Anyways, first and foremost- I went to PORTUGAL for Spring Break!!!! Let me just say that Portugal was absolutely wonderful and the first country that I have ever traveled to that I could honestly say that I could live in for a longer period of time. Spain is phenomenal for a semester, but I don't think I would want to live here permanently. I didn't feel that way about Greece either... but Portugal... maybe I could stay? I seriously fell in love with it- its the secret gem of Europe and I NEED to find a time to go back. It felt like a mixture of Brazil and Europe- could you want anything more? No haha... well maybe a bit of Australia thrown in there. The people were super friendly, super relaxed, less arrogant than Spaniards (sorry Spain), more diverse, and generally all around a very likable country. Plus, Portugal is basically a beach so there is a huge surf culture, which makes everything like 15 times cooler. Nothing I could possibly complain about- and of course Portuguese is a beautiful language. Tudo bem?
So the adventure began with a very early morning flight to Lisbon, a manic cab ride to the bus station, and a 4 hour bus ride down to the Algarve. The Algarve is the most southern part of Portugal and we stayed in a famous little beach surfer town called Lagos. We were off to a great start right away when we had a hilarious talk in Portuguese with the cab driver and he wished us well on all our journeys. Arriving in Lagos, we got off the bus along with 5 or so other backpackers (!!!!). I am almost back in backpacker lifeeeeeeee!!!!! It was a great feeling seeing Australians and Canadians hoist their huge pack out from the bus and it reminded me so much of me and Jessica two years ago. That was us. Tevia, Chrissie, and I, only traveling for 10 days, took rolly suitcase carry-ons, not nearly as cool, but whatever.. the group of us trekked to the hostel and we were greeted by that wonderful carefree instantly at home feeling when you find a great hostel. It was called the Rising Cock (I know, awkward). But it is an award winning hostel and has been rated one of the best hostels in the world multiple times. Deserving of all the hype, the Rising Cock was a great way to begin our Portugal trip. Everyone staying there were fast friends and the hostel had a huge upstairs hang out room where everyone played cards and could watch movies and generally chill out. Our room was great and the manager of the hostel (Mama) made us free crepes and magical lemon tea every morning. The guys working at the hostel were hilarious and down to earth andddd also staying at the hostel was a group of 5 jock bro-ish American boys. Hate to say it but it was refreshing being around "dudes" rather than these stylish, skinny, fancy Spanish men. They were also hilarious and goofing with each other the whole time and also it was so nice being able to get to know someone in English. We also met 2 Aussie surfers, 2 Canadian girls, and a group of random american sorority chicks studying abroad in Granada. Anyways, we all became this sort of family for 3 days and Tev, Chrissie, and I spent everyday lounging at the beach, getting tan, skim boarding with Portuguese guys, eating real food, going out in the town, getting hair wraps(!), swimming, watching movies, sleeping, and pretty much just enjoying not having school. We were sad to leave at the end of it all, honestly if we didnt have a flight the following morning we would probably have stayed the whole week!! Lagos was seriously like a re-vamp to my spirit and like always, I would love to go back.
On the bus ride back to Lisbon, Chrissie and I chatted the whole way home and managed to make friends with a few Portuguese surfers sitting behind us who gave us their numbers and told us they would be road tripping through the United States next year. I told them I was going to come with them.
We got to the hostel in Lisbon late at night and passed out early because at 6 we had to get up for our flight to MADEIRA ISLANDDDDD. Now ever since I knew we were going to Madeira I have been seriously obsessing about it- I researched on the Internet like crazy, and bought two guide books (one in English and one in Spanish for good measure). And let me just say, Madeira blew me away. It was more amazing, more magical, more out of this world than I could have ever imagined. Madeira, being out in the Atlantic Ocean a bit closer to Africa, feels like a different universe. Its like a mixture of Avatar land, Jurassic Park, Laos, and heaven. Pretty much all I can say about it. If I were to use one world to describe it, I would say lush. Literally from the drive to the hotel from the airport we passed by jungle type canyons, waterfalls on the side of the highway, sea cliffs on one side, greenery just growing out of every surface imaginable. You almost become numb to all the beauty. Our hotel was the cheapest one I could find on the whole island which was nice cause it was in a surprisingly good location in the center of town and close to public transportation. The maid checked us in (random), but it was sufficient for us on such a tight budget. We hit the ground running with the first event being a cable car up to the top of the mountain over looking the capital. Madeira is made from a volcano so its super super mountainous with dramatic cliffs and sharp bends. The cable car took us to Monte which looks over Funchal and also a jungle type thing to the right. Funchal is the capital city and its beautiful. Just think wild flowers in a cute European town and you've got it. Madeira is known for its amazing flowers and now I know why. Literally everywhere you turn you see vibrant hues and fragrant exotic plants in people's front yards. How does a place like this exist?! Then we joined the rest of the tourists at the top of Monte to participate in a typical "Madeiran toboggan ride" down the mountain through the windy streets of Monte to Funchal. Weirdest thing ever. So its a super touristy thing to do, but basically you sit in this big wicker basket and 2 Madeiran men kind of push/pull you/ ride in the basket themselves through the steep thin streets of town. Mind you passing through intersections and all. The basket doesnt have wheels or anything.. it just kind of slides down the mountain and it actually goes pretty fast. Random. The three of us couldn't stop laughing for the entire 20 minutes and we were quite pleased when they dropped us off in the center of this adorable Funchal neighborhood where we meandered for another few hours, went to the outdoor fruit/vegetable market, and got a drink on a terrace overlooking the town. Livin the dream.
Okay I am tired, but I want to post this so more more more will come soooooooon about Portugalllllll!!!!!
