Vip Berna Lisbon

... on North Brazil......in fact I think I am rapidly running out of time and will have to be dragged away and on to the plane soon!! <br><br>Thanks to airmiles/lots of travel we're flying Business, so not dreading the 12 hr (ish) flight ....can't wait to tuck in to the free champagne and relax in bed seats etc.....it really is the way to do longhaul travel.<br><br>See you in Brazil!<br>

... The landscape is hills/mountains and what looks like tropical rainforests. On of my friends made the comment that Portugal accidentally drifted off of South America, got lost, and landed in Europe. I would believe it. In Sintra, we stopped for a local pastry, as Bruno believes that you haven't been to a place unless you've tried the pastry. Delicious. From Sintra we went up to the Palace Pena. Some Portuguese king way back when built his girlfriend a palace to ...

... like the good students we are). We left Madrid early on Saturday and had all day to explore the city. After checking into our hostel, we tried having lunch at the Barrio Alto. Of course, the tram was broken so we had to hike up the largest hill of my life to get to this area of the city. Of course the view was gorgeous, so it was worth it. Nothing was open when we got there, so we ...

... neighborhood our hotel is in. We had noticed earlier in the day that every business was closed when we came out of our hotel in the morning, but thought that may have had something to do with the fact that it was a Sunday. When we came back, all the businesses were closed- including any sort of restaurant/food place. So we had no idea where we were going to eat. We went back to the hotel and asked the receptionist where there was to eat around here and she said there was only ...

... in the morning is beyond us. That evening, we went to a little Italian pizza and pasta restaurant next to the hotel, where we could watch the Chelsea-Barcelona match while having the local version of Hawaiian - ham, cheese, pineapple and banana. It was delicious, as was the sangria that accompanied it. And when 10-man Barca scored in injury time to go through to the final, it made Toni's year!!

... more than we did! it was a joyous reunion. went back to the the plaza commercial... and we were free for dinner. A large group of us went to the barrio alto, which as the name suggests, is also on a hill - I had octopus... mMmmm. good stuff. walked around the city center for a bit more, then retired back to the hotel. Lisboa is a bit small for the capital of a country... but it's definitely very beautiful - the most distinctive ...

... of the Carmo Convent and Church. This Gothic church was partially destroyed by the 1755 earthquake. Now, it is an impressive and eerie sight. The earthquake caused the roof of the nave to collapse, however the ribbed walls remain, blue sky above. Inside the part that survived is a small archaeological museum with some tombs, statues, ceramics, and two mummies. This was one of my favorite sights in Lisbon because it is so unique, and a reminder of the destruction of ...

... very peaceful. For the first time in a long time (when I got to the UK in March?) I could not see a soul and could not hear a thing. How's the serenity?. One day when I grow up, I'm going to go back to PORTugal with a good digital SLR (a Mercedes, 2 Porsches, my own personal jet and super model 18 year old size 6 wives) and take some proper photos. The landscape is so photogenic! My mastery of the PORTuguese language ("seu português faz minhas orelhas feridas ...

... pie things from belem again.... mmmmm there sooooo good.... one **** thing- a bag that i got from south america with all the strings and beads and weavings i had done was stolen in the hostel... sooo annoying coz it really is of no value to anybody else, just all my memories and work!!! Europe is way worse than sth america for these things i tell you!!!

... portugese hillside. Our whole bus woke up and just watched in awe as we drove by. To be here in Spain with such wonderful friends all having the time of our lives is such a blessing. I was so thankful in that moment to be reminded of God's promise to me and to all, that i will never be alone or foresaken. It was beauty beyond words. Of all the excursions so far, portugal has been my favorite.