Lisbon was probably the highlight of April’s trip. It was also the place where the blisters were the worst. I was happily uncomfortable in a place where even speaking English cut it much better than Spanish did. The tiles, the language, the people, the transportation, and tourism was a dream. Nothing too fancy. Classy, but just gritty enough to have character. I thought tourism was great here because it was a place where I felt like a welcomed guest among many locals. Tourists are of course present, but not in the sense where it was over-saturated with lines and selfie-sticks and vendors and inflated prices. Of course, I had great friends to stay and hang out with while having the perfect amount of time to explore on my own.

Cacilhas is an old maritime town across the Tagus river. You can take a ferry from the station at the end of the metro green line called Cais do Sodré on the coast, grab a window seat, and see the bridge as you cross. I was so lucky that I went during sunset. These photos made for some of my favorite memories. It was an unforgettable time of solitude, staying here until it got dark and the adventure of getting back home made it all the more fun. More photos from the rest of Lisbon soon, but for now, these photos from Cacilhas are going to be turned into prints in order to fundraise for a Foster Teen Camp that I have the privilege to be attending and photographing. More info here.

My feet were healing so I was up to it. Hugo had a headache so I said it was okay for him to go home while I continued on. I got on the metro all the way to the end of the green line. A ticket was purchased and I hopped on the ferry from Cais do Sodré. I was quick to grab the good window seat. I looked at the bridge, thinking I was in San Francisco. As you get closer to Cacilhas, you see the statue of Jesus, you think you’re in Rio for a second. The statue was farther away than I thought and you can’t just walk on over to the Jesus statue. I retreated after making a visit into a small gift shop. After making my way back to the coast, I looked around at the abandoned warehouses instead. Looking across the Tagus River at Lisbon, you’ll understand why they call it the White City. I’m laughing as I think about how I tried to sit on the rusty thing and try to make a vlog and then realized my lens was kinda broken and wouldn’t focus. I walked more, seeing restaurants and people enjoying the sunset. I found an elevator to ascend and I grabbed coffee at this tapas bar on a hill overlooking the entire city and people watched for a bit. It got dark and I realized I lost another ticket back. Typical. My butt-pocket is the worst and it’s a bad habt. I forgot how far I had walked, but it was okay because so did many others. After spending another couple euros, I got on the ferry back to Lisbon, made a quick stop at the convenience store at the station, and bought a snack and some breakfast for next day. My phone and everything died, but transportation is so great that it was easy to get on the metro back home to the Arroios, near Hugo and Ana’s house.