Lisboa...una maravilla!

Sorry that I kept y’all waiting for this Portugal post but I promise you that it is totally worth the wait! Lisbon was last weekend and still seems like it was yesterday…I really had no idea what I was in for when I decided that I wanted to go to Lisbon. Really, I don’t know why I decided to go to Lisbon now that I think about it…I think my main motivation was seeing it on the Amazing Race and saying, “One day, I will go there.” Who would have thought it would be so soon! And speaking of the Amazing Race, I sure hope all you potential partner people are watching this season and studying up! Ever since I was in high school, I’ve been saying that I will be on that show and as of this upcoming May, I can start applying to be on it! So potential partner peeps, get ready!! Ok so enough of that and more of Portugal…

Like I said, the group of people I went with really had no idea what to expect when we got there…little did we know that we would find this:




That is what we saw when we got off the metro station to the Baixa section of town. This is traditional, touristy Lisboa. The second picture is the view we had from our hostel! It was an incredible find in a perfect part of town. So after we got settled in the hostel, we decided to go explore and get lost for a bit. Our first find, the Plaza de Comercio!







Several angles for y’all to enjoy there. Hehe. After that we kept on walking along the banks of the Tagus River, which was sweet too. Then we saw a building that rose above the Portuguese homes, so we went to check it out. Turns out it was a famous cathedral that just looked like a fort.



From that short hike up the hill to the cathedral, there was quite an impressive view but we figured that it should be even greater at the top of this hill. So on we climbed. Now let me just tell you, Lisbon is one hilly city!! It was founded around 7 hills, just like Rome, and when you explore Lisbon on foot, it seems like you are walking up and down every single one of those hills! Anyway, up and up we climbed, passing an excavation site for a Roman theatre in the middle of the street, and found the Castelo de Sao Jorge up at the top. This here is the entrance to the courtyard of the castle that is a FANTASTIC place for pictures.



So without further ado, friends and family, this is Lisbon. Lisbon, these are my friends and family.





And this is the actual Castle of Sao Jorge.

All of this within the first day of Lisbon. Day 2 promised just as much fun. Day 2 I took off on my own because I needed some get lost in Lisbon alone time. On this day I made it up to this park, on foot of course, with an almost unbelievable view. This is also where the very first picture on the post comes from. I also found this plaza with a tile design that made me unbelievably dizzy just by looking at it.




Well, I think that that is enough Lisbon for now. If I knew any Portuguese, I’d toss it on here now. Well, I do know this. Obrigado(thank you) for reading! Keep on checking and you will see pictures from Cuenca and the abstract art museum, El Escorial, and LONDON!! Woot!