In love at first sight with Lisbon
“Once you start travelling solo, you wouldn’t want to go back!”
It all began in the year 2019. My Easter Break was thoroughly planned out. I was visiting my friend in Finland, and we were going to backpack Estonia. The only problem: This trip started on Monday, and it did not feel right to waste the weekend. And that is how my first solo trip happened.
I chose to go to Lisbon for I heard a lot about it, as well as its proximity to Madrid. I took an overnight bus, spent 16 hours in the city and came back by another overnight bus, thus saving me time and money. I had pre-marked a few things I wanted to experience, like a ride on Tram 29 and visit Belem for sunset. As soon as I reached Lisbon at dusk, I was welcomed by a grey sky and drenched streets. However, it was my first solo trip, and I was too pumped up to let this deter me. So, I proceeded towards my first destination, the Santa-Justa funicular(lift). Most cities in Europe offer a one-day public transport pass and, I could use the same pass for the Funicular. The Santa-Justa funicular, standing at the height of 15 floors, was at the centre of the city. It offered splendid panoramic views of this beautiful city.
Right next to the Funicular was the ruins of the Igreja De Carmo, an ancient church that could not survive the Portuguese war. These ruins reminded me of the fact that chaos can be beautiful. After spending some time there, I proceeded towards the centre of Lisbon- The Sao Nicolau. It was an ancient marketplace, now a wide-open space with the view of the church of Sao Nicolau. Walking through the streets around looking at the Portuguese architecture was an out-of-the-world experience. I stopped for a “Uma Bica”- the Portuguese coffee at one of the numerous cafes in the centre; this was not a typical espresso. The Portuguese roasting process is a bit different, giving the coffee a smoother texture.
Lisbon was one of the reasons I developed an interest in viewpoints. This city had so many of those that made it possible to get amazing views from different angles. Alfama was the second viewpoint, Santa Justa being the first one. Alfama was a little trek towards the top of the park, giving visibility of amazing landscape like the hanging houses. After sinking in the exhilarating beauty, I decided to board the Tram 29. Out of sheer luck on timing, this otherwise bustling tram station was empty. I hopped on the tram, and it took me around the city of Lisbon, and it was magnificent. Dense Portuguese architecture and the grey weather gave me the eighteenth century feels that I only felt from History textbooks. Tram 29 took me around the city, covering all landmarks, while I stood at the rear, looking through the glass with awe for an hour.
It was late afternoon when Tram 29 brought me back to the centre. I walked around the neighbourhood of Sacramento, exploring neighbourhoods, admiring the street art and local markets. By the time I covered quite aground, I had grown hungry. I was in the vicinity of Santa Catarina with no cafes nearby, except this small restaurant that had no customers. Finding vegetarian food initially in Europe was a problem. I went in hoping to find some food, and the kind chef inside asked me what I wanted. I told him that I was hungry and wanted vegetarian food. The guy’s exact words were “We are closed right now, but its difficult to find vegetarian food around. We don’t have it in our menu either but Ill whip up something for you”. And he did. He made me a special vegetarian platter. My experience with Portuguese was outstanding since the beginning of the day, but this incident took my heart away.
After a hearty lunch, I walked towards Belem. Belem had a great beach, yacht-dock with impressive views and a cultural centre. I walked into the cultural centre, saw some exhibits, and learnt some cool titbits on Portuguese culture and history. After an hour in the museum, I walked outside, along the coast towards the monument of discoveries. That was an immense marble wonder, standing on the banks of Tagus river, dedicated to the wanderer and discoverer, Enrique. By this time, the weather was quite good, and the atmosphere was upbeat. I took a seat and napped of for an hour. Fifteen kilometres of city-walking was a tiresome feat.
As soon as I got up, it was sunset time. And Portugal, the Westernmost country of Europe, offered fantastic sunset views. So, I went to the best sunset point of the city, and the third viewpoint, the Jardim Sao Pedro de Alcantara, a cheery cliffside. For a moment, I paused and reflected what a beautiful sight this was. Orange sky, scents of spring, calm guitar music and cocktails to melt for, it was a perfect conclusion to my first solo trip.
It was a bit scary and took a lot of planning. It was also a test for my confidence and a dip in my savings. But it was totally worth it. For otherwise, I would not have discovered the joy of being called a solo traveller. — I left a piece of my heart in Portugal.
