Lisbon (aka Staying In Bruce Springsteen’s Bedroom)

My first week of school went smoothly and this weekend our group went on an excursion to Lisbon, Portugal. I kind of feel bad for Portugal, because at least in my mind the country seems a bit overlooked, sitting in the shadow of Spain and all. But let me tell you, the Portuguese can hold their own.

First of all, Portuguese is spoken in Portugal not Spanish (in case there was any confusion) and although people say the languages are similar, they are not close enough for me to understand Portuguese. When reading advertisements in Portuguese I could pick out some similar words but when I first heard it spoken I thought it was German. (sorry Rosie, I know they are not a like at all.) Furthermore, trying to speak Spanish to someone in Portugal can be somewhat offensive since well, it’s not their language! My first interaction with a native was when I went to buy a postcard and out of habit said, “gracious”.

“Not ‘gracious,’” the salesman corrected kindly, “Now, obrigado(a).” I smiled and explained I had just come from Sevilla.

Lisbon is like the San Francisco of Portugal. It sits on a bay surrounded by seven hills. Trolley cars go up and down the steep streets and there is even a bridge stretching across the water that resembles the Golden Gate Bridge. Our hotel was almost right under this bridge, across from the docks where there were lots of restaurants and discotecas (dance clubs). (More on that later.)

Our first afternoon in the city we climbed through the winding streets to Castile San Jorge, one of the few ancient buildings that survived the massive earthquake of 1755 that destroyed most of the city. We explored the castle for a good 40 minutes of so, taking pictures and enjoying the view of the city. You will have to check out the pictures, a description here won’t do it justice.

That night we went out to eat to celebrate a girl’s birthday. She picked an Irish Pub out of all places to eat (the kids are starting to miss hamburgers), but I did my best to stay true to Portugal and ordered my burger Portuguese style. It came bun less and topped with ham and a fried egg. (They really like their eggs here- both Spain and Portugal.) Then we went dancing at a near by discoteca that was actually playing a lot of American music. We ended up doing the “YMCA” and I sang along to “Summer Nights” (from Grease) with a British guy. haha...Next time maybe we’ll find a place a little more authentic, but I was just glad to finally be out dancing.

The next day we spent the morning touring the city. We saw the Monastery of Los Jeranamos (where Vasco de Gamma, the famous Portuguese navigator is buried. He was the first to find a sea route to India.), the Tower of Belem (it used to defend the harbor and was later used as a prison), and finally we stood on top of a map of the world and learned about the many explorations of the Portuguese.

We had the afternoon free so a group of us girls found a sunny spot along the street to have lunch. I tried some of Lisbon’s well known codfish. When our waiter found out we were Americans he immediately referred to the upcoming elections. Personally he wants Hillary to win. I think it’s interesting this is the first time I’ve got a political opinion from someone. I wonder what other Europeans think.

After lunch we figured out the Lisbon subway and went to the other side of the city to see the aquarium. It was in a very modern area of the city where the world’s fair was hosted in the past. We spent a few hours laughing at the penguins and otters and gazing at the many strange fish. Then we spent another hour in a huge mall which boasted four floors and every sort of store you could want (including a grocery store). By the time we headed back to the hotel it was already after 7 or so and we were exhausted. While the other girls mustered the energy to get ready to go out dancing again, I opted to stay in and get some sleep in order to rest and fight off a cold. No one wants to be sick in Spain (or America, or Portugal).

The next morning we visited a vantage point that reminded me of Disney World’s Tower of Terror, down to the creepy elevator. When we reached the top the ISA staff treated us to cafe con leche and pastries as we enjoyed the view. Then we hoped back on the bus and attempted to get comfortable for our six hour drive back.

Whew! And now I’m back in lovely Sevilla. If you want to view my pictures of the trip so far (including Portugal) you can visit the links below.

Oh, and I almost forgot to explain the Bruce Springstein reference! So the hotel we stayed in had music theme wings and the one we stayed in was rock/pop section and our room was in honor of Bruce. So later when they asked for my room number at the front desk, I shrugged and said sheepishly, “Bruce Springstein?” All hotels should have such clever naming systems.

Ok...that is all for now. London this weekend. : )

I will update then.

Love,

Emily

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