Because we had the next few days off before our actual classes began, most of the students in the group did some independent traveling. A group of about twelve of us decided to go to Lisbon, Portugal. I had essentially no existing knowledge about Portugal, but we had found an inexpensive flight and hostel online so it seemed like a good opportunity to explore.
It turned out to be an amazing trip! We stayed at Yes!Hostel, ranked #2 Hostel Worldwide in 2010 by Hostelworld.com (a happy coincidence). Luckily, the staff there gave us some suggestions as far as what to do and see in Lisbon. We toured the Castelo de São Jorge, an impressive fortress with incredible views of Lisbon. The weather wasn't so bad, either (sunny and low-60s!).
The following day, we took atrain to Sintra, a historical town about 45 minutes from the center of Lisbon. The group of us walked around and toured The Moorish Castle (I doubled my amount of visits to a castle in just one weekend). This castle, built some time in the 9th century, had breathtaking views as well.
Portugal proved to be both a worthwhile trip and a welcomed reprieve from Spanglish. Many of the people we encountered spoke English! Despite my best efforts, however, I only managed to improve my Portuguese language skills by one word: obrigada ("thank you").
Since this trip was a continuation of the last, I still lacked a charged camera battery. Thus, I take no credit for the following pictures (stolen from friends):
A warm welcome to Portugal
Trolley!
View of Lisbon
Tiled street in Lisbon
A cathedral in Lisbon
Inside the Castelo de São Jorge
(I couldn't get over how green the grass was -- in January!)
View of some of Lisbon's colorful buildings from inside the Castelo de São Jorge
Castelo de São Jorge
Amazing view from the Moorish Castle in Sintra
Moorish Castle
Thank you to Lauren, Maricella, and Sarah for sharing your photos!
I will never forget my battery charger again.
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