Lisbon

Wang and I felt we had had enough of France for the trip after the 6 days in Paris so we decided to alter our schedule a little and add Lisbon, Portugal to the list. We booked a train ticket from Paris with a train change in Irun, Spain and then a second train to Lisbon. We left Paris around 4 o’clock and took a high speed train to Irun which was about 5 hours. The train change in Irun put us on a slower, older train to Lisbon. The train was to be about 14 hours and we were put in a cramped 6 person sleeper room. There were three beds on either side stacked one on top of the other. There were only 5 of the 6 filled and the other people were very nice. One guy spoke four different languages including English and was extremely pleasant, the other was from Portugal and the last woman was from France and wasn’t that friendly. Wang and I slept surprisingly well given our claustrophobic environment.
Once to Lisbon we took the metro to the appropriate stop and walked to the Hostel dragging our suitcases over stone bricked roads. The weather was great compared to Paris with sunny skies and 60+ degrees. Once we arrived at the hostel we left our bags because our room wasn’t ready yet and grabbed a quick bite at a local Portuguese restaurant and had an authentic dish called frango. Frango is a Portugese interpretation of roasted chicken. We went back and were escorted to our room. The accommodations were fantastic. We had an apartment complete with a kitchen, living room, balcony, and a large bedroom with bathroom we shared with two other people. Our roommates were from Chicago and were students traveling from Paris where they were studying abroad. Really nice kids. Wang and I only had a short time in Lisbon so we quickly showered, shaved and headed out for the city. We decided to spend the afternoon in the area of the city called Belem. It was only a short ride on the local bus which dropped us off in the heart of the Belem. A major port on the ocean, Lisbon has a long history of ocean travel and so we took a walk though the local Maritime museum admiring small models of large ships from centuries past and even a few life sized displays. I really enjoyed this museum as it was just full of historical boats and Wang was nice enough to agree to go. We then walked to the Tagus River which feed into the Atlantic right near Belem to tour the Belem Tower which sits right on the river. Once we climbed the 5 stories to see the views of the area we headed back into town for some dinner. The guy at the hostel suggested we stop at a little sandwich place for dinner and just like his suggestion for lunch, he was spot on. The food was great and it was on to the main event… Desert. Belem houses the Jeronimos Monastery which was supposedly the birthplace of the Pastel de Nata. Also know as Pastel de Belems, they are a small custard tart that was created before the 18th century by catholic monks of this monastery. The pastry shop next door called Pasteis de Belém has been around since 1837 and has been serving these delicious treats ever since. Wang and I thought it a crime not to try a few and so we ordered 4 with a glass of Portuguese Port to wash them down. We took the train back and had planned to grab a beer at the hostel bar. Upon check-in each guest receives a free drink ticket so we thought we would use it and maybe grab another after. Well there were no empty tables so we looked like lost kids and these two nice people from one table invited us to sit down at theirs. We ended up making conversation and it turned out they were from the States, Pittsburg to be exact. Luke was interning in Madrid for the past 6 months and Nikki was visiting him for the week. We ended up throwing back a few drinks and having a great time. Nikki asked if we had planned to go out and Wang and I already a few deep and enjoying the company and the weather figured why the hell not. We got changed up and headed out to Bairro Alto, the center of Lisbon’s night life. The streets were lined with bars and people serving cheep drinks and good music. We were drawn to this area like flies to a bug light. And there’s no open container laws here either. People would order their drinks and hang out outside in groups and be loud and drunk. Think Bourbon Street in New Orleans but not as dirty or trashy. We got destroyed drinking Large 1.50 Euro beers and 0.90 Euro shots. We ended up having a great time with Nikki and Luke.
The next day was rough as the hangover was killer. Too tired and to dehydrated, Wang and I decided to take it easy in the morning until our walking tour that afternoon. We again asked for a suggestion for lunch from the hostel and were led to a restaurant serving African cuisine. The food was decent but by no means the best we had all trip. After lunch we just hung out outside round the hostel taking in the sites of the ocean and the sun. When 3 o’clock rolled around it was time for our walking tour and to our slight disappointment it had been cancelled. In light of this change, Wang and I decided to make our own walking tour with the offered assistance of a staffer at the hostel. Our first stop was the Castle of Saint George which was a massive and simple complex situated on the tallest hill in the historic center of the city. We then walked around seeing both the old pre earthquake parts of the city and the newer post earthquake areas of the city. We ended up in the downtown area and walked around admiring large arches and water fountains throughout the downtown area. It was about dinner time so we sat at an outdoor table at a local restaurant. Dinner was quite good but it was time to head back to the hostel to grab our bags and make our way to the train station for our night train to Madrid.
Our stay in Lisbon was short but it was extremely enjoyable. The hostel was better than we ever could have imagined, the weather was killer, the scenery was beautiful and most things were cheap. Overall a great stop but it was time for Spain.