Portugal

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Lisbon - First Impression

First impression?  I LOVE Portugal!  The focus of this trip was to fulfill my goal of visiting Spain and I did not imagine how much I would LOVE Portugal.  A huge thanks to my two friends who made me aware that you can easily book a 3-day layover - that was such amazing advice that I will forever be thankful for and forever use in my future travels.

Photo by Dr. Haus

I arrived in Lisbon on a rainy afternoon/evening.  I am VERY lucky that this is the main rainy weather I had on this trip so far - the other rainy days happened at night when I was on the farm so they didn't affect me much.  I had a little trouble finding my hostel as I didn't realize the hostel was in the train station (the signage wasn't good either but I figured it out relatively quickly).  The train station connects Lisbon to Sintra which is a day-trip I couldn't fit into my short Lisbon stay but I do plan on going in the future!

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

I was extremely tired by the time I arrived in Lisbon and I quickly got a seafood dinner (I LOVE seafood and European seafood is perfection) and tried the famous Portugal "green" wine (vihno verde).  It was a good wine though I do still prefer a red wine (I did read there are red "green" wines but I didn't find any during my stay).  Before sitting down for dinner I got a pastel de nata at a bakery close to the restaurant because I can't miss the chance for a famous sweet treat!  After dinner I got back to the hostel and got to bed to prepare for the full day I would spent in Lisbon.

Photo by Dr. Haus

Of course my first stop in the morning was a famous yarn shop in Lisbon that sells yarn from Portuguese sheep.  Naturally I found an orange yarn and decided to get 4 skeins as it seemed like I could make something from four skeins and I thought I could fit it in my backpack with relative ease.  I would have loved to get 6 skeins but I didn't want to deal with having luggage issues upon returning home.  I am hoping it is enough yarn to knit myself a tank top - fingers crossed (and yes, I will grow up and gauge before I start knitting this project).

Photo by Dr. Haus

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the Lisbon public transport system gets a HUGE A+ from me!  The subway easily got me from the airport to my hostel and the refillable city transit card can be used on buses, trains, trams, buses, etc. all within Lisbon.  This is a great feature that makes it very easy to travel around the city and to the surrounding cities.  I will be walking everywhere as I want to see the city but the ease of this system is great (and the subway cars are nice)!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Lisbon is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities.  The people, the city itself, the food, and the ocean makes this such a wonderful city to visit.  I find that speaking in Spanish is working well for communication in Portugal - I am shocked how much Portuguese I understand and how my Spanish skills are enough to communicate with most people.  In lots of cases, people are switching to English when talking with me but the knowledge of Spanish is extremely helpful. 

Photo by Dr. Haus

The best part of this day was when I was walking towards a park that had a view above the city of Lisbon.  While I was walking up to the park I felt something fall on my head and heard some birds chirping above me.  I was like, no way, a bird pooped on my head!  This was in fact the case when I put my hand on my head to find it full of bird poop.  This is my second bird poop incident after the incident in the Plaza de España in Seville.  I started laughing so hard - it is about time I got pooped on by a bird on the head - honestly, how has it taken this long?  I have of course been pooped on by birds before (hazard of being a vet) but never the head and never a wild bird.  I was debating that day about how I should wash my hair one more time before I come back to the states but I didn't really want to.  Well, that bird made the decision for me.  Thanks for the laugh bird and I am sure the people sitting around me on the flight home will appreciate my clean hair.

Photo by Dr. Haus

The bird poop incident didn't stop me!  I got to the top of the looking point, had dinner, and then headed back to the hostel where I then took care of the bird poop hair.  Talk about an perfecty funny moment that still makes me smile!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Cascais - Day 2

For my last day in Lisbon (and Europe 😭😭😭😭) I decided to visit the coastal city about a one hour train ride from Lisbon called Cascais.  This was a strategic decision on my part because I have always wanted to look at the Atlantic Ocean from the opposite direction.  I am always looking at the Atlantic from West to East and wanted to finally look at it from East to West.  Cascais was the perfect solution as it has a train from Lisbon and the train uses the same pass that I was raving about earlier making it an extremely easy trip.

Photo by Dr. Haus

Cascais is definitely a coastal city that sees a lot of tourists.  The town itself was extremely cute and had great views of the ocean, lots of boats, lots of seafood, and a place called Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth).  My main goals were to see the Atlantic looking East, put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, and see Boca do Inferno.  I was able to achieve all these goals during the trip while also finding a hole in the wall lunch place where I was able to find a menu of the day for 13 euros (wine, carrot soup, codfish and potato, salad, chocolate mousse, and an espresso).  Yes, I did drink an espresso (it came with the meal, you think I am not getting my full money's worth?).  As expected, did not enjoy the espresso and I am still firmly in the coffee is gross camp.  

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus
 

 

 

This was a perfect last day in Europe spending time at the beach, walking around the beach town, and enjoying the gorgeous cliffs along the Atlantic Ocean.  I don't want this trip to end and honestly the main thing making me go back are Nathan and Melvin (my cats).  I have never left my boys so long and can't wait to give them so many squeezes and kisses tomorrow!

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

End of the Trip

And with that I am sitting in the Lisbon airport waiting for my flight back to the states 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭  For my last day in Lisbon (and Europe) I had a large breakfast and then sat by the water until I took the subway up to the airport.  I obviously got two last Fantas before I leave Europe (I drank one immediately and the other is for after I get back to the states).  All good things must come to an end and we will see what (and where) the future holds!  Now back to education content 😉

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Málaga

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Málaga for One Full Day

The Spain part of my vacation is quickly coming to an end 😭😭😭😭 I arrived in Málaga in the late afternoon from Seville where I checked into my pod hostel.  I was SO excited to be staying in a pod hostel and this hostel was not a disappointment.  This stay further confirmed that loft beds are for me and that I love to live in small spaces.  My goal of living in a van down by the river seems even more like the correct path for me.  Here is a picture of the hostel:

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

As you can see my hostel pod was also orange so that gave it some extra points in the Dr. Haus loves this book.  For my first night I did a quick walk around the downtown Málaga area but I was exhausted from the travel day and bus ride so got to bed a bit early.

Photo by Dr. Haus

For my one full day in Málaga I mostly walked around the area of the city that has an old castle, walked around the downtown area, and spent some time walking along the beach.  It was nice to have a more laid-back relaxing day after such a fast-paced trip.  Most of this trip has been a lot of wandering but Málaga was the first, and only, city where the only plan was random wandering.  This is my favorite type of traveling.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

The end of my last night in Spain was perfect.  I found a restaurant on the beach to have dinner (of course had fish because I love fish and the fish here is AMAZING).  I enjoyed a lovely sangria on the beach which was the best drink I have had in Spain.  After dinner I walked along the beach and managed to twice accidentally let the waves wash over my shoes (oops, she doesn't always learn her lesson the first go).

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

For my last morning in Spain I got breakfast along the way to the train to the airport.  In me fashion I ended up getting through security very quickly and about about 4 hours early for my flight.  Thankfully my hostel in Granada had a used bookstore next to it and I got a large book there very cheap that I read a lot of while waiting for my flight.  It is now time for the last leg of my trip, Lisbon!  🇵🇹

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Seville

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

First Impressions - Day 1

Another day and another city.  I now find myself in Seville, the last new city I will be visiting in Spain (which is hard to believe).  I arrived in Seville early in the morning after a quick train ride.  I have to say, these high speed trains are AWESOME!  We need them in the United States which reminds me that Amtrak in the Northeast might be implementing some high speed trains soon.  It sounds like the trains will not be as fast as in Europe but at least it is a step in the right direction (and would be where I could use them).

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After arriving, I mostly walked around parts of the city and sat along the Guadalquivir River tributary that runs through the city.  This river has been following me along my entire journey here in Spain which has been quite fun.  I sat along the river for a long time watching the rowers, kayakers, and boats that were passing along the river.  I was really surprised by how many people were out on the river rowing, it reminds me of the Rutgers rowing team that is always rowing past my window at home.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After sitting by the water for awhile I got back to wandering the city.  I spent the day excitedly awaiting the flamenco show I had tonight.  This was one of the highlights I was looking forward to this trip.  The venue for the flamenco show was an all royal blue theater with white and gold accent colors.  My seat was in the front row - perks of booking far in advance.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

The show was a completely new experience for me.  The show consisted of one singer, one musician, one female dancer, and one male dancer.  Their talent was obvious and I was mesmerized by their performances.  They started the show doing a group number with all performers performing and then each performer had their own "solo" time to show off their skills (the musician on the guitar was part of all the pieces of the performance).

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

What struck me most from the performance were the facial expressions of the performers.  They were all intensely focused on their craft and emitting emotion from their strong facial expressions.  Watching their performance showed how talented these individuals are and it was fun seeing them interact playfully with one another.  At the end of the show, they did an encore together cheering each other along as they performed one last piece.  After the performance I went back to the hostel for bed because I am old and have not been sleeping well (I miscalculated how a person in their 30's would handle hostel beds, not being in your 20's anymore blows).

Photo by Dr. Haus

Seville Cathedral - Day 2

Welp, another night of poor sleep - but it is okay, I am enjoying myself enough to make up for my old lady bones and back.  I decided to check out the Seville Cathedral today as I haven't been to a proper Spanish Cathedral yet and knew I needed to see one before I leave for Portugal later this week.

Photo by Dr. Haus

The first words that left my mouth when I walked into the cathedral were "m!erda" (in English read this as "holy sh!t").  I have never seen something this vast, beautiful, and structural.  The height of the ceilings, the detail work in the stones, and the overall architecture of the cathedral is breathtaking.  We definitely do not have anything quite like this in America.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

I took my time exploring the different parts of the cathedral.  Christopher Columbus's remains are in this cathedral as well as many pieces of artwork.  I was mostly enthralled by the detail work in the ceilings, walls, and support beams of the cathedral.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

The last part of the cathedral that I visited was the bell tower.  The walk up this bell tower was interesting because it was mostly a square shaped ramp system that brought you up to the tower.  I believe it is 34 ramps and then maybe 15 steps to get to the top.  I will say, the ramp system for getting to the top of the bell tower was a nice change from all the stairs I have been climbing in other structures and across Spanish streets in general.  Below are some of the cathedral pictures:

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

After the cathedral I mostly explored the city seeing the University of Seville, Plaza de España, and wandering a few parks.  The funniest moment happened when I was in the Plaza de España and put my hand down onto a hand railing without looking down first.  My hand went RIGHT into bird crap - classic.  Thankfully I just laughed about it, continued with my wandering, and got a naranja Fanta to finish my evening.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Tomorrow I leave for Málaga by bus for a quick trip before I head off to Lisbon for the final leg of my trip.  It is hard to believe I am at the last few days of my European adventures and I am trying to not think about it too much to make sure I keep my focus on the present adventures.  I am looking forward to heading back to the region where the trip all started - see you all in Málaga!

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus