Part 1 of 3 in my Portugal series
Once a year, for work, we meet up for a week somewhere in the world, typically in North America. Last year it was Peru, and this year we were lucky enough to land in Portugal. Whenever we get one of these opportunities, I try to extend the trip so I can explore.
I’ve always wanted to go to Portugal, but I never made it much of a priority. I knew it would feel a bit like home, with the red-tiled roofs and beach culture, but I’d heard amazing things and was really looking forward to it.
Winging it
Normally I plan my trips thoroughly. I research experiences, restaurants, and museums ahead of time. This time I planned nothing. I showed up and winged it, and it was refreshing. I knew I’d spend my time walking around and stumbling onto cool stuff, and that’s exactly what happened.
On August 19th, I flew out just two days after backpacking in the Sierra and spent my first night in Lisbon at a hostel called Home. It had a great vibe, with pub crawls and events, though it was a quick night for me and I didn’t do much there.
I like to break up my trips with a mix of hostels and hotels. Hostels are fun for the environment. You meet travelers from all over the world, and they usually have a good bar, a restaurant, and things going on. A hotel is nice for the space, especially when I’m working. I eventually moved to the Hilton, where I worked for a few days and wandered the city on my breaks.
Four days of wandering
I spent about four days in Lisbon and instantly fell in love with that summer European vibe. At 10 or 10:30 at night, families are still sitting down to dinner in the streets. The tile work is on display everywhere: old buildings, good food, cold beers.
Lisbon is also a bit gritty. I’ve never seen as much graffiti anywhere in the world as I did in Portugal. But just behind it are restaurants making interesting food and really cool bars and speakeasies. That mix of grit and good stuff is what I liked most. It wasn’t overly fancy or polished, and it was strikingly clean, with no trash anywhere.
Sunsets at the miradores
What I loved most was the sunsets. Every evening, people gather at the miradores (lookouts) around the city. Music is playing, spritzes glow in the golden light, and you hear every language imaginable. Cultures collide to watch the day end. I made it to a few of them.
One night I was sitting with a cold beer watching the sunset when a group of younger travelers from all over the world sat down around me. We hung out for a while:
- A doctor from Saudi Arabia
- A girl from Eastern Europe who spoke a ton of languages
- A girl from the Netherlands
- A girl from Mexico
It was a great mix, and meeting people on the road is always one of my favorite parts of traveling.
Sintra
Besides wandering, I did a quick day trip to Sintra. It was pretty touristy and not my favorite. There are some cool castles, but it was overwhelmingly busy, and I would have preferred heading to the coastline instead.
On to the next stop
After Lisbon, I set my sights north, hopped on a train, and headed out.
To be continued.
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