On the Edge of the Atlantic

Welcome back to Europe, Ladies And Gentlemen. A crisp *two days* after we disembarked from Casablanca, the MV World Odyssey was docked in Lisbon, Portugal for our final port.

Absolutely inconceivable. Just yesterday, I was at the Burj Khalifa, so it’s impossible that I should see the westernmost point in Europe here, right?

My final five days in port were hectic, to say the least, a true emotional roller coaster. I'll dive into this more in my Final Thoughts section, but I’m not one to bait and tease, so let’s dive in :)

Day 1: Ladies Who Brunch

As had become our custom, the first stop off the ship was brunch! My friends partook in “boozy brunch,” but I opted for a matcha lemonade instead (pretty on brand) and some delicious banana bread & halloumi. It was Easter Sunday, so many SASers had gone to find a mass, but my group decided that a three hour service in Portuguese was not the way we wanted to kick off Lisbon…to be honest, I probably would’ve fallen asleep, what with the general exhaustion that comes from studying abroad. Instead, we headed towards Avenida de Liberdade to go shopping.

Our first stop was Livraria Bertrand, which Guiness World Records has certified to be the Oldest Operating Bookstore in the World. It was founded in 1732, so it’s just under 300 years old. Wild. Naturally, I had to buy a book there. Plus, if you buy anything from Livraria Bertrand, they’ll stamp your book/postcard from you for free in either Portuguese or English. So while I had already brought ~15 books with me to SAS, I added another to the pile (Tarantula by Bob Dylan, if anyone was curious, and I had it stamped in Portuguese!). I was only able to read a page of it before I did end up having to pack it away, but I’m already looking forward to opening it back up once I’m home again - Dylan just has such a way with words, with the rhythm and flavour of them, especially when the traditional narrative structure isn’t there.

The rest of the day was spent in and out of various shops - I did lots of window shopping for yet another pair of sunglasses, because the ones I bought in Spain (my fourth of the voyage) were already falling apart…I think sunglasses are going to haunt me in purgatory after this trip, I really do.

One sweet moment from when we got back on the ship - I was on my way to dinner at Lido and I ran into the Ship Kids (children of staff/faculty) in the middle of their Easter Egg Hunt. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen kids get so excited about something, and it was heartwarming to see them bounce off the walls in search of plastic eggs filled with various international candies. Hoppy Easter :)

Day 2: Walking Around

I was on my own for Day 2 in Lisbon, and ready to go exploring a little bit! I popped in my headphones and walked a couple of miles to Parque Eduardo VII, listening to many, many podcasts on my way there. Lisbon is hilly, in case you were wondering. But the Park! Eduardo VII Park is 64 acres, so I only saw a tiny sliver of it, but it was a lovely place to sit back and people watch for a while. For some reason, it always surprises me to see so much greenery amid such an urban center, but I always appreciate the little breather you can take from the ambient noises of cars and tourists and general city chaos. It was a nice way to take in the morning while writing in my journal.

Naturally, walking around so much works up an appetite, and I was really craving another one of my park picnic lunches, so I made my way to a local grocery store and got the staples: bread, cheese, a protein shake and a pastel de nata. I found a different park to eat lunch in, Parque Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles, and settled in with my snacks. Unfortunately, the brie I got was *awful* and not brie at all. I’ve learned my lesson and I will not be buying *Portuguese cheese* any time soon. That meant the bread was another casualty, because it was day old bread and needed the accompaniment of brie to taste passable. So! Protein shake it was! But that was decent, so it wasn’t a total wash. And, dear reader, if you haven’t had Portugal’s best dessert Pastel de Nata, you’re doing something wrong. It’s literally just a custard tart but it’s so good. Try one ASAP.

After my somewhat-disappointing lunch, I was ready for a break, so I made my way back to the ship for a quick siesta before heading out in search of a spot to watch the sunset. It was a super sunny & warm day out, so literally every tourist imaginable was at the coast line, sitting at the makeshift boardwalks and whatnot. I had had visions of sitting on the beaches, but they actually looked super grimy and nasty, so I took a rain check on that and went towards the more developed boardwalk area. It was an awesome environment, with music playing and the sun beaming over the water - I was super content to sit there and write for a while. Unfortunately, I decided to leave well before the sunset - I think the Golden Rule as a Solo Female Traveler is to trust your intuition, and I had been getting some questionable vibes from a couple of the young men near me. I was probably being overcautious, but I’d rather err on the side of safety, you know? I called some of my stateside people and walked back to the ship.

That ended up being an awesome decision: from where our boat was docked, there was the most majestic sunset, with the sun dipping below the hill and illuminating various houses and churches with an other-worldly glow. Silver -or should I say golden? - linings everywhere, really. I treated myself to a nice ship dinner, touched base with a few friends from home, and watched a movie before heading to bed.

Day 3: Stories Central

Day 3! I was exploring on my own again, and decided to take some self-care time in the morning - meaning, I went to the gym & had lunch on the ship before going out into the city. I was on a mission when I left the ship - I needed new sunglasses and a dress for recruitment. Study Abroad goes through time at a non-linear rate, but Sorority Life stops for no woman. By the time I get home at the end of the summer, it’ll be cutting it close to find dresses for fall recruitment, so I thought I’d see what European fashion could contribute to Purdue Rush this fall…I secured both a dress and my fifth pair of sunglasses. If these ones break or get lost, I’m just giving up and living in my baseball cap.

I rewarded myself with some gelato down the street from the mall, a yummy combination of yogurt and dulce de leech with a chocolate macaroon. Honestly, recruitment shopping should always end with ice cream because it’s a lot of mental energy to imagine what you’ll be wearing in August while talking to a gazillion strangers for a gazillion hours while in high heels.

But back to Lisbon because we are Living! In! The! Moment! I still had a lot of free time on my hands, so I decided to spend some of it at the less popular museums. Do you ever go to the quirky museums where you live? Like, everyone in Indianapolis has gone to The Children’s Museum, but how many people have visited the Kurt Vonnegut Museum? That’s the vibe I wanted, and I found it with the Lisbon Story Center. I knew literally nothing about the museum, other than its name and location, so I showed up expecting an exhibit detailing individual stories and memories.

the one guy that got literally thrown out the window

I was soooo off. The Lisbon Story Center offers an hour-long set of sets and exhibits that take you through Lisbon’s history. It’s a weirdly 4-D experience, actually, and I walked away with a lot of random facts about Lisbon. For example, did you know that a former leader of Lisbon was literally tossed out the window when he was overthrown? Or that the king refused to live in the castle after the November 1st earthquake and built an elaborate system of royal huts to inhabit instead? Iconic. And definitely a unique way to interact with the history of the city.

I went back to the little fake beaches afterwards to get some pictures and enjoy the sunshine a bit more. For some reason, I am cold 24/7 on the ship - it became a running gag with my roommate and I, because she would be sweating and I would be sitting under my blankets with three layers on and still have a cold nose. As such, I was loving the warmth of the sunshine, though I had to be super vigilante with sunscreen because I am forever and always a Pale Girl. Then, it was back to the ship for another relaxing night in - don’t worry, it gets more interesting the next night…

Day 4: Mosaics of Memory

Our last full day/night in Lisbon :( It was a bit cloudier and gloomier out today, definitely full sleeves weather, but I was actually really excited to go walking out with overcast skies. It’s nice to physically see the city in a different light; it pairs well with discovering the different aspects of a city on a cultural level.

I started my day off going to the National Pantheon, which was a super quick walk from the ship. It was pretty empty for a Wednesday morning, so I got it done pretty quickly - but look! How pretty the gray sky made everything!

From there, I decided to get back on the museum grind, but a little more mainstream this time. One of the more highly recommended museums (according to the exhaustive research on google and TikTok) was the National Tile Museum, or mosaic museum. I hiked the mile and half over there, but due to the timing, they were closed for lunch by the time I got there - no worries, I am *adaptable* and can roll with the punches. I decided to give Lisbon another chance with grocery store lunches, so I made my way to a different market nearby and bought: a protein pudding, a drink called “sumol” and another pastel de nata. Thankfully, Lisbon pulled through with this one and I was scraping the edges of the pudding container because that was soooo yummy. The Sumol was kind of like a carbonated orange juice, and once again, the pastel de nata hit the spot. Not bad for lunch on a bench outside the museum!

Once the clock hit 2, I made my way inside the museum with my handy dandy student discount - this is why it pays to travel under 22! - and found myself surrounded by some of the most intricate tile art I’ve ever imagined. When I was in Porto last summer, I saw some beautiful tile art (the São Bento rail station comes to mind) but this was something else altogether. And to see the evolution throughout the centuries - as the years passed, you could visually see how the art started to interpret stories differently. The art changed from patterns to scenes and back again, reflecting the artistic temperature of the time period. I’ve gone to a lot of art museums in this season of my life, but this was the one I enjoyed the most, truly.

I hung around the tile museum for a while, just enjoying the art and the general calm there before heading back to the ship for dinner. It was our last night in any port for SAS, meaning it was the last night to go out and make some memories. As such, I decided to join my friends and ~paint the town~ while still avoiding the Drunk Tank. A couple of the girls were on a Field Class until later that night, but the first group headed out around 9, stopping at the Beer Museum in the Commercial Square for our first drinks of the night. If you know me, you know that I’m not a big drinker and that I reliably stuck in my ways when it comes to what I eat and drink; however, I thought that the Beer Museum in Lisbon, Portugal would be a great place to have my first beer ever - my friends recommended Mimi, an Artesanal grape ale, so yes beer, but also not beer. It was fine, but I made Kelsi drink about half of it because it was way more carbonated than I expected. We also ate these disgusting cod fritter things with our drinks - I had one bite and almost spit it out because the taste and smell of fish was so aggressive. An interesting start to the night.

We then made our way to Barrio Alto, which is more party central in Lisbon. It was still pretty early for party culture, so most of the bars were relatively empty - that ended up being a fiscally smart move, though, since everyone was offering us free shots and drinks in order to get us in the door! We went to this Havana/Cuba themed bar, and they gave us two shots and a drink for ~$6. American bars could never.

Finally, we got to meet up with Annakate, Laney & Cat whose class had finished! We headed to Pink Street, which is iconic for its pink concrete, but was not really visible at midnight, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I went to two more bars before deciding that I had reached my point of diminishing returns and headed back to the ship. It was a memorable end to SAS, without a doubt, but some things are best left in Lisbon and I’ll leave it at that.

Day 5: Our Last Summer

Yes, I know that this section title isn’t technically accurate but it’s thematically accurate and that’s what counts. I dragged myself out of bed after maybe 3 hours of sleep and got to breakfast way too early. I had been convinced the night before to walk onto to a Field Program with Kelsi, so I was preparing myself for a day of hiking without confirmation that I would actually be on the roster…

Luckily, I secured a spot and was headed with an amazing group of SASers for a final adventure in-country. We were headed to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe, for a day of hiking that would end with a picnic lunch on the beach. What a privilege, to spend the day with one of my best friends from SAS, one of my favorite professors, and a whole host of other voyagers that exuded the best qualities of SASers. The views were magnificent as well - just jaw-dropping mountains and waves and greenery. I’ll let the video below offer visuals because I know my words won’t do it justice.

After our perfect last day out, Kelsi and I decided to put off the inevitable final boarding and walk around Lisbon some more. Kelsi had been gone on a multi-day field program for most of the past five days, so I got to show her a few of the spots I had found while exploring Lisbon. We grabbed some coffee, some souvenirs, and sat in the terminal trying to ignore the fact that once we got on the ship, we would only ever get off of it…I was also dealing with the emotional devastation of the Blackhawks releasing Johnathan Toews, which was a particularly cruel thing to do to me while I was already emotionally fragile from the end of Study Abroad. It’s been a tough season to be a lifelong Hawks fan, to say the least.

But all things come to an end - careers and adventures alike - and we got on the ship. Just a handful of days left before the end of the era :(

Below, I have a hastily-made vlog from my final day - edited quickly on the porch of the hostel I'm currently staying at, so if there's any weird glitches or awkward cuts, know it's because I was distracted by the roosters fighting next door. Backpacking, man.

Final Thoughts:

You know, for my Portugal Instagram post, I captioned it “And the Band Played On…” I frequently use captions inspired from film/tv/theater, little allusions that people may or may not realize, but this felt particularly fitting. While And the Band Played On is an excellent drama from the 90s about the AIDS epidemic, it’s also a phrase used to describe the intentional downplaying of an impending disaster or calamity. I’m reminded of Titanic, the scene where the string quartet continues to play as the ship sinks further and further into the Atlantic. It felt fitting, you know? The end of study abroad is always extremely emotionally taxing, and I definitely felt like the shining, smiling pictures on social media weren’t capturing the real roller coaster I’d been on during Portugal.

But I digress. When I came to Portugal last summer, I was only there for 45 hours and I absolutely adored Porto. After weeks of *character-building experiences* with Pilar, Porto was like a safe haven for me last summer. As such, I had high expectations for Lisbon, and it’s hard to live up to your own ideals. That’s not to say I didn’t have a great time in Lisbon - my final hike will be one of my all-time favorite days from SAS - but it was another example of expectations vs. reality. I think I was also doing a lot of emotional processing during Portugal, really coming to terms with the experience thus far and what my takeaways would be. I’ll dive into this more on my final SAS post, but there was a lot of “What Did I Want from This” vs “What Did I Need from This” vs “What Did I Get from This.” My memories of Lisbon are not shiny with nostalgia or glowing from Graduation Goggles, but I have a deep appreciation for what I learned about myself in Lisbon.

In the next few days, I’ll put together one final SAS post, detailing some overall thoughts, as well as our final days at sea. But for now, that’s our last port, wrapped up neatly for your reading enjoyment :)