Portugal: Lisboa y Sintra

Yes, I know, I am WAY overdue on my posting. I'm pretty bad at this whole blogging thing. So I beg for your forgiveness, because I know there are at least 9 whole people who anxiously await my clever posting every day...right?

Anyways, a few weekends ago I, along with the rest of my study abroad program, took a trip to Portugal. I really had no idea as to what Portugal was like and no expectations whatsoever. Turns out Portugal is pretty awesome. I don't know why I haven't met anyone who has traveled to Portugal on vacation but it is a fantastic country! 

Our hotel was in Lisbon (Lisboa en español), the capital of Portugal, so we spent the majority of our time there. Here are some shots from around the city:

ISA (the study abroad group) took us to a gorgeous castle/fortress that overlooked the whole city of Lisbon (though none of these pictures are actually of the whole city):

A few more views of the city streets:

Chatting with a poet

My absolute favorite part of the whole trip was our first night in Lisbon. Spain has their flamenco. Portugal has their fado. Yet fado is more than just music. It's actually an entire experience of food, wine, instruments, and vocals. It's like somebody got into my brain and packed all good things into one! The music of fado is very similar to flamenco, although it never gained the same popularity that flamenco did. Faro music consists of a guitar or two, along with a Portuguese guitar and of course, a singer. Despite the occasionally upbeat rhythm of the song, the lyrics are known for being extremely depressing--all are about heartache, death, and poverty. When you go to a fado, you are basically going to someone's house for dinner. When it first started, Portuguese families would have people over to their houses, cook them fabulous meals, and then perform for their guests. The tradition still continues today, though I would guess that the hosts do not actually live in the restaurants, but rather above or next door. Here are some not so wonderful shots of the evening. The lighting was perfect if you were actually there, but not so perfect to photograph:

First she was asking us what we wanted for dinner, then she was singing!

By far my favorite singer

Portuguese version of Meryl Streep who spoke perfect Portuguese, French, and English

AMAZING shrimp, rice, and cilantro dish!

The next morning we went to the cathedral:

After the tour, a few of us sneaked out, with directions from one of the directors, to the famous old pastry shop that was originally run by nuns, Pastéis de Belém. I wish that there was a way for me to send samples through the internet. These little pastries are absolutely unbelievable. The crust is sort of like a croissant but slightly thicker, crunchier, and just sturdy enough to hold the rich, melt-in-your-mouth custard filling. And you get to top it with cinnamon!

With tummies full of pastries, we walked over to what used to be a waterfront fortress/lookout for the Portuguese army:

We were then granted free time and many of us made the excellent choice of taking a train to Sintra,  what I would basically call a tiny town surrounded by a significant amount of castles. We were disappointed to find out that you had to pay not only for the bus ride up to the castle we wanted to see but also to walk around the outskirts of building. Turns out it was worth every céntimo.

Not to shabby, eh?
That night we had an amazing dinner consisting of bacalao, a traditional white fish in Portugal that was served with tons of fresh cilantro, sauteed onions, potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. One of the best meals I have had thus far in Europe. The picture is pretty awful but I felt like a photo was necessary: