Our First Europe Trip.... without My Mother-in-Law. (The Lisbon Edition)

All I have to say to start is that Lisbon is a cool city. I prefer it over Barcelona. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, English is practically their first language (sadly), and it is full of beautiful sites.  

Lisbon started off really well for us. We got there in the evening, and got checked into our awesome hotel, the Lisbon Short Stay Apartments Baixa (our room was the one with the giant face on the black and white wall). They give you complimentary drink coupons to use to get you into their bar.... We had a great view of the street below which was a nice change from the other hotels we had stayed at on this trip.

We needed dinner so we dropped our stuff in our room got changed & then headed down stairs. 

 The first thing we did was order our drinks followed by our dinner. Their food was magnificent, I got a Mediterranean salad that I thoroughly enjoyed (so much, that I ordered it our last night). I don't remember what Brad got, but he did like it... Next, we ordered the "fish bowl". It is literally a fish bowl that filled with dangerous boozie magic! It drew a lot of attention from other Patrons... People stopped to ask what it was.. We even ended up sitting next to a charming German couple and had some great insightful conversation, as far as I can recall. I remember looking to Brad at one point and saying that we could out-drink the Germans... We ordered a 2nd fishbowl at my command. That was a mistake.. A big mistake. I remember ordering a pizza, and enjoying it... but I also remember laying on the bed & telling Brad to bring me the trash can because I thought I was going to throw up... I don't recall if I did or not that night, but I know that I did throw up several times the next morning. I could not hold anything down, including water... Until Brad brought me a pastry... Finally, I was up. I was struggling, but I was up. I was showered. I was dressed. TIP: One fishbowl is plenty.... plenty!!! A 2 fishbowl hangover is no way for any man to live. 

We decided to wander the city and see what was out there... It was torture in the beginning. Walking around a hot city while hungover has to be one of the most painful things I have ever endured, but I pressed on and followed Brad along the winding streets of Lisbon. It truly was worth the pain... Well most of it was. We started our journey in the Praca do Comercio, a beautiful square surrounded by shops and tasty restaurants. We followed the coast road that was for cyclist & walkers and were greeted with some familiar faces... Pac Man & friends!  

Along this winding road we got some great views of the island across the way and boats going back and forth. But it truly started to get better as we moved back into the city. The first site was the fun colorful tiled rainbow wall (above).   Once we got more into the neighborhood areas we got to see the beautiful tiled buildings.  However, one of my favorite parts of the trip was still to come... 

Wandering aimlessly through Lisbon we found this beautiful cathedral across from beautiful Jardim Da Estrela.  We didn't go in, but we did wander in to the park. It was truly a life saver considering my state of being. We were hungry and thankfully there was a quaint cafe next to the pond which was full of life. birds playing, fish jumping, and turtles who just coasted through the water. 

Because of my hungover state all I could stomach was french fries. FACT: Potatoes are an AMAZING hangover cure... Whether it's fries, a baked potatoes or mashed potatoes... They solve the problem.  The fries were basic European style (steak fries in the US), but they were exquisite.  The water, the fries, the shade and the wildlife was exactly what I needed for a quick recovery.  You can see pictures of the gardens here below: 

We had some incredible views on our walk. We had walked up hill to our discovery of the park, and then got to head back down to the hotel and coast.You can't but wonder who has walked in and out of these old homes, and what ships have sailed in and out of the harbor ports. There truly is a sense of beautiful history throughout the city.

That night we wanted to just relax and continue to explore. We got an easy and quick dinner on the streets near our hotel, and then decided to wander up to Sao Jorge Castle. It's another walk that should not be taken lightly. At first I was a little hesitant because the streets were so dark, but I soon realized that we were not the only tourists exploring that night. NOTE: There is what seemed to be a big drug issue in Lisbon. We were approached several times (near our hotel) by middle eastern young men who were trying to sell us drugs. It can get a little frustrating because you get approached over and over, and they will interrupt your private dinner in attempt to sell you narcotics.  The exploration was a lot of fun. It was cool to see the city below through the cracks between the buildings.  The golden glow of the upper city surrounding the fortress/castle was truly enchanting. I wanted to continue and keep exploring, but they do close it up at a certain hour, which was sad. But I knew we would be back in the morning for great views and plenty of things to see. 

The next morning we were up on our way to adventure, we stopped for breakfast sandwiches and then began our climb back up to Sao Jorge Castle.  There are some great sites to see on the way up and down: Beautiful vines coat the walls, and you can find "artifacts" from different eras.  

Much like most European castles and fortresses, this one is also quite large. You do have to pay an entrance fee, but the price is reasonable. ....The views alone are worth it. It was alot of fun to walk along the castle walls, and to see the Portuguese flag flying from each small tower. You feel so small as you walk along top, and you get a thrill going up and down the steps that have no hand rail. 

In the center of the castle grounds there was an Avian display of a variety of hawks and owls. Some  people did not find this ammusing because they did not like seeing the animals "tied down" They had room to hop and fly from spot to spot, but by no means had full freedom. For a small cost, you could take your photo with one of the birds; we naturally opted out of that option.

One of the main attractions for tourists seemed to be the peacocks. There were many. All over. In the motes, on the walls, in the planters... everywhere... Males & Females all just minding their business & probably hoping for a snack from a tourist... TIP: Don't feed the wildlife... It creates bad habits for all parties involved. 

Aside from the lovely peacocks, it was also great to dive into Lisbon's history for the day. It was great to see the vast views of such a beautiful and culturally rich city.  I also loved standing on the mote bridge next to the giant thick stone walls. You can't help but think of all the people and all of the time that it took to build such a magnificent structure. 

The only bad thing I have to say about Lisbon, is the area we stayed in did not have a beach... Just an ocean "outlook".  But realistically... Day 3 in Lisbon was too cold for the beach, and on Day 2 I was way too hungover... but all that barfing would have ensured that I would have been a hottie in a bikini!! Also, I felt like we could not find Belem Tower... I didn't get to see it and that was a great disappointment. Truth be told, I just don't think that we walked far enough....  We walked along the waters edge for what felt like miles (it was probably the head that misconstrued how far we felt we walked), and we just never got to it. So it is on the list for the next potential visit.   

LESSONS LEARNED:

1) Don't drink too much in new cities... It makes exploring miserable. 

2) Embrace the unknown, but do it wisely - use your street smarts, not your book smarts.

3) Staying in the heart of the city is way better than outskirts.. Pay a little extra for the convenience... and the culture. 

4) European weather is far more inconsist than Arizona's

Our First Europe Trip.... without My Mother-in-Law. (The Barcelona Edition)

We got into Barcelona in the evening. It was dark, and we found that our hotel was actually a little ways from town. Unfortunately, with this trip we were trying to stick to a strict budget, so that meant small rooms or far rooms. We stayed at the  Residencia Melondistrict which was actually like an apartment complex for local students.  It was clean, but quite small. Not as small as London & Paris, but none the less, small.   The bathroom had some flooding issues because the shower was not properly constructed to prevent water leakage, which was really frustrating. I was mopping up water with left over towels & I left the blow dryer turned on & lied it on the floor to help it evaporate. It was NUTS!!! REMEMBER: Water & blow dryers typically don't mix, so if you must do this, approach with caution.... Nobody likes to be electrocuted. 

We got settled into our room & decided that we needed some fresh air. Our solution was to wander back to the underground and head back into town.  In my opinion the Barcelona subway felt really sketchy. It was hot, dingy, and I remember it being dirty. However, it was definitely safe & never overly crowded.

On our first night out it was warm, and the streets were pretty empty. We did end up finding Casa Batllo, one of the many Antoni Gaudi sites. (We did go inside a couple days later, and I will get to that shortly...) In the mean time, I wouldn't rank Barcelona to be as enchanting at night as Paris or London, but fresh air is always good for everyone.  We also ended up on a hunt for bottled water. I must have water or else I get moody, and all bets are off. It's probably the Arizonan in me.

Moving on to Day 2. It was night to say things in the day light. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful deep indigo trumpet vines that smothered the fence along the road.  We decided to walk into town to stretch our legs and see what we might find... The first thing was this intriguing Jewish Synagogue. We were confused about what it actually was until we looked it up on our Apple Map App.

Then it was lunch time, we went for sandwiches and then pressed forwards. The goal was to find La Sagrada Familia... We succeeded. The scale of the cathedral was massive, and the detail was truly exquisite. I was still wanting a break from all the tours, not to mention it was hot & muggy, so we made the mistake of not touring it. It's on the to do list if we return.  TIP: Suck it up, wait in the line, and do the tour.... I'm certain it would be worth it. 

We primarily just wanted to chill, so next on the list was a trip to the beach. We found the subway and picked our route. Before we new it, we were there and heading toward the water. We decided to stop and eat. We picked one of the restaurants along the street that takes you to the boardwalk. Brad got Paella & I got a tasty pizza. Afterwards, we finished up with what is to this day, 10 countries later, the best chocolate & nutella gelato I have ever had in my entire life. If you are there, and heading to the beach, look for Deliziosa Gelateria Italiana. Their Nutella gelato WILL change your life.  From there it was a walk on the beautiful beach. TIP: Parents & conservative individuals beware, it's a nude beach. I saw more than I cared to on several older individuals..   Anywho, the beach is beautiful, clean, and the water is clear. Sadly, we didn't pack swimsuits so that meant we would only be walking the beach not swimming or tanning. One end are the large condos & resorts and the opposite is a small marina that is wrapped with tasty Spanish restaurants. We made it a point to stop for Sangria & olives. It was enjoyable & refreshing.

The last thing we did that day was some light exploring. We ended up finding a neat night time market  full of snacks, cooking essential and colorful treats. We also found a small taco shop along our mystery route that served tacos & cerveza (Mexican beer) with taco eating instructions on the wall for those who may not know how to eat tacos... and some don't trust me... When we were at the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, there was a gentleman next to us eating his tacos with a knife & fork. It was so wrong!  

Our 2nd full day was great. The first adventure was a tour of Casa Batllo in all of its Art Nouveau glory. It was truly intriguing to walk through the house that I studied and became so enamored with my freshman year of college. The tour cost is reasonable & you get a headset that will guide you through your house and give you information about the architecture in your language.  *You can scroll through more of the photos of this beautiful and unique house below.

After Casa Batllo we decided that a trip to Park Guell would be completely appropriate! So we took the subway  and found the bus we needed & found ourselves at the bottom of a massive staircase that thankfully had escalators as well.  We found ourselves wandering through a massive "garden" in the heart of Barcelona on top of the hill. The views were very hazy, but vast. We curious about all of the things we we were seeing.

 At first we were disappointed as it didn't seem that there was much more for us to see, and I started to wonder if we were in the wrong place. But as we kept going it turned into a rather enchanting place.

We discovered a magnificent bridge designed by Gaudi... Photos are arranged below..

The area around it was filled with fun decorative touches & lots of people there enjoying the environment and warm weather. I would definitely return to this fun spot.... but what we discovered on our way out is that we were indeed in the wrong spot. Although this is labeled as Park Guell, the true Park Guell was on the opposite side of where we entered, and had a fee for entry. We skipped it, and that is one of the other things I regret doing, the downside is doing all of this during the peak of the day was a little brutal considering the heat and humidity.  With that behind us, we head back to the beach for gelato and relaxation. We loved watching the people and enjoyed watching the water move in and out.... On day 3, we were departing for Lisbon, but with the spare time we had... We did the exact same thing... Hit the boardwalk, got our exercise and just relaxed. Barcelona is a great place for that!

LESSONS LEARNED:

1) The best nutella gelato is in Barcelona (thus far)

2) Don't skip the stuff you really wanted to see just because you are "burnt out". It could turn your day around. 

3) Always pack a swimsuit. 

4) Spend more to be closer to the city!!!!