Marchela All passengers, welcome aboard. This flight goes in direction Portugal. In this article I’ll tell you more about my first impressions from the country based on the first 2 months of my adventure called Erasmus in Lisbon. The city is beautiful and it’s not easy to get lost. At least I haven’t lost my direction until now, well except on my first day when I fell asleep in the metro.
- The arrival
For the first time in my life I got a first-hand feel what is a jet lag, although the time zone difference between Bulgaria and Portugal was only 2 hours. As someone who had never left their country I didn’t know I’d have to take a thousand and one things into consideration. The result was hilarious. As there weren’t any direct flights from Sofia to Lisbon I bought flights with a transfer thinking that the time zone of all flights would be the same. Because of this I almost lost my first flight which was at 5 am and I thought it was at 7.
I caught the flight by chance, but the transfer in Spain (where the time zone is 1 hour behind) was also dynamic. This time around the biggest problem was that I had 40 minutes to find the gate and a lot of people at the airport didn’t speak English. Luckily I managed with some sort of portunhol (a mix between português and español) and found the gate in the end. There are special Erasmus organizations which offer a buddy program. It is basically a program where volunteers help the foreign students with accommodation etc. I also had a buddy at the time and I woke him up 4 times to inform him about my hour of arrival. I was telling him a different hour every time due to my confusion with the time zones. In the end he probably regretted applying for volunteer. That’s the way to arrive at a new country.
- The food
During the first days me and the other students in the dormitory where I was kept eating pasta, then we started visiting the university canteen. It was cheap and good. I’m usually not a fan of seafood and one time in the canteen the menu consisted of rice and Portuguese shrimp turnovers. At the time I didn’t know what the word camarão meant and when I tried the shrimp turnover it was love at first bite. As a poor student waiting for scholarship I was avoiding restaurants, that’s why a shrimp turnover and custard tarts (the famous pastel de nata) were among the first appetizers I tried and loved.
- The river and Terreiro do Paço
From one of the Erasmus organizations they organized a boat party with Lisbon boat party. For my surprise at least 90% of the people at the party were German students and it was confusing to hear all the conversations around me in German. Apart from that I saw Lisbon from river Tagus and it was worth it. One day I have to give it a try again. I didn’t get hypnotized only with the view of the city, but also with the sunset behind the bridge 25 of April and the Moon in the sky. Terreiro do Paço seen from the river is also very beautiful and it’s also one of my favorite places for a walk in general. In September there are usually projections on the walls of the buildings which are amazing.
- Belém and Castle of Sao Jorge
Other pretty well known places are Belém Tower(Torre de Belém) together with the Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) and the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) on the other side of the street. Walking in the garden of the Monastery made me feel like I was pulled in the XVIII century, because of its magical beauty. Don’t forget to try pastéis de Belem which are located right behind the Monastery. They are a bit different pastéis and have their own history, so it goes without saying that it is recommended to try this typically Portuguese sweet.
The Castle of Sao Jorge is another very beautiful place to visit as it gives us a different view of Lisbon from above. The way up there might be a bit too much for you, because as you know (or if you don’t know I’ll advice you now) in Lisbon there are 3 types of routes – the way up, the way down and through the stairs. So make sure to use comfortable shoes for the walk there. Just a piece of advice for you.
- National Palace of Pena
Sintra is another place that’s worth the visit, but one day wouldn’t be enough. In one day you could see for example only the entire Park and Palace of Pena. The Palace, although in restoration, looked like it got out of a Disney tale. I don’t even feel like visiting Disneyland after seeing the beauty of the Palace. While in Sintra, make sure to try queijadas and travesseiras, as they are the typical local sweets.
- The climate
My negative impressions are regarding the climate. It’s so humid and different from the Bulgarian climate that I had a cold for almost an entire month and ended up seeing how are the hospitals in Lisbon. In November it rains almost all the time and the cold wind coming from the ocean gives you the sensation of winter, even though the temperatures look high. All the more some British students said that in London it didn’t rain as much and they have never gotten as wet from the rain as in Lisbon. Talk about irony, huh?
So the conclusion I reached was to go out with an umbrella and a jacket at all times, even if it’s the biggest heat, because in Lisbon you never know.
