Turkey-less Thanksgiving
Being abroad is full of new experiences. One that I never anticipated happening in my life before I went abroad this semester took place last week. If you were to tell me I would be landing around 8 pm on Thanksgiving in Lisbon, Portugal instead of being overly stuffed sitting on the couch watching the end of NFL football, I would tell you that you are crazy. Yet, there we were.
We landed Thursday night and were ready for some dinner. Close to us, we found yet another Hard Rock Café. Our third Hard Rock Café experience now in Europe, (Barcelona and Valencia), this one was the best. Maybe it was our way of trying to get back in-touch with the American within ourselves, maybe it was the welcoming atmosphere and English menu, or maybe it was just the fact that it was really close and we were really hungry.
This Hard Rock Café was more fun than the rest. We got one of the few tables available on the main floor. Above us was a Cadillac convertible hanging from the ceiling. In front of us was a large projector screen playing snippets of Rock Songs live in concerts. The vibes and environment were fun from the getgo. Usually, at least at the prior two Hard Rock’s our food has been just average. But here the food was good and the drinks were better. Before we knew it the live projector show was cut off, and a live band came on the stage.
It wasn’t quite the same Thanksgiving as usual. But it was a unique experience that will serve as a funny memory for years to come. The next day we woke up and began to explore Lisbon.
We stayed in the neighborhood Bairro Alto, which felt so similar to San Francisco. The area is filled with steep hills, lots of stairs, and even cable cars. Our first stop was a trendy brunch spot Abby had researched. Abby had an acai bowl and I had a chicken bowl that were both fantastic. From here, we began to walk through the city streets towards the Tagus River. Our next stop was at the Praça do Comércio, a famous square that was originally the site of the Royal Ribeira Palace some hundreds of years ago.
After a quick photo shoot and exploring the famous square, we walked down the Tagus River towards the 25 de Abril Bridge. At first glance the 25 de Abril Bridge is strikingly similar to the Golden Gate Bridge. To no surprise, I later learned the same company built both bridges. We walked a little closer to enjoy the view of the bridge that connects Lisbon with Almada. It was a beautiful day with a little bit of a chilly wind but some nice sunshine so from here we decided to do something else outside. We walked over to São Jorge Castle.
São Jorge Castle was an awesome site to see. For us, seeing a lot of cities already this semester we’ve done our fair share of cathedrals. Having one of the main sites of the city being a castle was a refreshing change of pace. The castle sits on a commanding hilltop overlooking the center of Lisbon. Just the walk up to the base of the Castle provides a beautiful view. We spent well over an hour walking around the remains of the castle. It was something very neat to see considering its medieval history.
That night we walked around the center of Lisbon and found a nice place for dinner. After dinner, we knocked off one more tourist attraction. The Santa Just lift is an elevator in the center of the city that takes you up to an observation deck to provide a fantastic view. Being in the center of the city, it provides a fantastic 360-degree view of all directions. From here you get a great look at the São Jorge Castle layout from afar and also the Belém Tower medieval defense tower.
The next day we went walked to Time Out Market for lunch. Time Out Market is a much-do in Lisbon. It was very similar to Copenhagen Street Food in Denmark but had its own touch. It consists of 35 “stands” that feels similar to a food court. But these stands are all the products famous 4 and 5-star chefs. The food was fantastic, provides plenty of choices for everyone, and the environment is something unique. We were lucky to even get seats.
From there we spent the rest of the day walking around the historic center. We encountered some rain so we didn’t spend too much time outside. We went into some shops and spent some time in cafes. We were lucky that we managed to get most of our tourist attractions knocked out on Friday.
Sunday morning we left early, but Portugal did not disappoint. It seems many Americans skip Portugal on their Europe trips, but we both really enjoyed it. Realistically, you could probably see all of the must-see attractions in Lisbon in one full day. But with that being said, 2 full days by any means is not “too much”. I’m glad we were able to do Portugal as we continue to add a few more unique experiences that aren’t as common to all travelers.
