Shades of Rose

This past weekend, I stepped out of Spain for the first time since I have gotten here, and into Lisbon, Portugal. To put it simply, it was absolutely beautiful there and I had a lovely time. In fact, it is probably my top trip since I have come to Europe.

My flight left on Thursday afternoon without mishap and I arrived in Lisbon in the evening. In addition to dealing with a significant language barrier for the first time in my travels, this was also my first solo trip. Nothing like doing all of your firsts at once. I managed to get myself onto the correct bus, but then got lost when it came to the tram. I got a taxi and, to my relief, the driver was an Irishman and spoke English. Actually, he was so reassuring that I started to become worried. He kept saying, "Doun't worry, sweethaht, I'll git yeh there in a jiff." After he repeated this several times, I started to wonder if I was actually being kidnapped. It didn't help that the Alfama Patio Hostel is in a very old part of the city that does not seem to be safe when you first drive through it. Praise the Lord, he really was just a nice man and I got to the hostel with no trouble.

I didn't do much Thursday night except for talk to my family for Thanksgiving, which was actually no small thing. It is hard to convey this across the Internet, but it was completely wonderful to see everyone via Skype and it really uplifted my spirit.

Friday dawned and I was up bright and early. After a wonderful breakfast at the hostel, (hard-boiled eggs and pancakes!!!) I set off with my list of things to do.

The highlight of my day was definitely the Castle (picture to left). This is Portugal, which means there is nothing blocked off, there are no side railings on the steep stairs up to the towers, and there are no guards telling you "you can't go up there." So I climbed all over everything. Of course, the views were incredible. And there were peacocks wandering around!

On Saturday, I decided to go on a day trip to Belem, which is a town about 25 minutes outside of Lisbon. First, I hit up the Feira de Ladra, the "thieve's fair," where I bought two much-needed leather belts and a fabulous leather purse. When I walked back to the tram stop, I ran into the two American girls and the dude from New Zealand who I had met at the hostel the night before. The Kiwi ended up accompanying me for the day in Belem, which was great. We got along famously and it was nice to have some company. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and we walked along the coast and then went to get some of the famous Portuguese pastries that Belem is known for. The shop there has been running since 1837 and one bite of their signature pastry makes you understand exactly why they have been in business for so long. It was delicious. Tired and satisfied, we hopped back on the tram and returned to Lisbon. The picture above is the Tower of Belem, and the picture below is me at the top!

But the day was not over yet! Saturday night was a free BBQ with homemade sangria and a live DJ. Spontaneous salsa dancing, delicious food, and then suddenly, a blackout! But that didn't stop the fun. Martin from Ireland picked up his guitar and we had a sing-along by candlelight. I learned that the only truly international songs are the following: "One Love" by Bob Marley, "I Want to Hold your Hand" by the Beatles, and "La Bamba" by who knows who. The DJ then invited us to his club in Barrio Alto, so we went off to dance the night away.

On Sunday morning, I did a last bit of furious sight-seeing by going to the Tile Museum and then up to the Chiado neighborhood. I absolutely loved the tiles in Portugal. To the right is one of my favorite patterns that I saw.

One of the other amazing things about Portugal was the colors the city. (Yes, now I explain the title of the post). When you looked out over the city, all the rooftops were rosy red. The streets were full of muted yellows and blues. In the churches, the marble seemed to have a rosy tint.

Don't worry Lisbon, I will be back.