Lisboa, Portugal

Sorry about the past week, I thought I posted my Artistic Monuments blog but I guess it didn't go through.  My week before Portugal was filled with exams but before my trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal my artistic monuments class got to tour the Sevilla Cathedral and climb to the top to see the aerial view of Sevilla.  The beautiful gothic cathedral was built over top of a mosque, which gives it a unique design.  There are aspects of Romanticism and Islam all in one cathedral, which creates a truely remarkable scene.  Not to mention this aerial view of Sevilla, amazing how all the houses look very similar with only a few modern buildings in the background.  This visit was only the start to an amazing weekend.

Our drive to Portugal took about 5 hours, which was spent in total silence.  We finally arrived in Lisbon and you could automatically see the differences between the two countries.  Portugal is much more diverse than Spain.  Many more ethnicities walking around the city compared to that of Seville.  Also, everyone knows English.  Portuguese people prefer to speak English than Spanish and are actually better at it because in Portugal, they grow up watching movies in English.  The main avenue, where our hotel was located, was filled with banks and offices rather than the abundance of bars and restaurants like Seville.  All that being said, it was a beautiful city, with a lot of history and monuments to remember it.  Our first visit was to the Castle of San Jorge, it overlooks the city and is filled with history and archilogical remains that never ceases to amaze me.  The weather made the sight of Lisbon that much better and luckily for us, it usually rains a lot during this time of year and it just so happens that it only rained at night while we were in town.  That night we spent walking around the city experiencing the night life of Lisbon.  The area, where we spent most of our time, was definitely for the younger crowd and honestly was a bit more sketchy than the areas in Seville.  We had a great time and met some new people.  I came down with a cold that night/next morning and it hit me hard.  I was clogged up and it was even difficult to hear anything.  Although this put a bit of a damper on my time in Portugal, it definitely helped that all of our visits were outside and pretty active.

Saturday morning we went to the Palace of Pena, which again overlooks the city of Sintra.  This palace was very interesting because there was no one style.  It is built upon a rock and actuallly the original palace is painted in red.  The yellow areas are all additions made to the palace by various kings.  The main style was Romanticism, which is meant to inspire something from within.  Although, Islam and Celtic style also plays a big part in designing this palace.  We were able to get a guided tour of the palace and the various rooms inside.  It was amazing to see how the upper class lived during those times.  A room for changing, sitting, or even just thinking.  The area surrounding the palace is a huge park that is filled with winding trails and some lakes that are meant to surprise you at every turn.  After the visit to the palace, we went back to hotel and relaxed until dinner.  A group of us went out to this Portuguese restaurant to see what kind of food they had to offer.  Seafood is big in Portugal and they did not disappoint.  Saturday night was the worst night for my sickness but I went to bed early and woke up feeling 50% better.  

Sunday was an early morning in order to fit in the rest of our Portugal adventure.  We had a tour on our bus that drove around the city pointing our various buildings and history associated with the city.  Our first stop of the day was at the Museum of Carriages.  We were able to see the innovations as well as artwork associated with the oldest to the newest carriages used by the Portuguese elites.  Then we drove to the Torre De Belen, which is the picture of me above.  It is right on the river, where I felt right at home.  Sailboats and people enjoying the view made me really miss and appreciate what I have at home.  Everyone was amazed at the sight of sailboats and how they wish they can sail, meanwhile I was thinking the minute I get home I am going for a sail with my family.  The sun was shining and the wind was blowing, which made the day that much better.  Overall, the trip was amazing and I am so fortunate to be able to cross off Portugal from my list of countries traveled to.  Having the opportunity to travel is one of the most important things in life.  If able to do it, the experience opens up new avenues and different ways of thinking that makes you more of a global citizen in the world.  Life isn't the same all over the world and appreciating those differences makes the return back home and the altered lifestyle much more significant.