I have landed!

   I made it to Lisbon! After a grueling 16 hours of traveling I finally arrived. My hostel is cozy, the people are great, and I slept like a baby last night. I adjusted to the time difference surprisingly well. I have no jet lag at all. Probably because I didn't really sleep on the plane.


   I ventured out today to explore Lisbon. I cannot believe what a beautiful, friendly city it is! I am absolutely in love with it! The small uneven cobblestone streets with their smaller, more uneven sidewalks with vehicles passing just inches away were slightly unnerving at first. Even for me!

The road my hostel is on, just to the left.

   After a few minutes I quickly adjusted to the pace of the city. There is a lot to observe! I walked down the centre of the Baixa area, which is the main city core. There are beautiful pedestrian only streets and many shops, buildings and sculptures to look at. The Arco da rua Augusto was beautiful to see.

Arco da Rua Augusto

   After a while, I made it down to the square along the Rio Tejo. The view was stunning. I could clearly see the Cristo Rei Statue on the other side of the river. I started taking a lot of photos at this point and kept my camera out almost the whole day. I made my way back up through Baixa to the Marques de Pombal. It is a huge statue in the centre of a huge round about. I saw it last night on my way from the airport but I really wanted some photos. By this point I was starting to get pretty hungry so I grabbed a chocolate croissant and sat in Rossio Square. I was feeling fairly inspired by this time and I was ready to go out and see some more!

Square near the water. It was HUGE!  

Cristo Rei Statue 

Marques de Pombal

Rossio Square

  I decided to head up to see the Castelo de Sao Jorge. I was going to take the trolley but decided to walk instead. The castle is on top of a hill so it was a nice brisk walk up to the top. The area surrounding the castle was absolutely amazing. I found a beautiful look out point to stop and take some photos. An Asian girl was kind enough to take a photo of me over looking Lisbons red roof tops and the Rio Tejo. On my way up I found the Lisbon Cathedral and decided to come back to it. 

Inside the Lisbon Cathedral on my way back down the hill.

   I finally made it to the top of the hill, navigating my way up with no map. It was a fun adventure... however, I could see the castle walls but no entrance point! I wandered around and around and finally found a trail that went up behind the castle. I was still pretty confused at this point but I luckily found a security person who kindly guided the way to the ticket booth. It was only 7 euros and it was definitely worth it! The views alone are amazing but being able to climb the castle walls and towers was so much fun. I felt like I was stepping back in time! I spent a good 2 hours or so just wandering around. I met a nice couple from Ottawa who took a picture of me over looking Lisbon. He was an amateur photographer so I got a few pointers and had a nice chat with them.

An arcway at the Castelo de Sao Jorge over looking Lisbon.

   By this point I was feeling pretty hungry so I stopped at a little cafe outside of the castle walls for a bite to eat. Since I was forced to eat mystery meat on the flight to Lisbon due to me being starving and not having any other options, I decided that a meat sandwich wouldn't be so bad again. So no more vegetarian me! I had a nice little sandwich with cheese and meat on a crusty baguette for just 2,50 euros. Not bad!


   After my little adventure up to Castelo de Sao Jorge I wandered back down to Baixa and went to the MUDE- Museum of design and fashion. I think they must be under going to renovations. It was free and didn't seem to have much in it. I had heard that they had a fashion exhibit but I didn't see it on any of the 3 floors. However, they had this "interesting" exhibit downstairs with a bunch of huge bank vault doors and fake deposit boxes. Some of the deposit boxes had different types of beans and seeds in it. Now, I would say I am the type of person who is into art and analyzing it. I even find a lot of modern art is quite fascinating even though its bizarre. However, I feel like maybe I just missed the whole point of this exhibit. Maybe I am not as artsy as I thought?


   After a quick stop at a grocery store I made it back to the hostel. I think I am just going to take it easy to night and do some research and planning for the next few days. Its a nice chill vibe here at the hostel which is fitting because its called the Lisbon Chillout hostel. After a day of walking up and down hills for 8 hours in the beautiful 16 degree sunshine I am ready for a good rest!  


XO!

See more photos HERE