A weekend in Portugal!

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Darwin Leyva Ayala

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Darwin Leyva Ayala

<i>Home Institution</i>: Brandeis University <i>Expected Graduation Year</i>: 2024 <i>Academic Major / Minor</i>: Business & International and Global Studies <i>Destination</i>: Madrid, Spain <i>"Hello" in your host country's language</i>: Hola <i>Program Provider</i>: IES <i>Demographics</i>: Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation College Student <i>Future Career Goals</i>: My future career goals include working for an international company working as a quantitive data analyst or consultant to a global scale, in hopes to find a job that lets me live and work abroad to do business all over the world. <i>Top Three Study Abroad Goals</i>: I hope to try and enjoy as much food as I can, enjoy traveling all over the country and beyond, and immerse myself into the culture of lifestyle of those around me.

In my last blog, I mentioned how I went to the Prado Museum and had a blast learning about the arts and architecture of human history. This weekend, some friends and I took a trip to Lisbon and Porto for fun!

By trying to find the best and most affordable tickets possible, we figured that taking an overnight 8hr bus ride from Madrid to Lisbon, and then Lisbon to Porto, and finally a Porto bus ride to Madrid was worth the price and time! Now, 8 hours in a bus is no easy feat, and we did it twice, an hard and impatient task for anybody. However, I personally think that Lisbon was my favorite city so far!

We arrived at 5:30am in lisbon, an hour earlier than what we expected, and had no idea what to do. We took a metro ride to Alfama, one of the oldest areas in Lisbon to see S.Jorge’s Castle, a beautiful view over the city, and the lisbon cathedral. After much walking and needed coffee break, we decided to look for a hole in wall restaurant near the river. My mouth waters thinking about how perfect the salmon was, cooked to perfection with sunlight warming my skin. The most surreal experience that may seem a tad bit dramatic, but was perfect.

After much more walking and exploring and taste testing pasteles de nata, we headed north to Porto, where we explored the World’s most beautiful Mcdonalds(overhyped sadly) and tried the iconic Porto Francesinhas from Cafe Santiago, considered to have one of the 50 best sandwiches in the world. FIlling and delicious to say the least, we explored through the pier, did a wine tour and a much needed stroll along the beach.

A wonderful weekend packed with tons of walking, great food, and amazing weather, an amazing time to welcome the beginning of spring. So far one of my favorite experiences here studying abroad, and hope that many future trips offer such a warm and fun time.