Portugal Trip: Day 1 – ATX to AMS
Highlights:
Took a 2.5-hour flight to Detroit and then an 8-hour overnight flight to Amsterdam
Took the train downtown from the airport in the morning, got a cortado and a banana, and watched the ocean ebb and flow
I walked to my hostel, dropped my backpack off, and biked around the city for about 3 hours
Finally checked into my room and took a nap
I got some baos for dinner and practiced my Chinese with some tourists from Seattle and the Bay Area
Accidentally walked by the Red Light District – WILD
Wandered around some more, stopped into a café, accidentally got a 2% beer (didn’t even know that was possible – it was water with a hint of beer), and journaled
There is a wonderfully strange, satisfying feeling about being a stranger in a foreign city. Nobody knows who you are, nobody is waiting to make plans with you, and nobody will notice whether you leave or stay (except border patrol). Just a hungry wandering ghost drifting down streets and alley ways.
I am also very glad I am spending only one day in Amsterdam. It’s an interesting cocktail of a city. It’s a wonderfully historic city with beautiful canals packed with all sorts of food that is not Dutch (Chinese, Thai, Burgers, Frys, Argentinian, etc). But you also have weed shops and mushroom cafes, prostitutes on public display in residential neighborhoods next to the beautiful canals. Mixed in with beautiful parks, wonderful art, quaint and charming neighborhoods, and relaxing public spaces.
AND the number of bicycles is mind boggling. It does have a twinge of chaos with is nice. Everything seems a bit too orderly and clean at first glance. Also, it feels like a city where lounging and lingering at a café, bar, park, restaurant, or a houseboat is not only socially acceptable but also encouraged.
Portugal Trip: Day 2 – AMS to Lisboa
Highlights:
Woke up at 6:30am and walked around for four hours
This was easily the best part of the day
Got coffee and watched the city wake up
Packed up my things, got a doner kebab for brekkie, and went to the airport
Was v hundemude, read and got more coffee, and tried to stay awake.
Got on the flight and passed out, when I woke up we were flying into Lisbon during golden hour
Took the metro to the hostel, checked in, got food, read in bed, and passed out
Walking around Amsterdam in the early morning was amazing. It was still pretty chilly in the morning (about 45-50 degrees F) and I packed for the warm Portuguese weather. So I was incentivized to keep on walking and wandering around to stay warm.
I love the feeling of stillness in cities in the early morning hours and being able to see a whole different personality of the city, which feels like you have it all to yourself. As the sky started to get a bit lighter, bells started to ring, trash collectors began their morning routes, and you could smell the intoxicating scent of freshly baked bread and pastries wafting from the bakeries, guiding you through the streets and alley ways.
The fog blanketing the city is starting to lift while bells chime from a tall tower in the distance greeting the start of the day.
Portugal Trip: Day 3 – Lisboa
Highlights:
Woke up at 8:00am (got 8 hours of sleep) and got an americano
Walked around town and took photos for awhile and then did a walking tour at 10:30am
It was great and met some cool people. After the walking tour I hung out with two guys, had a drink, and then I headed home
I came back to the hostel, took a nap, and then walked around following the cable car tracks for hours, just taking photos and getting lost
I did the group dinner at the hostel at 8:00pm, which was great
Then I went with some people from the dinner to go see Fado, which is WAY better than I thought
Fado is a nostalgic, bitter sweet music traditionally stemming from wives of sailors but sung by everyone today.
Portugal Trip: Day 4 – Lisboa
Highlights:
I slept in and had a very lazy start to the day
I got an expresso and felt wide awake then walked around to a ton of different places, but landed at Miraduoro de Sao Pedro de Alcantra Park and listened to a guy play Brazilian music on the guitar during golden hour for a little over an hour.
I walked around to another park with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge #2
Wandering downhill through different streets and alleyways, I made my way to the Embarcadero and back to the hostel AND got a donner kebab that tasted delicious.
Then I journaled a bit and passed out
It’s always interesting how just smiling and saying “Hi” can open people up, especially in a foreign country. People can feel the warmth even if there is a language barrier.
Today also made me realized how much I want to go to Brazil. The sound of Portuguese, especially Brazilian Portuguese, and Brazilian acoustic music has always had a strange pull on me. The sounds are big and boisterous, yet unhurried and relaxed; it sounds like I’m listening to sunshine with a gentle breeze.
Portugal Trip: Day 5 – Lisboa
Highlights:
Woke up at 8:30am and felt GREAT
Walked for about 5 hours all over Lisbon
I came back to the hostel, watched some YouTube videos, showered, took a little nap, and then went back out
Walked around some more, rode in one of the cable cars all over town
Got some great photos!
Got Isa a little gift 😊
Walked around a little more
Got another Donner kebab for dinner and then went back to the hostel
I loved walking around for about 8 hours today! It felt great to recharge, wander around, take photos, and have unstructured time.
I’ve also really enjoyed my own company and didn’t really feel the need to seek out other people to hang out with today. There was a joyous freedom of doing everything I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it today. The freedom of being completely untethered and truly enjoying time spent being a stranger in a foreign land.
Portugal Trip: Day 7 – Lisboa to Porto
Highlights:
Woke up early and caught a bus to Porto
I checked into the hostel and had a great view from my room. I walked around a bit and bumped into a guy from Brussels who had a great camera, we started talking about photography, and got invited to go watch the sunset with some other people from the hostel
Had a communal dinner, got some dessert, journaled for a bit, and got a drink with some people from dinner
I took a little gondola down to the water front and forgot how much I am not a fan of being in a little metal box dangling in the sky.
Portugal Trip: Day 8 – Porto
Highlights:
Woke up and walked around for a bit and got coffee
Did the morning walking tour around the old city
The walking tour lasted about 4 hours and then got lunch with a gaggle of British people
Went home, got some dessert, and took a nap
I worked out a bit, then walked around some more
Went out to get dinner with the guy from Brussels
Bacalhau a Bras and tried Port Wine for the first time
Came back and got a few drinks with some people from the hostel
The walking tour in the morning was people cool and learned some interesting Snapple facts.
I learned how tea was supposedly an acronym from the Portuguese phrase "Transporte de Ervas Aromaticas”.
Learned how the Portuguese were amazing navigators and gained an immense amount of wealth from spice trading from Asia in the 1500s and then from gold in Brazil in the 1700s.
Also the Portuguese had a long standing alliance with England, which also helped explain all of the giant red British telephone booths all over the city.
Portugal Trip: Day 9 – Porto
Highlights:
Woke up early in the morning to watch the sun come up and bask in the early morning rays of golden hour and took some photos
Walked around for 4 hours and went to the farmers market for breakfast
Went back to the hostel and took a 2 hour nap
Then went on an afternoon walking tour which was interesting
Came home and chilled a bit, then went out to dinner and had the best meal of the ENTIRE TRIP
I got a seafood stew with rice, some white wine, soup, fried bacalhau, and a chocolate cake
Walked home and promptly passed out
I had at least 4 pastel de natas a day, it was glorious and artery clogging.
Portugal Trip: Day 10 – Porto to AMS
Highlights:
Woke up early and got coffee and then took the metro to the airport
Walked around in the airport for a bit, made friends with some of the servers in the duty-free section, and got a good amount of free 40-year aged Port Wine.
Took the metro into Amsterdam and walked over to the Ferry to go to the other side of the city. The ferry at golden hour was beautiful and only took about 5 minutes to cross.
I checked into my hostel, which was the largest hostel I have ever seen. Apparently, it used to be a massive facility for an Oil Company – it was six stories tall, had a art deco grand staircase, and each floor was massive.
I went out to get a Donner Kebab for dinner and walked around for a bit, then made my way back to the hostel and passed out.
Portugal Trip: Day 11 – AMS to ATX
Highlights:
Woke up early in the morning and got some coffee then took the metro to the airport
I walked around the airport for a bit and then found a quiet place to read and get another americano
Finally I boarded my flight and started to make my way back home
