Climbing Castles

I have to say, after Morocco I felt like I could skip Portugal and just head back to Boston. I didn’t know anything about the country except that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 from there. However stepping off the boat for the first time, my first impression was an immediate surprise. First off, the temperature was not in the 100’s but rather a warm 75 degrees with a light breeze. The sky was bright blue rather than a hazy desert grey, and the people were extremely friendly.

The first day in Portugal I stayed around Lisbon, the capital city. A few of my friends and I tried to figure out the train system, but the language barrier was much bigger than expected. Luckily the locals are incredibly friendly and were always willing to help. One guy even rode with us all the way to the center of town and led us to St. Jorge’s castle so we didn’t get lost.

St. Jorge’s castle is at the top of Lisbon with a great view that no one wants to miss. It is technically a tourist spot but citizens of Lisbon also live within the old walls. I can’t imagine living within the castle walls. Some of the parts had renaissance additions of minstrels playing flutes giving the castle a more authentic feel. I have to say, I had a blast climbing the walls, and can only imagine how much better it would be if I lived there and could see it at sunrise.

By noon we were famished from all the uphill climbing, so we stopped for lunch and pastries before heading to the Beer Museum. Much like Germany, Portugal is known for its beer and liquor culture. The Museum was fairly small, but we got a free clay mug and draft beer, and learned that the beer used to be made by monks! Also, we learned that much like in the 20’s in America, alcohol was outlawed in Portugal- although foreigners could still drink. When it was finally legal again, parties broke out everywhere…apparently that party never stopped because Lisbon lights up at night. It seems no one sleeps, but everyone walks around bar streets, no matter what day of the week.

The famous alcohol in Portugal in Ginja, a cherry liquor. Though not beer, we tried this as well at the Beer Museum. It tasted a bit more like medicinal cherry syrup than I would have liked, so we asked the bartender to cut it with water and then brilliantly we thought of adding sprite. It was so much better! We told the restaurant they should consider adding it to the menu, but they just laughed at us, saying Ginja was great on it’s own… maybe if you enjoyed cough syrup.

Though there is lots to do in Lisbon, I was ready to head out a bit farther to Sintra, a city 45 minutes away that apparently has more trees than people. I have been missing the wooded outdoors, so I couldn’t wait to trade in the pavement of the city, for the dirt of a hiking trail.