Betsy and Lindsay were on an earlier flight then me to Portugal (I had class). When they arrived in Portugal, there was a bomb threat. Somebody had left a suitcase in the middle of the road, and the whole swat team, fire, police, everything were called in. I did not have to deal with any of this, but they said it was pretty chaotic.
On Thursday night we went to a very local kitchen. It was Portugeese food with a kitchen fusion twist. I had pork with peaches, apricots, and nuts, salad, and potatoes. It was great! There was over an hour wait for the restaraunt, and some men invited us to come sit with them. We sat with 7 guys who were in their early 30's. It was really fun, and after they took us out for drinks! We tried the traditional drink of Portugal, which was an almond liquor... IT IS SWEEEET! A little too sweet for me. We were in bed early, and slept in late the next day!
On Friday we did some sight seeing and went to see the Castle of Lisbon.
These are pictures from the main square in Lisbon. If you look up from the bottom picture the castle is nestled into that hill. Lisbon is made up of 7 hills.
These are pictures from the top of the castle. In Lisbon there is the sister bridge of the Golden Gate bridge. It was designed by the same person. It is obviously a LOT smaller then the Golden Gate bridge but it is still very beautiful. It really made me feel at home! :) Those are my two roommates, Betsy on the left and Lindsay on the right.
Here is a picture of the castle! It was a very cool thing to visit, especially since there were such great views from the top.
After the castle we went to the other side of town and went a famous bakery. We got these little desserts, that were crust with custard in the middle... they are the popular dessert in Portugal.... I WENT NEXTDOOR THOUGH (GRANDPA) and HAD A STARBUCKS!
It was a very cold day and all I wanted was a warm coffee! The Christmas cups are out and all the Starbucks are decorated for Christmas, which I LOVE!
After that we went to the famoue tower on the river. Here is a picture of us infront of it! We couldn't go in it because it was closed/costed too many euro's for my budget.
On Friday night we went to a REALLY local restraunt that our hostel recommended to us. It is in the top 500 places to eat in the world by the National Geographic. I did not love my meal, but its because we could not read the menu and we knew it was chicken! They had fish, tuna and seabass... they said it was the best fish they have ever had! A man sitting next to us bought us each red roses, and invited us for wine after dinner. He was nice... but old (48). My roommate Betsy loves to talk with old people... its weird. Not my jam. So me and Lindsay just giggled in the corner.
On Saturday we went out to Sintra. Sintra is a fairytale type town about 40 km from Barcelona. It was beautiful. We were going to go into the castle, but it was 11 euro, and not in my budget. So we just wandered the town. I got a really cute new bow headband that is handmade by a local. The town was pretty and very quaint. We sat in a cafe for a while and just enjoyed the day.
Here are some pictures from my hostel!! My hostel was soo cool. It was in an apartment, and there was only one other person staying there until the last nigt a few american boys checked in. The staff was awesome, and we had our own room which was very nice. It was like a tree fort! I really enjoyed this hostel because it felt homey, unlike my hsotel in Paris, it was very big/kinda like living in the dorms again.
Our room.
The kitchen area (my roommates).
Other hang out area, front door.
Well that is all for Portugal. Tomorrow I am off to Amsterdam with AK, Leonard, and we are meeting Leanne (friend from high school). We will be staying in a Marriot (THANKS JJ!) in the middle of the city center! I am very excited!! Especially since it is going to be with my three best friends! This week was a rough week, I am so sad that we are all moved out of Savory Drive. That wil always be my home, and it has made me very homesick this week! Yesterday (the 17th) was my one month mark... I cannot believe that I am coming home in less then a month! I really am starting to miss everyone, so it should be exciting to come back, but also very sad.
XOXO! LOVE from Barcelona.
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