So, here it goes; my first blog post... on this website. I am not going to pretend that this is my first attempt at blog writing, however it is my first at travel writing, which ironically is something I absolutely despised doing as a module at university!
Speaking of firsts, this trip was my first time going to Portugal despite it having sparked my interest for many years prior. My first encounter with the country was through an online friend roughly seven years ago - ah yet another example of the profound impact of loosely monitored internet access has had on me. I have since forgotten her name but she was a friend who I spoke to on occasion, which, if I recall correctly, largely consisted of me begging her to speak about the exoticisms of living abroad, in addition to me practicing my butchered French on her. She would send me pictures of a blue ocean, encompassed by golden sand , cities with vibrant, sienna rooves; their walls lined with glossy tiles painted with intricate patterns and of historic sights, trapped in time. It was idyllic, childlike, idealised version of a country that I knew nothing about. So, of course I planned to go at some point in the future.
Flash-forward to 2024. A friend invites me to come along to the university's annual surf trip which funnily enough was a week long stay in Lisbon. Of course I said yes!
The Stay
My group and I stayed in, what I believe to be, the best Hostel that I've stayed in to date. The place itself was a spacious, three floor building with an almost humorous number of windows (practically every wall had a large window, which made the place feel as though a sort of observatory). This of course was brilliant for natural lighting which added to the rustic feel of the interior which was well kept and tastefully furnished. I thoroughly recommend trying out The Lisbon Surf Hostel as not only were the facilities and staff awesome but also they provided a wide range of activities available for booking before and during your stay there. Such delights included (all at extra cost) morning yoga sessions, surf lessons with hire, a decently priced poolside bar and a massage - something that I wish I had taken advantage of, especially after a week of beginner surf lessons and lots of swimming. Carcavelos beach is actually just around the corner from the hostel taking roughly ten minutes to be in the sea from the moment you left the dormitory which was an awesome advantage of staying here if you fancy an early morning swim, to bake out in the sun or try and catch some waves (surfer talk because i've done it once now). Although, I personally did not surf here as the sea was too still and calm for it apparently, but who am I to say?
Regarding my bold statement of 'the best hostel', I would like to add here that this is a reflection of my overall stay in comparison to hostels I have stayed in previously. For example, not once did I feel considered a product or client, but rather a friend or a distance cousin visiting for the first time in forever after connecting on social media de to a common interest of xyz. Perhaps the latter was a slightly farfetched comparison. Yet, my point stands.The staff were so incredibly welcoming it felt as though they were also apart of the uni surf trip and not actually 'in charge of us'. It was because of this I actually mustered up the courage to ask about work there in the upcoming months, but we shall see where that goes...
On another note, if anyone from the hostel is for some reason reading this, I would like to apologise for skinny dipping in the pool on occasion and for the whole group being semi-permentantly drunk, but you know, when in Portugal.
As the flights were £150 cheaper to return to the UK on the Monday, rather than the Sunday with the rest of my group, I decided to stay an extra night in Lisbon city centre instead. This hostel was a complete to the one prior due to its urban, modern aesthetic in a high rise building, but the change was not an unwelcome one as it better suited my agenda for the city. The sky high hostel called Room00 Lisboa was not only good looking but once again proved itself to be a gem due to the atmosphere, interior, facilities and staff: as I was only there for one night I wasn't able to check out if they offered any activities but I'd assume they would have lots of recommendations of what to do due to its central city location.
A night here cost me £24.33 booked through booking.com which I think is an absolute bargain considering how close it is to many tourist hotspots and the building alone. It's located in something I'd consider to be the 'posh quarter', as the local shops ranged from Gucci and Louis Vuitton to a small tabacaria surrounded by family-owned cafes and restaurants which showcased the diversity of Lisbon (but predominantly a showcase of gentrification). I did spend most of my extra day exploring the city with friends, but I did take advantage of its rooftop bar in the evening before I moved onto my next city adventure. Anyway, Lisboa00 is another recommendation and somewhere I would definitely consider coming back to but for longer than sixteen hours next time.
These hostels really put my previous stays in the UK to shame!
Time Spent Well?
As I previously mentioned my group and I were drunk for a large majority of the time here, but we did definitely did ease up on this towards the end of the trip. Cheap booze paired with fourty-odd students is a recipe of disaster - well not disaster but certainly an experience and lots of hangovers! Yet, in the lieu of this I did actually have quite a productive trip, making sure to check off everything on my to-do list that I'd come on the holiday with. The list wasn't an extensive one but it was an agenda nonetheless: eat a Pastel De Nata (as seen in Poor Things which onset the craving for once since watching the film), try surfing (easy, its a surf trip), go to a museum, make three new friends and try to speak as little English as possible. You may think the lack of English thing is self sabotage and inconvenient but I call it integration and not being rude. I am aware that I am incredibly privileged to have my native language be one of the most spoken in the world, but I refuse to take advantage of it where possible, of course it is super useful and yes I do end up speaking English for the majority of the time but your girl is a tryer at least. I think people appreciate it but I've never really asked. Despite my valiant effort I was only able to learn, as my friend puts it, "the British man abroad" speak - obrigada, posso ter, por favor, boa noite and of course uma cerveja, por favor. I'm good at asking for things.
A large chunk of my time was spent on the beach attempting to get a tan, which ultimately did not happen as I am now a shade of only ever-so slightly bronzed, paper white. Of course I was able to try surfing during this time too as we had a total of five lessons to attend, all of which I tried and failed at, but hey it's the expereience! The hardest bit for me was actually battling the waves to get out deep enough to start paddling, as I found that for every few steps I took forwards , a huge wave would drag me back further so really It was a race against the crashing waves for me to have a little break (run) through the calmer water. The first lesson was actually spent working on technique, which as a total beginner, I was incredibly thankful for as it was all broken down into small, easily followable steps. Of course this lesson did not really pay off as I only managed to successfully pop up just once, but I still think that it really helped and as I said before, it's the attempt that matters. It was through these lessons that I was able to tick another thing off the list, make new friends. I met a fair few really interesting people who I was able to form connections with over conversation, sunbathing and a beer - possibility one of the best ways of making a friend in my opinion.
I will go into more depth about nights out in another post as I certainly did a tour of Carcavelos, Cascais and Lisbon through this but I thought that I'd make a note here of how again this was another impeccable way of making friends. Perhaps its the liquid courage and mild exhaustion that helps but again, it was on nights out that I had the opportunity to chat to others. It is ironic how I had not so long ago really struggled in social situations, let alone chat to strangers and go on nights out with them in a foreign country but these changes are incredibly important. To be stagnated in your ways is something that will hold you back in almost areas, so it is experiences such as this that incredibly important to try out even If it pushes you at of your comfort zone. You never know who you will meet!
Again, I intend on posting a separate piece dedicated to the amazing food that I tried in Portugal, but I thought to give the Pastel De Nata an honorary and premature mention as it was one of the first things on my list to do. In fact, it was the first thing that checked off after landing in Portugal as I immediately flocked to an airport café after making my way through customs. I had heard many a good thing about this sweet treat, most of which consisted of them saying 'Oh everyone recommended I try their national dessert' which would be very quickly followed by something along the lines of 'I was hooked and ate a total of fourteen in very quick succession' - again perhaps an exaggeration but I get it. Obviously I went into my first bite of the pastry with the knowledge that it may not be the best due to it being, you know, from the airport but boy oh boy my expectations were not let down. If you have never tried a Pastel De Nata, I would strongly suggests that you do because I don't think that my life will be ever be the same. The outside is so buttery, a crispy, flaky pastry that is has a habit of littering your mouth and chin with crumbs. I can see why you are supposed to eat it whole. The inside, oh the inside is a sweet delicious custard, flavoured with vanilla and is traditionally topped with a light dusting of cinnamon to add a subtle warming, nutty flavour that doesn't half add to the flavour profile of such a small desert. I was blown away and, like the people before me, was hooked. Although I didn't quite have fourteen, rather I had four in total over the eight days, which for someone who prefers savoury food is quite impressive. I will tell you more abut the desert, the different spots that I tried, and my rankings in a later post.
End
So, as to not exhaust you the reader I thought I'd end my first post with that, the promise of more. Obviously there is much more to be said but I thought I'd make the first one something of an overview, the trunk of a tree dotted with sprouting branches that will soon hold ripened fruit - you will soon learn that I love a metaphor and flagrant language like this, get used to it because I did an English Lit degree and it's all I know... Thank you for reading, but now it is time for me to board a plane to my next destination, a mystery to you until I write about it (unless you are a friend, then shh don't spoil it for the new comers). I aim to post once a week so expect the next edition of Still Going soon, which will still be about my time in Lisbon but I'll go into more specifics and stories of note.
Cheers!
Roe