One of the things I took advantage of while in Europe was the (relatively) inexpensive flights between European nations. I flew from Florence to Lisbon to meet up with my friend, V, who was on her very first trip to Europe. This was a whirlwind trip, mainly focused on the things that V would enjoy, since I was just crashing her trip.
I had never been to Portugal before and didn’t really know what to expect. I could have done a crazy amount of research, but then I would have spent the entire time thinking that I was missing out on things that we didn’t have time to experience. As it stands, I got a quick taste of Lisbon and Portugal – enough to know that I would like to return some day.
Note to anyone who is thinking about visiting Portugal in general and Lisbon in particular: there are hills. Lots of hills. Many hills. ALL THE HILLS. While I think that the hills are an integral part of the city’s beauty, walking can be an adventure, especially since the sidewalks are tiled with exceptionally smooth stones. I might’ve come close to sliding down some of the streets instead of walking down them. Actually, I barely managed to stay upright at least five times while I was there, but I didn’t care, since I was having so much fun.
In case you can’t tell by these photos, the architecture of Lisbon is pretty special. One of the things that V and I did was was tut-tuk tour around the city, going up and down the hills of the city, learning about the history and architecture that we had been cheerfully speculating about while wandering on our own.
When I go back to Portugal, I will definitely be sure to spend more time exploring the country. I want to try making azulejos (oh, those beautiful tiles!!) and go on some wine tastings. I also want to visit the mountains of Portugal and maybe visit a horse farm and ride a Lusitano (or just pet one, I’m not picky).