In Spain we
managed to get by with our meager understanding of the language, but when we
arrived in Portugal we did not even know the most basic words. We could not say
hi, bye, thank you, or bathroom in Portuguese, but we got through it and I say
‘obrigada’ to the locals for bearing with us.
As we flew into
Lisbon the day after Christmas it was only fitting that the airline placed us
on a private jet as a present. When all 14 passengers on the flights arrived at
the plane we were all shocked to see that it was a tiny jet. After everyone
took pictures of the outside we got some solid group plane selfies and pictures
of our view right into the cockpit! Not only were we on a 19-seat place, but
each seat had a snack pack with a sandwich, water, earplugs, and a wet nap-
RyanAir doesn’t even give their passengers beverages! It was so funny, and such
a pleasant surprise to begin our adventure in Portugal on what we like to call
a private jet.
After our
luxurious flight over, we were refreshed and ready to see what Portugal had in
store. On our first day in Lisbon we took a tram to a renowned monastery and
then walked over to a famous bakery. The main form of public transportation in
Lisbon consists of old, rickety trams. Given the hilly topography, they seem
suspect to stalling and breaking down every time them drive up a hill.
Nonetheless, we made it to the church, which was cool, but I can’t say much
about it. The bakery, however, is home to the famous Portuguese treat Pasteis de nata, and they make
it with a secret ingredient. It is a custard filled pastry sprinkled with
powdered sugar and cinnamon and it is delectable!
After enjoying our Pasteis de nata we rode a tram
that circled the entire city. From here we saw great views off all the hills
and all the little shops along the narrow streets. We also got to witness a man
tram hopping- he leaned casually against a building at each stop and then hung
onto the back of the tram once it began to drive again.
The next day we went to the popular flea market. It
was so huge that we could not even make it through the entire thing, but we
found some random nic nacks, and Shai was tricked into buying a mini camel.
Once again, we found a ride through BlaBlaCar from
Lisbon to Porto. This time our driver was a guy who majored in Tourism, and
spoke wonderful English. He explained everything as we drove up nearly half of
Portugal for about a 5 hour ride. We even made a stop in his old college town
to have the traditional pastry and coffee snack between lunch and dinner. When
we finally arrived in Porto it was dark out, but the city was lit up and
astounding. The city of Porto is layered along a mountainside with a river
running along it. We could see the lights shining on every layer, on the 7
bridges, and off the river. This view was breathtaking-and it really heightened
my expectations for my time in Porto.
By day Porto was cool, but not nearly as remarkable
as it was at night. One thing that I really liked about this city is the
presence of hand painted tile on almost every building. It gave it a personal,
united feel. We walked past the several wineries on the river, and then went to
a restaurant to taste francesinha, a popular local dish. It consists of layers
of different types of meat and bread all covered in a thick layer of melted
cheese and topped with a flavorful tomato based sauce. It was an extremely
heavy meal, and not the best tasting thing in the world, but I’m glad I can say
I tried it.
From Porto, we Shai and I parted with Claire, and
went to Paris. We were exhausted when we got there and immediately went to our
hostel to take a nap. While this may sound like a waste of a day it ended up
being the best decision we could have made! When we finally woke up it was dark
out, but we wanted to do at least something so we resolved to walk to the river
to scope out a nice view. We ended up walking around a good amount of the city for
more than an hour- and we fell in love with Paris. Our midnight walk was
straight out the movie Midnight in Paris, and it was a great introduction to
the city.
The next day we set out to see all the typical
touristy things. First we hit the Eifel Tower with a picnic of baguette, tomatoes
and avocado. We ate our snack on the lawn right under the tower and it was the
cutest picnic I have ever been part of. From there we walked along the river,
stopping at various museums and interesting buildings until we happened upon
the Arc de Triumph and then the Louvre. The next day we walked the other way to
Moulin Rouge and then sadly had to go to the airport to end our trip in Dublin.
I never thought I would be traveling through Europe
for the holidays, but I am so glad I had this opportunity. Every city I went to
had something special to offer, and I enjoyed all 17 of the days I spent
country hopping!
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