Week Two: Lisbon and Madrid

Start with “hello”

Lisbon

Arrived to Lisbon greeted by Portuguese sunshine. The city has coastal air, kind people, beautifully tiled buildings, and lot of hills. It reminded me a bit of San Francisco but that could be from the 14km long bridge that looks just like Golden Gate. Americans built it to withstand earthquakes. The city’s style is shaped by its history of former Roman, Greek, and Muslim rule, a massive earthquake in 1755 and, a touch of Catholicism.

Lisbon marked my first stay in a hostel ever. I jumped in right away with a twelve bunk co-ed room. Sleeping mask and earplugs were used nightly but overall the accommodations were very nice and impressively clean. A simple breakfast was provided for free to guests. There was a rooftop terrace bar that was open to the public. It became my favorite place to end the day watching the sun set over the city with a glass of wine. I met a couple people from different places but spent most of my time on my own. It felt necessary to use the first days find my rhythm now that the solo part of the trip had taken full effect.

I spent my four and a half days walking, exploring important landmarks and markets, and eating. Most days I walked 10 miles. Locals were very nice despite some language barrier. I left the little city sun kissed and more accustomed to living out of a bunk locker.

Highlights

Sintra. Perhaps my favorite day in Portugal was spent in Sintra. This city is about 45 minutes by train from Lisbon. It was beautiful, lush, and abundant with hillside palaces. After a delicious lunch at A Praca Sintra, I walked the trail through Parque das Merendas to Palace de Peña and Castelo dos Mouros. Freshly roasted chestnuts from a street side stand served as a yummy snack on the way back to the train station.

Lx factory. A trendy artist district by the Tragus River with a Sunday craft market, artisan stores, and diverse restaurants. The ‘American’ restaurant had beer and ax throwing… Products were on the pricier side in general but I still enjoyed looking through the offerings.

Saturday flea market. Much different vibe than Lx factory, a mix of vendors with rack of used clothes, leather handbags, and jewelry. Some venders with a blanket on the ground covered in random “novelties”. Not sure who would want to buy a shattered iPad but to each their own..?

Principle Real Saturday Farmers Market. I found fresh veggies, herbs, fruit, and a bit of sourdough bread to enjoy during my stay. Fortunately the hostel had a shared full kitchen space that enabled me to make some of my own meals. Cooking is something I genuinely enjoy and find very grounding. Beyond that, it is an excellent way to budget since groceries are inexpensive.

Belem Tower. This symbolic fortress on the river welcomed explorers and travelers to Lisbon.

Jardim Botanico tropical. A tropical botanical garden complete with the largest monsteras I’ve ever seen, wild peacocks, and friendly cats.

Pastel de Nata. A traditional egg custard tart that Lisbon is known for. Found in all cafes and bakeries they are rich, lightly caramel-y, and best topped with cinnamon beside an espresso. Emma Stone eats a bunch of them in Poor Things (if that reference is of any relavance to you…)

Madrid

After arriving in Madrid I met up with family friends who happened to be visiting from Germany at the same time. I brought me great comfort seeing people who I didn’t need to introduce myself to. I am not homesick but I realized that the friends and communities established in my life at home are filled with people I love and genuinely appreciate. Maybe space does make the heart grow fonder after all.

I have also noticed that my only child tendency is to keep to myself, often quite contently. When coming to Madrid I felt ready to challenge myself socially and be more evolved with the people I meet. It can be difficult to know what to say to someone new. Starting with ‘hi’ and asking about their travels allowed a natural conversations to follow.

My hostel in Madrid was modern and comfortable. There was a nightly free sangria making in the hostel common room plus a rooftop terrace bar too. Madrid is a much larger city than Lisbon even though they are both capitols of their countries. There are many museums, churches, fountains, and parks throughout the city. Buildings had decorated features and archetypal statues on their rooflines. It is traditional in Spain for people stay up late and wake up late. Very little is open before 10 or 11 and dinner doesn’t start until 7pm at the earliest. After a quick three days, the train brought me north to the coastal town of San Sebastián (I’ll leave that for the next post).

Highlights

Real Basilica de San Francisco. The ceiling dome and walls are painted with stunning depictions of angels and other biblically significant scenes and symbols. My favorite church of the trip so far.

Mercado de San Miguel. A bustling and crowded food hall. Despite being more expensive than I was expecting, it was worth it. Ate skewered mixed olives, a couple freshly chucked oysters, and a little paella. All very Spanish and all very delicious.

El Retiro Park. One of the biggest inner city parks. Features included a large pond that had rentable paddle boats, a greenhouse, and a beautiful rose garden at the south end. It was very peaceful to explore on a sunny afternoon.

Museo National Centro de Art Reina Sofia. One of the most famous museums in Madrid and home to many works by Picasso, Dali, Miro, and other cubist and surrealist artists. I spent nearly 4 hours wandering through the exhibits. In this time I came to the decision that cubist art is not my favorite painting style. None the less, it was impressive to view many pieces I had only seen photos of.

La Santoria. Super unique speakeasy bar that I visited with hostel friends. Religious and spiritual iconography covered the walls. Cocktails came with a little charm of good intention.

Oranges. Just the fruit. They were the best I have tasted in my life. Ate two each morning with my breakfast.

Backpack necessities

Portable charger / Sleep mask (again) / salon pas patches / sunglasses

 🫒🍊🐙

After two weeks of traveling I am becoming increasingly competent at strategically packing my backpack. I have walked 75 miles since arriving in Europe on April 4th. Google maps has become my most frequently used and favorite app. I have discovered that kindness is a universal language (pointing and gestures is well understood too).

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