The Alexis Angle – Portugal

Portugal is the second to last stop on gap year (crazy, right?) and it is so pretty here! When we first drove through the town late at night, it was clear that we were in a whole new place. The buildings here have such a unique design that I immediately loved it. Here are some of the most memorable things from Portugal:

The Buildings

Like I already said, the buildings here are so pretty!! Lisbon is basically made up of really tall but not super wide apartment buildings all squished together. They’re all different colors, like blue, yellow, different shades of red, pink, green, and so on. When telling people about this place, I always describe that it feels like I was dropped in old timey London (or I guess what I picture old timey London looked like). All of the balconies are made of metal, and have swirling patterns that make all of the buildings look fancy and sophisticated.

Less Tourism, More Neighborhood

This is rude. How would you feel if you were going on an absolutely beautiful walk through Lisbon, and hanging from various balconies and getting sold by street vendors, are signs that read: Less Tourism, More Neighborhood. I mean, I get it, we probably make prices rise A LOT, but still. I think the difference between how people treat tourists here, and how they treated them in Sri Lanka, is hilarious. In Sri Lanka, we were literally thanked for visiting them. A taxi driver on the way to our Airbnb from the airport literally said “thank you for visiting our country” and we had a lot more encounters just like that while we were there. People here on the other hand, want us to leave. I can’t say that all people here hate tourists, but I’ve seen yellow banners more than once.

The Sick

It feels like Portugal went by really fast, and that’s probably because we spent the first two weeks here doing absolutely nothing. First, Dad got sick with a fever for a day. Then, Mom got sick with a fever and stayed sick past the time that I got sick. And then I had the absolute worst night of my life as I lay awake with a fever, wondering if this was the end. Seriously, it was depressing: my TOE hurt, like, I got sick and my toe’s the one who keels over. Seriously? Also, I don’t know if this is a symptom of fevers or something, but my heart was beating like I had just run 20 miles. I thought maybe I was going to have a heart attack and that it would really be the end. But I’m fine, and my heart rate is at a regular, human level. Maybe, I was morphing into some superhero or something that night.

Pastel de Nata (Is the hype really true?)

Okay, I know, everyone says these are like the best pastries in the world. I’ve had around six of them, and I’d say they’re okay. I mean, they are definitely delicious. But when I took a bite of my first one, I was expecting my whole life to change based on what I’ve heard about them. All things considered, they are a pretty delicious pastry, but the best in the world? No. Also, they hold heat like an oven, so pro tip: if you get one fresh, wait for it to cool down. If you are eating it out of your fridge on some random Tuesday: warm it up a LITTLE BIT, don’t re-bake it.

Gelato

Now this – was life changing. I had my first cone of gelato at the Time Out Market and let me tell you: that was easily the most delicious dessert I have ever had, probably. I got the nutella flavor and chocolate flavor and IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!! We went back for it a second time and it was just as good. But, they only give you one, tiny, tiny napkin which means that you have to be VERY careful about eating it.

Overall, I really like Portugal. I’m pretty sure my calves look the best they ever will from climbing all of those hills. Our house is at the top of one of those giant hills, and so is the grocery store – so basically an everyday stroll becomes a hike. Gap year is almost over, less than two months away – and although I’ll miss the adventure and fun of travel, I can’t wait to see everyone again!