This weekend, I took the 3-hour train to Lisbon from Porto after we finished up our work on Friday afternoon. My friends and I didn’t get into Lisbon until almost 10 pm so by the time we took the Uber to our Airbnb, we were starving. Thankfully, we found an Italian restaurant around the corner where we had the best pizza and calzones. On Saturday, we had an amazing brunch before setting out to explore the city. Lisbon is built on 7 hills and is actually known as the sister city to San Francisco. It even has a bridge that looks just like the Golden Gate bridge! We explored the highest point in the city for a panoramic view of the white houses and red roofs. We then took a tour of several castles and churches that make up the ancient history of the city. Lisbon is similar to Porto with its colorful tiles adorning some of the older buildings. One church we visited had withstood an earthquake and was missing its entire roof. It was quite hot and hiking up the hills was exhausting so we grabbed dinner at the Time Out Market. It was a large building with tables in the middle and all different food stalls lining the outside. It was great to eat at as a large group because everyone could order from the place that they found most interesting. I tried the traditional Portuguese steak sandwich and was amazed! We finished off our night with some gelato and shopping along the main street. On Sunday, we had some more great shopping and food before getting back on the train to Porto. It was so refreshing to get out of our host city for a bit even if it was quick! I can’t wait to see what adventures next weekend brings.
