Week 20: From roots to wings, and off to Lisboa!

It has been amazing staying with Alex for the past few days! Amidst getting ready to travel to Portugal and helping Alex to get set up all cozy in Lille, I’ve been fairly busy for being on vacation these past few days. Of course, as you already know, Paris was amazing, and now I’m off to have another adventure with Fatima and Walker (but unfortunately leaving Alex behind): visiting our friend Karla in Lisbon!

The beginning of the week flew by, as my stay in Europe does the majority of the time; between Monday and Wednesday, I have helped Alex get administrative documents prepared and submitted, open up her bank account, and we even had a fun Norbs night out with Pierre, the other student from St. Norbert who’s here in Lille for the semester. One of the most remarkable things that happened during the week in terms of big picture was hearing about the Charlie Hebdo attack on Wednesday, and seeing the massive reaction in the news media and also on social media (#JeSuisCharlie and all that). I’m still not quite sure which side of the fence I fall on for that, but it was a shocking event nonetheless, that had some news outlets comparing it to 9/11 and that had me thinking hard about my position on the issue. Nevertheless, the next day, I was off to Portugal!

Supporters of Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Photo credit: USA Today

Thursday marked the start of our trip, and Fatima and I made our way to the Brussels National Airport via MegaBus (viva front row seats!) to catch our Ryanair flight to Lisbon. Because I haven’t said it enough already, once again, thank goodness for such prolific low cost airlines. After making it to Brussels city center, we had to make our way to the train station to catch the train to the airport, which luckily Fatima had a handle on (because I probably would have been lost). After almost missing the train due to a last minute platform change, we made it, and got to the airport and through security just fine. For what it’s worth, Brussels Zaventem is one of the more beautiful airports I have ever been in; everything seemed polished and fancy (more so than the commercialism present in most airports usually provides for). We had a pretty expensive Pizza Hut meal for dinner in the airport, and then we set off on our evening flight to the beautiful city by the ocean (while making sure to snapchat our progress to Walker and publish fabulous Instagram photos in the meantime). Fatima and I settled in to our cozy seats on the plane, and before we knew it, we caught our first glimpses of Lisbon at night.

First sights of Lisbon!

Just arrived in the airport!

Once we landed in Lisbon, we made our way to the city center and consequently our hostel thanks to the very clear instructions Fatima had received from Karla, and when we checked in we immediately figured out two things: 1, this was one of the cheapest places we had ever stayed, and it wasn’t sketchy at all, and 2, this was probably the nicest hostel we had ever been in, in terms of how nice the staff was and how willing they were to help us out. So, off to bed we went (at quite a late hour), to get some rest for the long days of exploring ahead of us.

Since Walker wouldn’t be joining us until the next day, Fatima had wanted to visit the city of Fátima on Friday, and so we woke up fairly early to figure out how to get there. With our own research, we had thought to take the train, but after speaking with the wonderfully helpful receptionists at the hostel, we figured out that it would be cheaper and easier to take the bus, and so off we went to figure out how to get to the bus station (with a little bit of difficulty, as the metro station closest to the bus station wasn’t immediately adjacent), and from there, we set off on our 1.5-hour journey.

When we got there, the weather was fantastic; the sun was shining, and Fatima was so happy to see her name everywhere! (Kind of like me in the Alésia neighborhood of Paris, but on a bigger scale for sure.) We had been told that there were two churches there: an older one that had been the first pilgrimage site, and then a newer one that was built not too long ago as a way to breathe new life into the city. We explored both, and found some breathtaking architecture and many visitors around us.

Fatima just arrived in Fátima!

Having fun with perspective at the new church.

The older church.

After touring the main religious area for a while, we decided to grab some lunch. At this point I was super happy that my French Internet plan for my phone was able to carry over to Portugal since at this point I had had an account with the company for more than 60 days, and so off we were, finding a grocery store for a quick and cheap lunch with Google maps. Unfortunately, we were looking for a grocery store that didn’t exist, and so after hiking up a fairly steep hill to find only disappointment, we made our way back down the hill toward our next destination, which was pretty much anywhere else besides where we had just been because of the latter’s remoteness. We did manage to get a nice view of the city out of our little hiccup, and then we enjoyed some pizza and some pasta at a nice little Mr. Pizza on the way down the hill.

Our next adventure took us 45 minutes down the backroads of Fatima on foot to LAS GRUTAS DE MOEDA, a set of caves that we had looked up before coming to Fatima. This was another cool experience, as I had been to some caves on my only previous trip to Europe (Slovakia) in the summer of 2007. The guide explained all the formations to us, and all the stories to go along with how everything had been formed. We marveled in the beauty of nature for around an hour, and then made our way back on foot to the town. Throughout the day, we took pictures of everything that said “Fatima” on it, to memorialize the trip.

Making our way through the caves.

More fun with perspective! (HERCULES FATIMA)

Although we had just been walking a lot, both to the caves and in the caves, Fatima and I found the strength to continue on back to the city center, where we found our way to a wax museum. It has nothing on Madame Tussaud’s (not that I’ve seen the latter), but it did tell us the story of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the three little children in the city, and what they had to go through to prove that they had seen her. There was even a scene with Pope John Paul II (my favorite pope!), when he visited Fatima years ago. It was a great visual way to learn the history of the area and appreciate the entire trip even more.

The children involved with the Fatima miracle, praying for the vision.

Figures of the Pope and a Cardinal addressing the people in a worldwide remembrance day.

It was finally time to return to Lisbon after that, as Walker would be arriving in the evening. We froze our fingers off in the bus station a little bit and second-guessed ourselves as the bus arrived 20 minutes late, but then we got on our way to Lisbon at last. We had a great conversation in the bus about cultural differences, how British culture differs from American, and about our semester in Lille. When we arrived, our next stop was to meet up with Karla in the metro, and meet up we did! (Side note: the metro in Lisbon is pretty nice. It has internet and phone service all the way through!) Immediately after some hearty hugs, we all remarked on how we couldn’t believe how our semester in Lille had passed so quickly, but that of course we were all glad to meet up in Karla’s country. We made our way to a mall called Vasco da Gama and explored a few shops and the plaza outside, that had flagpoles with flags from every single country, and of course, the healthy living mascot of Lisbon. After hurrying back inside, Karla led us to a traditional Portuguese dinner of bacalhau (cod), which was absolutely delicious (and almost a comfort food for me, as I have been raised with Friday fish fries), and told us her whole plan for the weekend (apart from what we had already discussed on Facebook). It was a great first night in Lisbon, but it wasn’t quite done yet - we still had to get Walker from the airport. Unfortunately Karla had to leave at this point, because she would be meeting with student government early in the morning, but she did leave us with some delicious pastries to share with Walker when he arrived.

Flags of all the countries in the world outside the shopping center.

Lisbon's healthy living mascot. Yay for healthy lifestyle!

We wanted to surprise Walker in the airport, but he ended up almost scaring us out of our skins! We were, of course, nonetheless glad to see him, as this was our first little reunion after Christmas break. After we made it on the metro and almost back to the hostel, we stopped at the plaza and monuments nearby, and sat underneath a giant Portuguese flag while we shared the sweets. (My goodness, they were good!) After spending a while ribbing each other with Britishisms and Americanisms as we had done all semester, we made our way over to the aqueducts, which unfortunately were closed due to the late hour. As that was a little farther down the way, and Fatima and I had already done a lot of walking that day, we decided to call it a night after that, and we snuggled into our hostel beds for the night. (I will forever appreciate hostels that have an outlet right by the bed.)

Saturday morning we didn’t want to get up too early, and so we went to meet up with Karla around 10:00, after a wonderful breakfast of homemade pancakes, cereal, and juice. By then we had had time to recharge, and so we were hopping and ready to go when we made our way out to the Avenida da Liberdade (a little like the Champs-Élysées in Paris). We walked down the street, stopping at the little markets along the way, and then we made our way toward a hill leading to the Bairro Alto. After snapping a few photos in front of the main plaza, we turned to go up the hill, and we didn’t get three steps further before Walker spotted the famous yellow funicular that takes people up the hill. (Walker and his trams…) When we reached the top of the hill, we stopped for some pictures. At some point, Fatima had just left me with carte blanche privileges for her camera, and so I took advantage - I clicked the shutter too many times to count over the course of the weekend. (Thanks again, Fatima, for letting me play with your lovely camera :))

Walker's here!

Markets down the street

Walker and the famous yellow funicular.

The absolutely spectacular view. What a beautiful city!

After seeing this spectacular view from the hill, we decided what to do next, which was to eventually make our way to some café or bakery to stop for a coffee and try more Portuguese food, all the while seeing more of the city. We made our way across some main plazas, before stopping at city hall where I got some postcards, including one made of cork (because apparently Lisbon is famous for its cork), and then we continued on our mission for food. Before Karla brought us to the bakery she had had in mind, we passed by a monument honoring the Jewish population of Portugal, and then we visited a church just ahead. Karla informed us that in Lisbon, they don’t do restorations of churches, and this church was definitely an example - the stone was still blackened all over the place, not to mention chipping and crumbling. Nevertheless, the church itself was impressive, especially considering that it has survived at least one major fire and hundreds of years of wear and tear. I walked out feeling awed by the history contained in the place, and felt as I already had so many times before, a sense of awe and wonder at the fact that in this place there stood a building that had been there for hundreds and hundreds of years. There is nothing like this in the States, except for maybe Harvard and other east coast landmarks, and so each and every time I see a new church or building or monument that has been standing for so long, it takes a while for it to sink in.

Main plaza #1... at the end of the Avenida da Liberdade.

The church we entered.

Jewish memorial.

We then made it to a tea room in the next main square, and there we tried more traditional Portuguese snack foods, such as bacalhau bites, Compal juice, and a coffee that Karla described as “black as the devil” (or so say the Portuguese people). It was a wonderful culinary experience, and the prices really couldn’t have been beat. We relaxed for a little while, enjoying our Portuguese experience, and our taste of Lisbon. Next we made our way to a tower in the middle of the city, to be able to get a better look - and get a better look we did! We saw all of the beautiful sites and colorful buildings that Lisbon had to offer, all from a rooftop. What an excellent way to spend some time on a Saturday!

View of the rooftops of Lisbon.

Hanging out on the roof of the tower.

View of the Praça do Comércio from the tower.

Taking a look.

Because we hadn’t had enough café atmosphere for the day, our next stop was the famous Café A Brasileira, where the famous Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa spent much time writing his works. As we did actually want to get to lunch at some point (and not spend too much money), we ended up just passing by the famous café, and we made our way into a shopping center down the street called Armazens Chiado. After grabbing another wonderful lunch based on Karla’s recommendations, we strolled down the streets of Lisbon to finally end up at the Praça do Comércio, the beautiful plaza at the sea. What a gorgeously stunning sight it was, especially in the afternoon sun.

Armazens do Chiado

The main square of Praça do Comércio. Absolutely beautiful, and with a fantastic view of the bay/ocean.

After frolicking around in the sand a bit (because I had insisted on being able to at least get my toes wet, yes, even in January), we took a stroll along the beautiful seashore. Unfortunately we weren’t able to walk on the sand all the way, but we certainly did get our fair share of beautiful views. That moment is when I fell in love with Lisbon… just seeing the sea so peacefully in the setting sun. What a beauty… We then caught the tram, much to Walker’s delight, and headed over to Belém, another district in Portugal, to check out some more sights like the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém (one of the most iconic sights in Lisbon). They were cool sights, and we had our own fun at each (and some interesting conversations en route).

Walking along the shore.

Walker walking into the monastery.

Jumping by the fountain!

Walker... riding the bull?...

The famed Tower of Belém.

We finally figured out that we were actually quite hungry, and so Karla guided us to a famous pastry shop called Pastéis de Belém, where we got our first taste of authentic Pastel de Nata, custard tarts. They were absolutely excellent, and another one of my favorite parts of Lisbon! As it was getting quite late at this point, we decided to call it a night, because neither Fatima, Walker nor I wanted to go out (I guess we’re not as big of party animals as we’d like to think, haha). Karla made her way back to her place and we got on our way back to the hostel. We made our way home on the metro, and then once again settled in for a good night’s sleep.

The fabulous Karla while we awaited our famous custard tarts. Such an excellent host!

The next morning we started nice and punctual in the morning again, and we made our way right out to the Praça do Comércio. Once again, clear, sunny skies greeted us with their warmth as we made our way leisurely around the city. After seeing various sights around the city, we started our hike up the hill.

Having fun in the main square!

Finally, we made it to São Jorge Castle, the castle on the hill that we had seen the day before. The views were once again incredible, and we had some fun playing with the cannons and pretending we were the conquerors who had fought for this castle way back in the olden days. On the way into the castle, we even got to hear about the great St. George who slayed the dragon, which was of keen interest to Walker, apparently because this legendary saint is the patron of England. The history here just keeps hitting me - almost everything I run into in Europe has some kind of a story that goes way back to before my country was even formed. This was always something in the back of my mind as I took in all the sights, and even the gorgeous views.

Making our way up the hill.

A wall on our way up the hill - this kind of design will now and forever remind me of Lisbon!

View of the city on our way up.

A Dutch film festival in Lisbon! Fatima's excited!

On our way up

A view of the tower we had climbed the previous day from the castle.

Ready, aim, fire!

Walking on the castle wall.

After Karla told us the story of the general who sacrificed his life to open the door to conquer the castle way back when, we decided to reenact the experience.

Let me in!!!

Peacock in the courtyard!

Castle tower.

After once again taking advantage of the opportunity to stroll alongside the ocean, we made our way around, and eventually got to a little place called Ginja de Óbidos. It was an unassuming little place that ended up capturing my taste, because it was there that Karla introduced me to ginjinha, a berry-flavored liquor that is served in an edible chocolate cup. My oh my, was it good! I was just bummed that Walker and Fatima didn’t share in the experience.

Excited to try!

We then had some lunch at another food court-type place (but classier than what most Americans would think), and Karla got her first experience with buzzers that indicated when the meal would be ready to pick up. After enjoying some excellent conversation and creating some new inside jokes (trombones, anyone? ;)), we headed over toward the zoo, but first, we saw Karla’s university! We walked around a little bit, Karla told us a little more about what she’s studying and how she will be continuing into this new semester, and we even got some more Compal juice to share. Finally, we made it to the zoo, where we had an excellent dinner of more menu items recommended by Karla (I got a sandwich made with Pão de Deus, literally God’s bread, for example). We enjoyed the fleeting time we had left with Karla, and then we said our goodbyes, as Karla wouldn’t be able to accompany us to the airport in the morning ( :( ).

After lunch in the "food court."

Karla's school!

A front view of the university.

Our last foray of the trip was to find a late dinner, and we of course made sure to stop at the football stadium (per Walker’s special request...not at all due to his navigational skills. Nope). It was unfortunately too late to actually enter, but we did see an enclosed statue of the late great Eusébio, with lots of adornments and loving messages from worldwide fans. We then caught a pretty late dinner in the same place that Fatima, Karla and I had had dinner our first night in Lisbon, which was fun. What a great way to end our Portugal trip - different and spectacular cultural experiences! I hardly have more to say than Wow.

At the second shopping center.

'MURRCA

Walker next to the famous soccer idol.

Fatima was a fan as well!

Flags one more time!

What a cool opportunity - we got to see a little bit of Karla’s country, a fair amount of Karla’s city, and even where Karla normally goes to university! (Would that I could show all my new European friends my city and university… haha). Thanks again Karla for the lovely tour! It was great to get to know the city of Lisbon and all the beautiful and interesting things it has to offer.

There’s still a little bit more to add to this trip, since it ended on Monday instead of Sunday as normal, but for this week, this is it. What an amazing way to spend a week - seeing my sister, traveling to Lisbon, and living the dream in general (as international students are wont to do). The next big adventure that awaits me (after finishing this one) is getting to Spain! I’ve been preparing and packing and worrying and calming myself down, but only time will tell how it all goes. In this moment, I’m just so grateful for having this opportunity to be in Europe and travel, and I am definitely looking forward to next semester. With that, I will bid you all adieu, and à bientôt!