I got back from Portugal on Monday April 5, 2010. Minus a few dramatics, the trip was absolutely amazing. Myself and four other students went on this trip. I planned it back in February and friends joined in along the way. The trip started on Tuesday March 30
th with three of us. We flew from Bremen, Germany to Faro, Portugal. Both Bremen and Faro have RyanAir airports. The nice thing about RyanAir is that it is cheap. The unfortunate part about it is that it costs more to get to the airport that the tickets actually cost. Also, they advertise like crazy on the flights and the journey to the airport is often rugged.
Aside from that, the three of us arrived in Faro around 9am. I love seeing the ocean and we landed right next to it. When we got off the plane it was around 65 degrees. This was a large change from the 25 degrees we left in Holland. The sun was out shining and the weather was perfect. We took a 20 minute bus ride to the city center and found our hostel. Our hostel was more of a hotel than anything. Faro is a sleepy town. We were only staying there one night to wait for the rest of our group that was arriving the following day. We explored the city in a little over three hours and enjoyed dinner and coffee on the marina.
On Wednesday, the rest of our party arrived and we headed to Lagos, Portugal. We were booked for three nights at the ‘Rising Cock’ hostel. The name is a pun on an actual story in Portuguese culture. An innocent man who had been traveling from Spain was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. The night before his hanging, the judge came in to eat his dinner, of rooster, in front of the prisoner. The innocent man said that the rooster would rise and crow before he was to be hung to prove his innocence. At that moment, the rooster rose and crowed.
The matriarch of the hostel is “Mama” She is amazing and makes you feel at home. She makes you a full breakfast of crepes in the morning and a hangover tea. She makes sure you are full before sending you on your way. I have never felt so at home than in this hostel. Their goal was to provide comfort and fun. They accomplished both. We spent three days and nights at this hostel. The city is small and we covered the major areas the first night we were there. We spent most of the time chillin’ on the beautiful and clear beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. I actually got some color, a little burnt in fact.
The beaches sit at the bottom of high cliffs. There is an awesome trial that weaves around the cliffs and provides some of the most beautiful landscape pictures. Million dollar views! I spent an hour a day writing and/or reading at the top of a cliff that dangled over the ocean. The waves crashed against the ancient walls hundreds of feet below me. On our last night in Lagos, we took this hike to a specific spot to watch the sunset. We packed in a picnic and wine and watched the sun go down. One of the most beautiful evenings of my life. A romantic dinner and setting for five.
The next morning, we packed and got ready to head to Lisbon. The previous day, I decided that I would get a tattoo on my way out of Lagos. While I was writing the previous days, I noticed something interesting about the wildflowers. Each day, they took on a different shape and the colors, while remaining the same scheme, changed brightness and predominance. The flowers adapted to their environment in order to survive. They have no control over their existence but have instincts to remain living.
The tattoo is a reminder of this. We all have to learn to adapt according to nature and our environment. For most of the trip I was irritated and frustrated with my travel mates. I had to remember my fortune in being in Portugal and being surrounded by the beautiful coast and cliffs. We all have different personalities and quirks. This is what makes travel interesting.
I missed the train out with the group so caught the next one out. We spent the night in Lagos enjoying delicious sangria, Portuguese green wine, and traditional food. The next day, our only day in Lisbon we walked around seeing all major attractions. We checked out various landmarks, a castle, and walked up and down the seven famous hills of Lisbon. The town is like San Francisco, but on some serious hill steroids.
We left the following morning, and after some drama, a 360-euro cab ride, and 14 hours of travel, we made it back to Groningen, Netherlands. After dinner and a shower, I passed out. I will attach some pictures to this post, and a separate one of just pictures. Hope everyone is well and I look forward to seeing you all in August.
Love and Peace – JP
Picture 1: Old Fortress Wall in Faro, Portugal
Picture 2: Old Historic District at Sunset - Lagos
Picture 3: Artsy Picture At Sunset - Port - Lagos
Picture 4: An Atlantic Ocean Grotto - Lagos
Picture 5: Art Picture - Lagos
Picture 6: Atlantic Beach - Lagos
Picture 7: Hill Leading to Port - Lisbon
Picture 8: Fortress Entrance - Faro
Picture 9: The Group - Myself, Felix, Hannah, Brittany, Penny
She is looking out the burnt pink window of her home. Staring at nothing but the blank wall in front of her. There is no personality or meaning to the white wall that stares back at her. The wall is a canvas. It is whatever she imagines it to be; a story she tells to her grandchildren or of a mental picture she took long ago coming to life. Imagination is alive in her thoughts and wandering glance. The lines and wrinkles on her face are beautiful and full of wisdom. It is possible that she has watched passing locals and tourists her whole life from this very same window. 
