From day one of being in Spain, we have been determined to take a trip to Portugal. It would be such a waste not to, being so close. On our very last free weekend, the opportunity finally presented itself. Four other girls on my program and I decided to take a chicas trip to Lisbon, for one last hurrah.
Our trip was a whirlwind from the get-go. We took a bus (instead of a train) from Salamanca to the Madrid Barajas airport, which was probably a mistake. It started snowing during the drive, so we were going extremely slow, and arrived at the airport less than half an hour before we were supposed to board. We literally sprinted through the airport, somehow made it through security in only seven minutes, and got to our gate with time to spare. Thank you, adrenaline.
The excitement of arriving in Lisbon was slightly clouded by our struggle to figure out how to get to our Air BnB. Our Ubers kept cancelling on us, and we wandered for close to 30 minutes to figure out the right place to get picked up. Since there were 5 of us, we had to order two Ubers, which was really annoying during the whole trip. After a lot of arguing, walking around aimlessly and debating whether it was worth it just to take a cab, our Ubers finally came. Jemma and I ended up with a really cool driver who spoke Spanish, and he told us all about the best things to see in Lisbon and where the best nightlife is.
Our Air BnB was in the historic part of the city, in a neighborhood called Alfama. It was extremely hilly, had rough cobblestone streets and colorful building covered in mosaic tiles. It was filled to the brim with vibrant character. The Air BnB was one of the most beautiful ones that I have ever stayed in.
For dinner, we wandered around and found a small Italian restaurant, where we got some delicious pasta and pizza.
Later that night, we had probably one of the best nights of the entire semester. We went to a place called Silk Nightclub, which was on the sixth floor of a building, above some posh Japanese restaurant that we could never afford. The first great thing about this place was that there was no entrance fee, and thank god, because the drinks were e x p e n s i v e. It was 100% worth it though. When you walk in, all you see is glass walls with insane views looking out over the water and the city. There were multiple bars, and indoor and outdoor seating areas. We sat outside for a little bit, until we were basically numb from the cold. When we went inside, we asked one of the men who worked there if there was somewhere we could put our coats, and he ended up escorting us upstairs to this VIP room overlooking the rest of the club. We had the room all to ourselves. It was the fanciest, bougiest thing I have ever experienced. The music was all old hits from our middle school and high school years, which was obviously super fun to dance to. The whole thing was unreal. I’m still not convinced it actually happened.
We slept in pretty late the next morning, which I normally wouldn’t want to do since we only had one full day in the city, but the night before made it worth it. We walked two minutes from our Air BnB to this gorgeous lookout area called Portas Do Sol, and ended up getting breakfast there was well. We sat outside on this patio with a panoramic view of the city and the water, and it was stunning.
To commemorate it, we bought some street art from an artist set up right next to us, because it was too beautiful not to. Portugal is easily one of the most stunning cities I’ve ever been to.
From there, we Ubered about half an hour to the Monument of Discoveries and Belem Tower, which we were told were two “must-sees” in Lisbon. They definitely didn’t disappoint!
To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure of the history behind either one of these. I meant to research them after we saw them, but I never got a chance. They were both breathtakingly beautiful though, and I’d highly recommend them to absolutely everyone who visits Lisbon!
Once again, we ordered two Ubers and drove to Praça do Comércio, which is like the Plaza Mayor of Lisbon. It is a huge, three-sided square, with the other side just opening right to the water. The buildings are a gorgeous yellow color, and the architecture was exquisite.
Of course, we had to take pictures with the #CantSkipPortugal sculpture, because what kind of tourists would we be if we didn’t?
We got lunch at one of the restaurants in the plaza, and then began walking up to a place called St. George’s Castle. This was my favorite part of the trip. St. George’s Castle is situated on one of the highest hills in Lisbon, and has the most spectacular panoramic views of the entire city and water.
We went during the golden hour, just before the sun was setting, and I have never seen anything more beautiful. Lisbon is already an incredibly colorful city, and with the light of the sun setting, it just glowed.
Everyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for views and lookout points, so this could not have been more up my alley. This was the moment that I knew I was completely in love with Lisbon, and I know for a fact that I am going to be spending a heck of a lot more time there in the future.
St. George’s Castle was only a six minute walk from our Air BnB, so we walked back and then went to a restaurant next door for dinner. It was a traditional Portuguese Steak and Tapas restaurant, and I had ribs that literally fell off the bone. It was 13 euros, by far the most expensive meal I had the entire trip, but honestly worth it.
For our last night out, Jemma, Alexis and I went to this place called Timeout, which was recommended to us by three separate Uber drivers, so obviously we had to go. It was basically this giant indoor market, with hip food stands and bars. We got Margaritas at one of the bars, and for the first time since we arrived in Europe, we got carded. We were pretty shocked, but it was the first time we had ever had to show ID anywhere, so it was kind of fun. We had a really great time, and it was such a great way to end the trip.
We took the bus back to Salamanca from the airport in Madrid, and we were coincidentally on the same bus as my Written and Oral Communication professor. As the bus was arriving into Salamanca, the whole city was glowing from the sunset, and we realized that this was the last time we were ever going to be coming home to Salamanca. It was super emotional. Tears may or may not have been shed. It was a bittersweet ending to an incredible adventure.
Idly Wild 