Lisbon, Portugal

Sunset

Stained glass

Pastries at Belem

Sintra, Portugal

Sintra, Portugal

Rooster, the symbol of Portugal

Normally an 8 hour bus ride would scare me. But this weekend, I endured not one but TWO 8 hour bus rides to and from Portugal. The trip, run by the school, serves as a sort of reunion with the group of people we went on the pre-trip with. Thankfully, there are JUST enough people on the trip that they have to get 2 buses and everyone gets 2 seats to themselves. I couldn't find a comfortable way to sleep with 2 seats, imagine having just one! The bus ride, full of naps, ipod listening and chatting got us into Portugal at around 6pm on Thursday. Before going to the hotel, we trekked up to a beautiful viewpoint to see the sunset. The view of the ocean was breathtaking. It has been about 3 months since I've stayed in a hotel (hostels have been my go-to source for shelter) and having clean sheets, pillows, and our own bathroom was an incredible luxury. Its funny how the smallest things that I took for granted before are now special.

The next day we went to see a few sights along the ocean. The views there were also amazing and although it was cloudy and REALLY windy, we still had a blast. After, we visited a small town, Belem, famous for their pastries which we of course sampled. It was great to be back with the people who I started this journey with. After almost 4 months in Spain, we have all grown so much and have become even closer.

The following day we visited two small towns right outside of Lison: Sintra and Cascais. When we got to Sintra it was raining and gloomy so we visited the palace there and then hopped back on the bus without much time to explore. The rain had let up a little once we got to Cascais, about 20 minutes away. We explored the oceantown that many say is similar to San Diego. One of the things I noticed about the Portuguese people was their kindness. Many wanted to practice their English and talked...and talked and talked and talked. In the restaurant we ended up eating lunch at, there was a waiter pacing behind our table, waiting for us to need something. The restaurant service in Madrid is horrible to say the least and having someone at our beck and call was strange but very nice. That is something I will definitely NOT miss about Madrid. That night, we had a farewell dinner at a nice restaurant in Lisbon. It is there that I discovered that I love olives. All my life I have refused olives, especially the ones with pits. However, the combination of white wine and olives at this restaurant was delicious. I have been missing out all this time! We also tried the codfish, also famous in Lisbon. And it did not disappoint! After dinner, some of the program leaders came out with us to a discoteca to dance the night away. The Spanish culture is so different in that aspect. From the wine tasting with my teachers earlier in the semester to dancing with teachers in a disco, I love how the relationship between teachers and friends is much more relaxed here.

I am now in my final week and a half in Europe! I can't believe how fast the time as gone. And as the day of my flight home gets nearer, I have even more mixed emotions about going back to America. I miss everyone so much but I know that I will miss this place with all my heart.