Pouring in Portugal

For the long weekend at the beginning of December (called the "puente" which means "bridge"...don't ask), Nicole, Abigail and I took a bus to Lisbon, Portugal. We left Madrid a rainy Sunday morning and arrived in Lisbon around 6p. To keep this post short 'n sweet, I'll make a list of pros and cons of our trip. Also, check out the slideshow below!

Lisbon Pros:
1. Lots of waterfront property
2. Trolleys (since the city is hill after hill after hill)
3. Belem Tower, Jeronimo's Monastery and St. George's Castle
4. Neat waterfront park with Oceanarium and cable cars
5. Locals know more English than Spanish
6. Great transportation system in general: bus, trolleys, metro and train
7. Two awesome bridges that cross over from wherever Portugal to Lisbon. The Vasco de Gama bridge took at least five minutes to cross. At times, it felt like we were crossing the ocean itself!
8. Super Bock beer
9. Beautiful men everywhere (I thought that's how SPAIN would be. But no.)
10. Wonderful hostel-apartment thingy with the sweetest staff, full kitchen, and in a great part of town (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Albergo-Odisseo-Old-Albergo-Olisipo/Lisbon/17935)

...and my friends by my side when the Lisbon Cons hit full-force.

Lisbon Cons:
1. Deluge the 1st night = ruined camera, iPod, cell phone, soaked money and crucial documents :(
2. Other than bacalao (cool!), the food reminded me a lot of Peru, which I'm obviously still sick of. Think french fries, white rice and red meat with little seasoning. None of which I eat on a regular basis, let alone all together on the same plate.
3. Rain the entire time = gray photos and blah mood
4. Not being able to meet up with Abby the 1st day for the Oceanarium, trolley and cable car ride
5. New boots, necessary for rain + soaked tennis shoes + cobble stone streets = footsore
6. No gifts/souvenirs to be found at the recommended street market since they sold the same cheap scarves, bags and earrings you can find in Spain
7. Realizing each time my hand shot down to my bag to grab my camera that it was broken
8. The loooong bus ride to and from with way too many stops and detours (sin iPod)
9. Santander, my Spanish bank, refusing to take my card in their Portugal banks
10. Too little time to give Lisbon a fair chance!

Long Weekend Part II: Sevilla

It's been a long time coming, but here are just a few of the pictures I took in Sevilla.



So far, this sunny city with its broad, tree-lined streets has been my favorite city in Spain. If the Ministry of Education let me pick my placement city next year (and not only the region), Sevilla would be it! The tapas was amazing, the flamenco was mesmerizing, the monuments were breathtaking, the pace was slow and the climate...perfect. While in Peru, I found myself loving the cities that reminded me of Charleston, SC -- sunny, relaxed cities, with bright-colored buildings with white trim, lots of churches and parks, and palm trees. The cities in Peru like this, for me, were Trujillo and my hometown, Arequipa. My Charleston in Spain (and it's way cooler, sorry SC)...is Sevilla. I can't wait for an excuse to go back!!

For Soulful Struts down Gran Via

It's scarf, hat and mittens weather. The sky is a perfect robin's egg blue. Snow whispered threats, but the wind blew it away, revealing the mountains long lost behind the skyscrapers and smog.

I'll go for a walk.

The concrete and walls of windows will blind me with pearly light. The cold will numb my nose, cramp my lungs, and sting my cheeks. There will be static -- in my hair, crackling in my sweater and coat, between my finger and the metal door handle. But I feel like walking with purpose to anywhere.