Lisbon: My First Solo Trip

DSC03043Pretty much since I knew what a bucket list was, traveling somewhere completely alone has been on it. Cheryl Strayed did it in Wild and even before that Elizabeth Gilbert did it in Eat Pray Love. I’m continuously fascinated by strong single women who don’t just travel but seem to journey, for a trip alone is not a vacation it is a feat, something to be accomplished.

While I was away in the United States for my dad’s funeral, I missed the weekend when everyone went to Lisbon. It had never been high on my list, but when people started raving about it and the pictures started showing up on my Facebook newsfeed, I started to think more and more about planning a trip there. Since everyone had already gone, I knew if I went it would just be me. It wasn’t until after our trip to Amsterdam that I booked the Lisbon trip.

What happened in Amsterdam is that I often felt that I was compromising much of what I wanted to do to keep group harmony. I admit that’s something that is at times essential with a travel group. You don’t want to be the person being difficult insisting that you do everything their way, but I also did want to do a few things my way. What better way to do that than a trip entirely alone? No one to make the decisions but me. If I didn’t like a restaurant, then it was my fault, if I missed the sunset because I took too long getting ready for dinner, then it was my fault.

Pastel de Nata at A Brasileira Cafe

Pastel de Nata at A Brasileira Cafe

I arrived on Friday morning at 6am. That was my first choice that was wholly mine. My usual travel group would have wanted to sleep in a little, but when I only have a weekend I want to make it count. I checked into the hostel, found a cute and historic café, A Brasileria, and had my first taste of the famous Portuguese pastry, Pastel de Nata. If you ever find yourself in Portugal, make sure you try one, because they’re this perfect blend of creamy custard and crunchy, almost salty crust, just a little flambéed on top.

Something essential for the solo traveller is a book. It keeps you looking occupied (to prevent people from bothering you) even though you’re relaxed and enjoying your surroundings. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a book, so I ducked into the nearby bookstore. A random thing I noticed is that all the bookstores in Lisbon are really nice and high-end. I don’t know the significance of that, just thought I should point it out. If you’re wondering what I bought: The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan.

View from Castelo do São Jorge

View from Castelo do São Jorge

I then wandered along the bay, stopping at Plaça do Comércio (Commerce Plaza) for few minutes, which has a great view of the Ponte do 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) named after when the revolution against the dictatorship took place in 1974. The rest of my walk was completely uphill to the Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle). The walk there took me through the old town, or Alfama. Of all the places I’ve been on this trip, the view from the top of the castle was my favorite, and one that I know I will be returning to for years to come. It overlooks the bay with its San Francisco like bridge and red-roofed city buildings all slanting toward the water.

After having lead my own tour around Lisbon, I joined yet another…Sandeman’s free tour. I know, I promote them so hard you’d think I worked for them, but no, I just enjoy getting a little bit of history with my touring. On the tour I didn’t see anything that I would say is a must-see, but what I did discover was that Portugal’s history is in many way’s similar to Spain’s. It too was under a dictatorship for most of the 20th century, and in fact its dictatorship was longer than Franco’s. But in present day, it has abolished all forms of monarchy, whereas Spain is like the United Kingdom in that it still has a king and queen to be brought out for special occasions.

The one thing all my friends who had been to Lisbon before told me is that I had to take a tour of Sintra and Cascais, two small towns outside of Lisbon. A problem that I ran into though was that most tour companies don’t want to take single people, they’d prefer groups of two or more. Eventually, though I found a tour company that would have me called Inside Lisbon.

When I got to the tour meeting point on Saturday morning, I was unsurprised to find that I was a single 20-year old among a sea of retirees and couples. I’m sure most people wouldn’t have taken the tour for this reason, but then again I’m sure most people wouldn’t have gone to Lisbon alone in the first place. But I personally love doing things alone. I’m a classic introvert and deride my energy from being alone and in solitude, and besides I do enjoy from time to time doing exactly what I want without compromise.

Pena Palace

Pena Palace

Our first stop on the tour was Pena National Park and Palace, a wonderland-like castle that looked like a Gaudí creation with its loud colors. Even more than the palace itself, I enjoyed the grounds around it, a full-blown national park with gardens and forests to explore. Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to explore. The town at the base of the hill where the palace is located is Sintra, and if I’m being honest Sintra was a tad disappointing. The traffic and crowds were stifling, which our guide, Luis, explained is only getting worse every year as more people discover the hidden gem that is Lisbon.

One brightside of our lunch break in Sintra is that I made a friend, a physical-therapist from Nantucket Island. It was honestly very comforting talking to someone after a full day of being inside my own head. It was a bit like hearing from the homeland. What was it like? Was gas still cheap? What did people think about Hilary running? On no other trip had I met someone, because when you travel in a pack, you’re unapproachable, but there is a certain sense of solidarity between single travelers.

Our next destination was Cabo da Roca, the western-most point in Europe. It’s a little reminiscent of the Cliffs of Moher, craggy rocks over turbulent sea, wind whipping my hair everywhere. My favorite part of Cabo da Roca was not how photogenic it was, but this dog that seemed to have no fear of the edge. It was quite the National Geographic photo if I do say so myself.

Dog at Cabo da Roca

Dog at Cabo da Roca

We stopped a few more times for views, one of the beach where there’s usually insane surfing. In fact, the world record for tallest wave ever surfed was broken there a couple years ago. Our last long stop was at Cascais, a small fishing town with a beach. The weather was what made the trip to Cascais, the perfect weather for lying out in the sun and just thinking, listening to the waves. My overall impression of the side-trip is that a Sintra/Cascais trip is worth the $40-$60 that you’ll spend.

That night I made a reservation for fancy and kind of pricey restaurant in Alfama, called Chapitô. I had pork cheek in a salsa with lemon earl-gray bergamot crème brulee for dessert. The best part was the sunset view over the bay that I was able to enjoy all to myself. Did it feel slightly strange eating by myself? Yes, but did I enjoy it? Definitely. I recommend everyone take themselves out to dinner by themselves at some point in their life, because not only does it build character, but it kind of helps you get back in touch with who you really are. There’s no conforming to those around you, you are the one that must make every decision.

I finished the night and my stay in Lisbon at a bar called Alface Hall where I sat by myself and listened to a band from Canada belt out songs with inappropriate lyrics that I only I seemed to understand among the Portuguese. At one point there was a family bobbing their heads to the lyrics Who? Who? Who do you beat off to? It was the perfectly hilarious end to a surreal solo trip.

  2 Replies to “Lisbon: My First Solo Trip”

  1. Di
    May 13, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Thank you. I have been waiting for your newest post. This one, as all others, was fantastic. Once I finish reading each of your posts, I immediately start looking forward to the next one. After reading about Lisbon, that destination has been added to my list. Keep up the great writing!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *