Portugal

This post is long overdue so I already know it will be a long one; I have a lot to catch you all up on!

A few weeks ago my program had a scheduled excursion to Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal. I didn't really have any expectations of this new country, I suppose because I assumed it would be very similar to Spain. However, any small preconceived notion that I did have was completely surpassed by the long weekend I spent there. Lisbon is an amazing city and actually reminds me a lot of San Francisco (although I've never been). The city has long hilly streets that stretch from the center plaza to the shore. At it's steepest points there are a hundred year old trolley cars that function as both tourist attractions and a helpful form of transportation for those that live at the top. The metro and bus systems are also very extensive and convenient; In terms of transportation, this city is definitely doing it right! 

I will take you day-by-day so as to not forget anything important of my trip: 

Day 1 was mostly spent traveling to Lisbon by bus. We were delayed nearly two hours because at one point outside of Sevilla, we came across a bit of snow on the roads. It was very interesting to see the disorganization hit as soon as we met snowy roads. There was one small plow moving from one side of the street to the next trying to clear the way, but the buses and tractor trailers were at complete stops on the side of the street. The snow was probably 3 inches of slush... I don't know what they would do in Maine this winter! Because of the snow delay, we did not have time to tour the Monasterio de la Rábida- the place where Christopher Columbus planned his voyage to the New World. Instead, we did stop for an hour or so to see replicas of the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. After we arrived at the hotel in Lisbon we had free time to explore and have dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant which was located inside, but around the center, of a large bull fighting ring.

Bull fighting ring where we ate dinner.

The next day we went to the Monasterio de los Jerónimos. This monastery is considered to be one of the most prominent monuments of Manueline-style architecture. In Portugal, this style is similar to late-gothic. This long building connects a beautiful cathedral with a monastery which at one point housed more than a hundred monks. We were able to enter the cathedral and walk through the courtyard where hundreds of practicing monks passed.

Inside the monastery courtyard

Across from the monastery is the Torre de Belém. In the late 15th century, King John II developed a defense system along the river and this tower functioned as a look-out, as well as a location to store and fire cannons. The tower was also designed by the same architect that designed the monastery.

View from the top of the tower.

After these two stops, we loaded back onto the bus and drove 45 minutes north to a town built upon the side of a mountain, called Sintra. This town is very quaint but bustling with people. If you ever visit, make sure you try a Queijada, a famous pastry of Sintra. While in this town we saw the La Palacio de Pena, which is situated at the top of the mountain. This castle was something out of a movie; the king who designed and lived in this castle was rich and crazy - the combination of the two lead to a building unlike anything I've seen before. The photos I have don't do this castle justice:

View from the road leading up to the entrance. 

A series of curved look outs

The yellow and blue siding was all tile. 

A walkway behind the castle... look at that view! 

Sintra, Portugal is my favorite place that we have visited thus far. The town itself is small enough that you don't lose your way, and the higher you climb up the mountain, the larger the sights are to see. I'm not quite sure what it is, but something about Portugal inspired me to learn more about it's culture, language, and people... so next semester I will be taking a course to learn Portuguese! We'll see how that goes...


Thank you for reading! Next stop: Barcelona and Valencia, Spain!