- Week Nine - Reading Week is a week where students have no classes so they can prepare for their mid-term assignments. Since we finished our reports early, a couple of us Hawaii students decided to take a trip to three different countries. The first stop of our travels was to Lisbon, Portugal! This hilly, coastal capital greeted us with warm weather and beautiful architectures. With a lot of things to see, be prepared to a lot of walking when visiting Lisbon! THE TRANSPORTATION We booked a flight flying out of Gatwick Airport with easyJet. Once arriving in Lisbon, we purchased a Viva Viagem card and filled it with around €10. We didn't use public transportation a lot, since Lisbon itself is a very walkable city. It is nice to have, however, if you want to take short day trips outside the city or visit areas a bit further from the center. THE ACCOMMODATION We rented a spacious Airbnb in the heart of Lisbon, only a few minutes walk from Chiado (a popular shopping area). The location was around a 10-minute walk away from major train stations that virtually gave us access to the entire city. Although the area had a lot of hills and stairs, the walk was very peaceful. THE ITINERARY Lisbon is a beautiful city filled with pastel-colored building, delicious food and historical buildings. Here are some fun things to do and places to see while in Lisbon: 1. BELEM This district is located on the Tagus River and is home to a ton of popular landmarks such as Jerónimos Monastery and Tower of Belem. Pastéis de Belém, a very popular pastéis de nata place is also in walking distance from these sites. Although it's a bit farther from the center of the city, you can easily take a bus to get to Belem. 2. TIME OUT MARKET While there are branches of this market worldwide, the concept was first created by the Time Out Lisbon team. Every food stand had amazing reviews on Trip Advisor, so there is definitely something to eat for everyone! We shared some pad thai and seared tuna for only €10 a plate. 3. PRACA DO COMERCIO Near Chiado, this square is surrounded by yellow buildings containing a wide variety of bars and restaurants. The plaza is situated right next to the river, which gives great views of the water. Although we didn't stay here for long because of the rain, it would be cool to grab a bite to eat in this area! 4. CHIADO Chiado is a large area surrounding the city, filled with cafes, restaurants, bars and fashion stores. You can easily kill time in this area, as there are a lot of shops to visit during the day and nightlife to experience during the night. We grabbed food at an asian-fusion restaurant called Boa-Bao before exploring the area. 5. MIRADOURO DA GRACA This lookout has one of the best panoramic views of the city. Perched on a hill and right next to a bar, I would highly suggest visiting this are during sunset to enjoy a relaxing drink and take in the views. The trek up was exhausting, but completely worth it! 6. PENA PALACE If you have time to take a day trip outside of Lisbon, Sintra is the perfect place to go! Being only an hour train ride away, there is so much to see in Sintra. Since we were on a time constraint, we ended up only being able to visit Pena Palace, a colorful Romanticist castle surrounded by a garden. Although my legs hurt a lot after walking constantly for the past two days, Portugal was an absolutely beautiful country with delicious food. I'll definitely be back in the future!
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AKI'm truly grateful for this opportunity to study abroad and would like to share my experiences with all of you! Ranging from pre-departure tips to recommended travel destinations, I hope this blog will serve as a inspiration and reminder to always explore. Archives
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