People from all over the world // Session 5

After writing the last post, my roommates (an Italian, a Mexican, and an Argentinean - very nice and funny guys who met during their studies in the Netherlands) asked me if I want to cook with them and later go out partying. (So we're still in Porto) I gladly accepted. We, or rather the Mexican, made chicken and pasta. It was quite delicious. The partying involved joining the hostel's pub crawl. That means you go out with people from your hostel, then meet others from different hostels, visit 3 bars in a row, and finally go to a club. Everything organized by the hostel team. It was pretty cool, but I didn't stay for too long because I was incredibly tired.

The next day, we finally headed to Lisbon and I initially got the wrong ticket, so I had to wait at the train station for 2 hours. Oh well. When I arrived in Lisbon, I didn't do much except going to my hostel and sleeping.

So far, I like the hostel the least. I'm also staying in a 6-bed dorm, sharing it with a Swedish person, 3 Americans, and someone I've only seen sleeping so far. The Americans are quite... let's call it crazy. They had a conversation with the Swedish guy about drugs and were in favor of them, sharing their experiences and even recommending certain things... (I'm not talking about harmless stuff like weed) Yeah, it was funny to listen to, but that was about it, because they weren't really older than me and already had more drugs than I could name.

But the next day, well-rested, I just walked around the city blindly at first and saw all sorts of things. It suddenly started raining heavily, but it only lasted for a short time. I then visited the Azulejos Museum (essentially painted tiles), watched a football game at a public viewing spot in a big square, and went to the Time Out Market. A meeting place with many small, very good restaurants in a big hall. (I will go there to eat more often while I'm in Lisbon) In the evening, I went with my new roommate, the Swede, to the Santa Catarina viewpoint, where we met other travelers. (This viewpoint is like a meeting point for backpackers) It was quite cool there, as you would meet people from all over the world and talk to them. (For my part, I talked to Belgians, Americans, and a Norwegian) Plus, the beer was not expensive, but there were also some really weird characters around. It definitely fulfilled the stereotype of such meetings. By that I mean: before I wanted to do such a trip myself, I thought that everyone doing this kind of thing was a hippie and a total stoner. It's not that extreme of course, but let's just say that you're the exception if you don't smoke weed.

But it didn't get too late, so around 1 o'clock I went to get a kebab with the Swede and then back to the hostel.

Now I'm on the train to Obidos, another city in Portugal, and I'm visiting it as a day trip!