorgeous cathedral, and we went to lunch on the water...and were joined by Will, also coming from NC!
The girls took bikes to the tile museum, and Aimee, Will and I walked to Alfama, a different (and oldest) part of the city to explore. While we were there, I actually gasped, because three archeologists were excavating a human skeleton right on the sidewalk as we walked by. I asked if I could take a picture, and they said no, because it is human remains. Will asked how they knew to dig there, and they said there used to be a church there.
It was all very understated. They had reflective vests on and some orange plastic barriers, but nothing that would suggest they were excavating humans. Just another day in an old country.
We then went on another trip I was excited for...a sunset boat ride! Will, Aimee and I rode a boat along the coast. We saw the bridge, Mount Cristo, the Monument of Discoveries, Belem Tower, and beautiful Lisbon. We got to sit outside. Then, as we turned around, everyone in the boat started dancing to the music, and we all joined in! Hooray for unexpected, enthusiastic dancing.
We met up with the other girls and went to Red Frog (a cool speakeasy Kate found - get reservations). We all loved the secret door! We went to Monkey Mash, which was attached, and they had a bartender there from Italy making three signature drinks. Lively place! We ended the night dancing at Pensão Amor which was packed and fun!
Unfortunately, my red eye didn't make it, but I was able to get on the next flight.
18 years ago, Aimee, Laurie, and Alicia invited me to go to Miami with them. Since then, we've taken countless trips together, with different combinations of people, domestically and internationally. Traveling with my friends is (obviously) one of my favorite things to do, and I highly recommend Portugal. I always felt safe, people were really friendly, there wasn't really a language barrier at any point, and it was different than anywhere I've been. The Portugese people we spoke with were proud of where they loved and wanted us to love it too.
I'm already looking forward to our next trip.
