Listen here, Lisboa

Lisbon, Portugal

Decided to travel to Portugal instead of spending more time in Italy. Mike and I spent a few days in Lisbon, roaming the streets while trying to stay cool during the day and drinking as much wine at night while weaving in and out of the streets of Bairro Alto. The hostel we were staying at, Equity Point, had no air conditioning. The room was pretty hot, not gonna lie. We made it work though. Sleeping outside on a couch tucked away in a corner on the patio made for a refreshing first night. The other few nights were survived by sleeping in my underwear, with no covers. We got lucky enough to not have any roommates (a huge feat, if you ask me) - or else the whole underwear thing could have been an issue. 

View from the hostel - Lisbon, Portugal

Bairro Alto - Lisbon, Portugal

Ate some of the most amazing food here - the most memorable being a prosciutto and melon salad with tomatoes and a big heaping scoop of LEMON GELATO in the middle. I'm drooling just thinking about it. It seemed like there were loads of fresh fruit smoothie and juice places, which made my heart smile. Trying the codfish while here is a necessity. It is a cultural dish, and it doesn't disappoint - especially for the seafood lovers. While walking along the Douro River in Porto I met a fisherman that told me all about Porto, back in the day. You can read about it here. Open up that Trip Advisor app and find out where you can get a decent codfish, it will be worth it!  

It's really popular to ride the Tram 28 around the city, which means it is also crowded and apparently everyone gets pick-pocketed. It was fun nonetheless, especially since it was too hot to walk around.  I absolutely loved the various ceramic tiles that you can find on almost every building and in every souvenir shop. They were all so colorful and the patterns were so fun - they really gave the city a lot of personality. They have a ceramic museum there, if you are into that type of thing.

The Bairro Alto at night is so. much. fun. This restaurant we made a pit-stop at for sangria (pretty much the only reason we every had to make a pit-stop) set a bunch of tables up on the street outside their establishment. It was a fun environment, with everyone bunched up drinking and eating - although a few times I nearly knocked over any drinks within a 3 foot radius. Everyone seemed to be very understanding of the near misses. These inclined streets are littered with bars selling cheap, cheap alcohol and delicious tapas.  There are a surplus of men offering to sell you things you will never need - sunglasses at night, drugs, mickey mouse ears; the usual. 

We ended up by Ponte 25 de Abril - A bridge that looks strikingly similar to the beloved Golden Gate Bridge. Come to find out, they were designed by the same person. Someone must have gotten lazy. There were restaurants along the waterside - all which proved to be touristy, without much to offer. We ate here anyways because we had a nice three mile walk back to the hostel ahead of us. Why we decided to walk, I don't quite remember. 

I usually prefer walking, even if there is a quick metro stop that will get me somewhere in the blink of an eye - it's ugly underground. I can't see things the same way on a crowded bus or with my nose pressed up against the window of a train. I would much rather be out in the open, walking the streets, breathing in the air. I lost weight while traveling around Europe, contrary to what I imagined would happen. I didn't have enough money to eat any more than I needed and I was walking EVERYWHERE.