I know I’ve been really sporadic in posting but I’m just on the go everyday and sometimes don’t get back to my room until late. So I apologize folks, I’ll try to do better!

But, let me tell you about beautiful Lisboa…

When Caylie and I started planning what where we wanted to go while she was here, I pretty much gave the reins to her. You all know me, I’ll go anywhere! She had said she really wanted to go to Portugal, Spain or Italy. Now, one week is definitely not enough time to see 3 additional cities on top of the 2 we already visited, so we narrowed it down to Portugal and Spain. I had already been to Barcelona, so I wanted to ensure we went to another Spanish city. Caylie chose Madrid, so that was easily settled.

When we arrived in Lisbon, I was hot hot HOT and of course, being on the coast, it was humid as well. Caylie and I easily made our way to the hostel following the directions we were given. I didn’t do a lot of research about Lisbon before arriving, so I wasn’t aware that Lisbon is also called “the city with 7 hills”. We had to trek up a hill (that felt like a mountain) to get to our hostel. Needless to say, I was sweating buckets by the time we got there.

This was both mine and Caylie’s first hostel experience, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but this hostel was highly rated on TripAdvisor. Overall, it wasn’t too bad! Besides the lack of AC, it was a pretty decent place to stay. Shortly after checking in, getting settled and changing, we headed to the common area for a sangria tasting and to meet some other people. Then it was time to get some food! One thing I’ve learned about Caylie, DO NOT let her get hangry and we were on the verge at this point. On recommendation from a guy we met at the sangria tasting, we went to the Time Out Market, which was just a short walk from our hostel. We weren’t disappointed. It was like a higher end food court, but still pretty tasty! I had Pad Thai and Caylie settled on BBQ Chicken and Chips!

Then it was back to the room to sleep as we had to be up early for a tour the following morning. 

Day 1

Our first full day was spent on a tour to Sintra & Pena Palace. A friend of mine who visited Portugal not too long ago said that this was a place I needed to go if I was in Lisbon. She said it was like walking into a fairytale. And, it did not disappoint. Pena Palace was stunning.

Following the palace, we headed to the western most point in Europe, which is the closest I’ve been and will be to home until October.

When we got back to the hostel after our tour, we freshened up to explore a bit more. We attempted to visit Sao Jorge Castle, but by the time we made it to the top it was closed. We were quite unimpressed. But the walk up, although a work out, was still quite gorgeous, especially when we managed to catch a bit of the sunset.

Day 2

Our second day in Lisbon was August 10, and CAYLIE’S BIRTHDAY! Caylie decided prior to our trip that she wanted to do a tour to the Berlengas Grande Island for her birthday, and I was definitely on board. Little did I know how rocky the Atlantic would be on the 45 minute boat ride to the island. Needless to say, my life flashed before my eyes, and I got seasick…3 times. I’m not kidding when I say I was certain the boat was going to capsize. Caylie even screamed at one point holding on for dear life to the side railing on the boat. Once we arrived and my stomach had settled, we hiked to the top of the island, and the view was well worth the crappy boat ride. Stunning views!

After returning from our trip on the island, we got dressed and headed out for dinner to Cay’s birthday and attempted to find some salsa dancing. Unfortunately being a Wednesday night, all the Latin clubs were closed. We would have to try and find a club in Madrid instead. 

Looking back on our days in Lisbon, we wished we would have either stayed longer, or not booked tours for the 2 days we were there. We didn’t really get to see any of the city as we were gone for both days. As I have said for many of the places I’ve been, just means I’ll have to go back some day. Of what we did see, it was a beautiful city!

Now we’re off to Spain (again) to visit Madrid!

‘Till later…

Ciao!

A<3