A Caldeira in its Natural Environment
Join me on my 4 month journey in my ancestral homeland
“Travel is the best way to be lost and found at the same time.” I don’t know who exactly said that, but it describes adequately my experiences this past weekend in Amsterdam, the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. This was my 6th overnight trip since arriving in Portugal, but my first solo trip…
I’ve been driven up the wall recently by midterms and studying, and also by not having done anything “touristy” (or for that matter, leaving Lisbon, or even my apartment). Three weeks ago, before the midterm stress and boredom, when I saw that Erasmus was offering a weekend trip to Serra da Estrela, home to some…
Granada was a beautiful city. So, as I boarded the three hour bus ride through the rolling countryside of Andalusia, my hopes were high that Sevilla, my next destination, and the capital of Andalusia, would be just as beautiful. I wasn’t too sure though, as I had especially enjoyed the stunning vistas and cozy feel…
It took me 7 weeks of being here to do it, but I finally left Portugal to visit a new country (the Azores are technically a part of Portugal). Spain has been beckoning to me ever since I decided to study abroad in Portugal, with one city in particular being of interest: Granada. Kirsten, one…
Okay, yes, the title is definitely an over-exaggeration. There have been problems since I’ve gotten here. For example, in just the past week, our apartment had a gas leak that resulted in our gas being turned off for two days (meaning no hot water and stove access), our sink wouldn’t drain (we fixed it ourselves)…
I cannot believe it! It has now been 7-and-a-half weeks since I made Lisbon my temporary home. Those weeks have been filled with too many new adventures to remember (see my upcoming blog post for a list of my favorites). Making the trek to an entirely different side of the world has been more than…
There are so many words I could use to describe last weekend, spent in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Breathtaking. Idyllic. Also: Inundated. Unimpressed. Porto presented two sides to me this weekend. Its Jekyll: A Utopian town of red roofs stacked in tiers on the steep hillsides above the peaceful Douro River, where its residents sip…
Another weekend comes, another trip happens. My study abroad program, API, has done all of us a service by including excursions into our cost of attendance. Last week, it was the beautiful Algarve, with its shadowed history and sunny beaches. They also take us on trips within the city, such as a cruise on the…
The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region, is known for its Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. Whitewashed fishing villages on low cliffs overlooking sandy coves were transformed in the 1960s, and now its central coast between Lagos and Faro is lined with villas, hotels, bars and restaurants. The only thing Wikipedia is forgetting is the insanely high…
I’ll admit right off the bat that half of the title is click-bait. I don’t actually have 99 problems. I do have some though. I have a feeling that so far my depiction of my travels in Portugal has been rather Utopian, as I have been portraying the many positives of my travels so far. Don’t…