Last But Certainly Not Least

Lisbon, Portugal is our last port of call, but trust me it was definitely one of the favorite countries I have visited. I had no expectations coming into Portugal. I really didn't know what there was to do so I was just going to go with the flow. The day we got into Portugal was a little strange because we did not get in until 4pm. In all of the other countries we visited we ported around 7:30-8am. So the first day we got into Portugal I went out to eat with my friends and then we hit a sports bar. Portugal's soccer team was playing a game against the Netherlands so we wanted to go to a bar and watch. It was a really fun atmosphere. People in Europe love their soccer so it was a lot of fun to watch the game there. I know nothing about professional soccer but I do know one player on Portugal's team and that is Ronaldo. So I did have someone to cheer for. After the game we walked around the city square area. There was a really awesome light show that we were able to catch so that was a lot of fun.

The next day we caught the morning train to the city of Sintra. Someone we talked to when we were in Seville recommended it for us. Sintra is about an hour train ride fro Lisbon. The city has a big national park with a palace in it. Of course since the palace was really cool it had to be on top of a mountain. Luckily we did a hop on-hop off tour so we drove half way up the mountain and only had to walk the other half. It was good exercise for my legs. Once we got up to the top of the palace the view was stunning. We were actually above the clouds and we could see all of Sintra and miles past it. It was also really cool to walk through the castle. We got to see all of the rooms and fanciness of it. 

I'm really glad we asked for ideas when we are in Seville. I found that is the best way to travel. If you are going to multiple places ask you taxi drivers, waiters, or hotel stewards where you should go. They always have the best opinions that a concierge may not know.

Today I spent some time on the ship. We had a very late night the first night so I did not get much sleep and then a full packed day yesterday so I gave myself time to relax a little bit. I did go off the ship for a few hours to walk around the city which was fun and then I went for a run along the beach. Now I'm back on the ship ready to write some papers and get ready for finals. We have our last class day tomorrow while still docked in Lisbon and then we are also docked in Lisbon on Sunday for Study Day. Monday is finals. And then Tuesday is our big Alumni Ball when we get to dress up super nice and have a fancy dinner. Wednesday will be just hanging out with everyone and saying good-bye. And then Thursday morning we will be docked in Southampton and I'll be home by Thursday night Chicago time. I was talking with my friends Sam and Emily and it is so weird how close I have gotten with people on SAS. We have only really known each other for two months, but I feel like it is much longer. I am not looking forward to leaving my SAS friends behind, but I hope to visit them in the future. Some of the friends I have made are in Illinois conference so we are planning to meet up when our schools play each other. The experiences I had traveling to all the countries was great, but the friendships I made made it SO much better.