I say "Lisbon"

"I say 'Lisbon'...and the city opens up as if born from its name. It opens and rises in its nocturnal vastness, in its long shimmering of blue and of river, in its rugged body of hills...Lisbon swaying like a sailing ship" -- Sophia de Mello

Well it has certainly been a long time since I've blogged, but I thought it would be a good way to update friends & family back home who I may not be in as regular communication with or who don't have Facebook to see some of the pictures I've taken!

I am in Lisbon, Portugal for exactly one month and am enjoying every minute of it! It's a very different trip than my time in Peru, not just because they're in different hemispheres, on different continents, and near different oceans, but also because I'm taking it at a very different pace. Instead of trying to cram every possible sight-seeing opportunity into my time here, I am moving at a more relaxed pace and focusing on absorbing the culture, learning a bit of the language, and enjoying spending time by myself reading, relaxing, and refocusing. Of course, I will manage to see quite a few sights while I am here as well! But the main purpose of my trip is just very different. Peru is a big country with an incredible amount of diversity; Portugal is about the size of Indiana. I'm not sure I prefer one mode of travel over the other, but this feels right for me right now!

Rather than staying in a hostel for a whole month (not the best place for relaxation & deep thoughts!), I've rented a room in an apartment on a quiet street in Bairro Alto ("the tall/high neighborhood"). I have two roommates (one Portuguese, one Greek) and a big comfy bed in my own room!

Besides sleeping and the day-to-day stuff like cooking and laundry, I've been studying some Portuguese on my own (and meet with my tutor for the first time Friday) and wandering around the city during the day. Lisbon is a gorgeous city with red-tiled roofs, winding cobblestone streets, colorful and tile-covered buildings, and centuries old churches and castles tucked in amongst the residential neighborhoods. It's been so nice to spend my time getting to know the city a little bit and having the time to pause in pretty parks to read or soak in the view from the top of a lookout point. Lookout points are popular here because, in addition to being pretty, Lisbon is built on some killer hills. After six days of tromping around, my legs are about ready to give up on me! Hopefully that means I'm also building some muscle, right?

Wandering the city at a leisurely pace with no real destination in mind has been wonderful, but I've also made a point to go to a few highlights. So far, I've visited the ruins of the Carmo Church, the Sé Cathedral, the Castelo do São Jorge, the Museum of Antique Art, the Portuguese parliamentary building, and Chiado's high-end shopping district. It's so cool to be in a city whose history predates the Romans and was deeply involved in early Christianity.

Yesterday I was able to make my first little daytrip. It wasn't very far away-- only 10 minutes by train actually!-- but was my first stop that didn't just involve me walking everywhere! I headed to Belém, an important historical area situated where the Tagus River (which Lisbon sits on) meets the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this location, Belém has an impressive defensive tower built in the 1500s to protect the port. It also has a stunning monastery built in the Manueline style, a style unique to Portugal that includes nautical elements like ropes and seashells, and the Monument to the Discoveries, which depicts various Portuguese historical figures important to the Portuguese expansion to Brazil, Africa, and India. It was a beautiful spot for an afternoon of walking around and I even got to ride to the top of the monument for a birds-eye view of the area and the 24th of April Bridge-- designed by the same man who created the Golden Gate in San Francisco! 

I spent today playing catch up at home-- turns out you need to laundry sometime!-- and relaxing a bit. Tomorrow I'm off on another day trip to Sintra! Less than 3 weeks left in Europe-- it's going to fly by!