I travelled to Lisbon for about six days in late March this year. I had four weeks worth of a mid-semester break while on exchange, and had originally planned to travel around Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. Deciding that I wanted a change from Northern England’s gloomy weather, I revised my plans. After a week in Ireland with friends, I flew into Lisbon late at night. When I hopped off the bus in the city (this was around midnight) and walked the block or so to my hostel, I could honestly sense that I would love the place. The following few days were so great; spectacular scenery in Sintra (and incredible mansions), beautiful weather which was perfect for visiting Cascais and Estoril, sandy beaches (which I hadn’t seen since leaving home), fun people at the hostel, a myriad of historical sites to visit (like Castelo St Jorge and the Lisbon city museum)... Thinking about it now makes me intensely nostalgic.

Case in point: I would love to learn Portuguese and spend more time in Portugal, see more of the country than just its capital. I had friends visit Faro in the Algarve, their photos look great, and I’ve heard Porto is worth seeing too. If I ever mastered the language… I would even consider living there. Don’t quite know how I’d survive as a vegetarian though!