Tricia asked me to blog about my trip to Lisbon Portugal which I just returned from last night. Tricia was supposed to go but was not able to get out of work so I went with a friend from school. We met up with four other classmates who were already there, one of which is a Lisbon native.
We went to a number of restaurants including tourist traps and a communist restaurant with traditional Portuguese food. While this was interesting it was not a great place for a vegetarian as the Portuguese love meat. For example, one traditional dish consists of a raw steak served along side a very hot stone slab. Patrons use this slab to cook the meat to their liking right at the table.
We toured all of the monuments and sights including churches, a monastery and the worlds second largest aquarium. This aquarium was built around a central glass tank that stood two and a half stories tall. We also did a number of random things including lying on a bed of nails, which actually was not that uncomfortable.
We also learned how hard the Portuguese party. It is common for dinner not to start until about 10 pm. After that many people go out to the bars, which close at 2 am. During our first night out, a Thursday, I assumed everyone went home as they had to work the next day. I couldn't have been more wrong. Many go out to clubs, which do not open until 2 am, and literally dance until the sun comes up. After all of this they get to work by 9am. I can confirm that after leaving the party at 5am it was still going strong.
Our final full day was spent on the beach learning to surf. I can attest that it is much more difficult than it looks but I was still able to stand up on the board twice.
We went to a number of restaurants including tourist traps and a communist restaurant with traditional Portuguese food. While this was interesting it was not a great place for a vegetarian as the Portuguese love meat. For example, one traditional dish consists of a raw steak served along side a very hot stone slab. Patrons use this slab to cook the meat to their liking right at the table.
We toured all of the monuments and sights including churches, a monastery and the worlds second largest aquarium. This aquarium was built around a central glass tank that stood two and a half stories tall. We also did a number of random things including lying on a bed of nails, which actually was not that uncomfortable.
We also learned how hard the Portuguese party. It is common for dinner not to start until about 10 pm. After that many people go out to the bars, which close at 2 am. During our first night out, a Thursday, I assumed everyone went home as they had to work the next day. I couldn't have been more wrong. Many go out to clubs, which do not open until 2 am, and literally dance until the sun comes up. After all of this they get to work by 9am. I can confirm that after leaving the party at 5am it was still going strong.
Our final full day was spent on the beach learning to surf. I can attest that it is much more difficult than it looks but I was still able to stand up on the board twice.
The streets of Lisbon
The monastery
Looking over downtown Lisbon toward the ocean
Sunset on the beach after a day of surfing
1 comment:
Looks like a place to add to the list. Beautiful. What is the native language and is english a second language?
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