Welcome to my travel journal! My friends and I spent a month traveling Europe in July 2022 and documented everything along the way. Here, along with the next few posts, will be the day by day details of our trip. Whether you are looking to plan a trip or need to pretend to be on one, I hope you find what you are looking for. Enjoy!
DAY 1: JULY 1 – TRAVEL TO LISBON, PORTUGAL
Starting To Travel
The first travel day! We took a red eye from Newark to Brussels and had a layover from Brussels to Libson. Within the first hour of the trip, I lost the bracelet my cousin Katie got us when my Grandma passed. I wear it every single day and I noticed it was gone after I went through security. I asked the security guard to check for me but she said she couldn’t find it. I don’t think she looked very hard. I was sad to be leaving for a month without a piece of my grandma with me but I knew she would still be by my side. Our first flight got delayed by an hour but we still made our connecting flight because that was also delayed. We had to check our bags at the gate on the first flight because the flight was full and there was no room. I was regretting my suitcase choice. I had a carryon size suitcase that was just small enough to pass and a travel backpack I bought specifically for the trip. Having a suitcase that could be considered too big in America, will definitely be big in Europe. It was stressing me out, I wanted to buy a smaller one. Everything in Europe is smaller.
*Note: Pack small and light
Arriving in Europe
When we made it to Lisbon, we waited for our bags and set up our phones. We used an electronic sim card on Airalo and paid $36 for 10GB. It gave us data so we could use our phones off wifi. It didn’t include texting or calling so if someone tried to text or call my phone number I wouldn’t receive it. They had to use my email. I don’t know if I would recommend it but it worked. Then we went outside and waited in a huge line for a taxi. That was our first mistake because it was 40 euros to drive twenty minutes to the check in location for our airbnb, which was different from where we actually stayed. Haley, Emma and I had to separate from Anna and Juan because she got an Uber she couldn’t cancel and we couldn’t all fit.
*Note: Uber was cheaper than the taxi.
Navigating through Europe
We walked to our airbnb from that location which should’ve only taken 12 minutes but we failed to realize Lisbon is very hilly. We walked up the biggest hill in Lisbon with all of our bags in 80 degree weather, dehydrated, starving and exhausted from traveling all day. There was a trolly we could’ve paid for to be taken up it but for whatever reason decided it wasn’t going to be that bad. It was in fact bad.
*Note: Take the trolly.
We were originally trying to find somewhere to eat before we found our place but everything was closed at 2:30pm for siesta so we ditched food and just went to our airbnb. We cooled off, showered, got dressed and then finally went to eat. We got tapas at Leve Leve Tapas Bar and were falling asleep at the table but forced ourselves to walk around and get ice cream at Sublime Sorbetto after so we weren’t jet lagged. The weather was absolutely beautiful and our airbnb had beautiful balconies and windows. It felt like a movie. We showered again and got ready for bed. Emma and I watched Season 4 Episode 8 of Stranger Things and passed out.
*Note: The easiest way to beat jet lag is to follow the time zone you are currently in. Resist napping or going to bed earlier or later then you usually do because “technically it’s 3am.” Avoid that sentence at all cost, it will only make it worse.
DAY 2: JULY 2 – DAY 1 IN LISBON
Exploring Portugal
Our first full day in Europe! We were really ambitious and woke up on the earlier side and got ready for the day. We walked to a pastry shop called Manteigaria and got Lisbon’s famous pasteis de nata and a cappuccino. It was amazing! It was almost like tiramisu but with a pie crust.
*Note: Pasteis de Nata is a must have if in Lisbon!
Then we separated from Juan because he had a tattoo appointment at one and walked to the train station. We bought a round trip train ticket to Sintra because we heard there was a colorful castle to see there. It was a 40 min train ride. We realized once we got there that it was 10 degrees cooler. In order to get to the colorful castle, National Palace of Pena, we had to take a tram car. We walked around to find a driver, which are waiting to take people everywhere. Ours was a white open cart with roses on it to take us up the mountain. The street was narrow and windy. It was kinda scary but also fun. It was forty euros total, so ten dollars each for about a fifteen minute ride, would not recommend walking. She dropped us off near the top. To get to the very top, we then had to pay again for a bus. I think it was seventeen euros each round trip. Once we got up there, we went to the castle’s cafe for a snack of water and a fruit bowl. Then, we ventured on our walk around the castle and took tons of pictures. After we saw everything, we took the bus back down and another tram car to the bottom, another seven euros. Our driver was very sweet and recommended a place for us to eat lunch. We tried to find it but ended up just walking around the center of town and got lunch at a random restaurant called Ferraria. I had bruschetta but it had too many tomatoes on it and I didn’t love the balsamic glaze on it. We didn’t leave enough time to get back to the train station so we had to run through the streets to make the train on time. People were yelling at us and looking at us as we made our way. We made it just in time and took the train back and walked back to the apartment.
*Note: Be sure to check times and distances when planning, especially if there is only one time option.
Evening in Portugal
We met up with Juan again and took a short rest to cool off and charge our phones. Then, we walked to a rooftop restaurant called Noobai and had white sangria and tapas. Our waiter was so cute, he kept calling us princesses (Juan prince) and made excellent sangria. People from the navy made eye contact with Emma and came up to invite her/ us to a cocktail party on the French navy boat. As good as it would’ve been for the plot, we didn’t go. After we left, we went to another rooftop bar that was in/on top of a parking garage called Park Rooftop. We had wine and hung out while the sunset. Once it was mostly set, we left and walked to find dessert. We heard the markets were good in Lisbon and had wanted to go to one but didn’t know where to find them. Luckily, we ran into a market while looking for dessert. They had a DJ, churros, sangria, jewelry and a beautiful view of the city. We got more sangria and a drink called POISON at one of the stands. It was so nasty. I’m pretty sure it was just vodka and tequila mixed. We got churros with nutella that were so good…we had to get them twice. Haley and Anna bought rings from one of the stands and we danced in the lighted park for hours. It was so cool being connected to people that spoke a totally different language in a totally different country. While dancing, a girl and her boyfriend came up to us and said, “You guys look fun,” so they started hanging out around us. They were from Holland. Her name was Bianca, a lawyer and and 33, and his name was Sanderson, “Sandy”, 24 and a student in Lisbon. They were super nice and took us to a karaoke bar. It was an Irish bar and everyone was singing American music. It was so wholesome and ironic. We left on the earlier side so we weren’t dead for the next day. We stopped to get pizza and fries from a random place called Hunger Station. The night life was so cool because everyone was just outside drinking on the streets drinking and talking. It was overall really good vibes. We hung out in our apartment while we ate and talked. A high quality day.
DAY 3: JULY 3 – DAY 2 IN LISBON
More Exploring
Since we were out the night before, we woke up later and got ready for the day. We got breakfast at a really cute restaurant called Comoba. It had food similar to what I would like to serve one day as well as a similar aesthetic. They had matcha pancakes!! Of course I had to try it and I also got a side of scrambled eggs, both were fire. I also tried a cortado with oat milk. I definitely didn’t love it but it looked pretty. The only place that required COVID-19 tests to enter were Lisbon and Paris and since we were going to Paris next, we had to get COVID-19 tests after breakfast. We walked around for a while trying to find a place to get it done. When we finally did, they said we had to come back at 3:30pm. In the meantime, we went to see the Belem Tower. It was a twenty minute Uber ride. It was cool but nothing super special so we just took some pictures in front of it and I got the first two pins for my collection at a stand nearby.
We Ubered back in time to do our COVID-19 tests. The COVID-19 testing system is interesting in Europe. They had units outside the pharmacy to perform the tests. One person was running it alone without a sink to wash her hands. We could see the results of the person before us and it of course it said positive. The experience was very weird and unsanitary but thankfully ours were negative and it was only $20. The process did take a little bit to do but after we were done we walked around the square and went into shops. We grabbed a snack at a restaurant on the street. We all just got fries, fruit and sandwiches. While sitting there, we got an email for our results and of course I had an issue viewing mine so I had to go back to the pharmacy. Emma came with me because she wanted to get something for her sore throat. Thankfully, I just typed my passport number wrong and she was able to fix it quickly and Emma got strawberry lozenges to help her throat. We were laughing because the woman just asked Emma if strawberry was ok with no context to what she was giving her.
*Note: Don’t type your passport number in wrong. Also, this was as of 2022, double check for updated COVID-19 policies when traveling!
We walked back to our apartment to meet up with everyone where we chilled before our last dinner in Lisbon. The night finished with a quick dinner of tapas and a free tequila shot at a place called Ire. Europe likes to offer free or one dollar shots for going to their bar or restaurant, kinda fun. We went back home early and packed up our things to get ready to go because our flight was at 6 am to Paris!
Love it!! So glad you are doing this!!
Sounds awesome, now I want to go there!!