Lisbon

This was mine and Ev’s first trip together, so it was always going to be memorable. We had a Groupon deal for a cheap flight and hotel package, around £100 each for 2 nights. 

It was a booze-infused whirlwind in a beautiful city. We stayed at Lisbon City Hotel, in a small room with a balcony- everything we needed. In our excitement we raced out pretty much as soon as we got there and headed into the city, we found cobbled streets and friendly faces. We soon ended up in Rossio Square which held our best find of the weekend, Dogtails. A cocktail and hot dog shack that was sooooo good. We sat there for hours before even realising any of the other huts around the square, we sampled a few other cocktails but quickly made our way back. Not too much is clear after all the cocktails, but we woke up with sore feet and completely penniless. The stamp on my hand informed me we had been clubbing which explained the sore feet. We searched the room to see if our drunken selves had left even just a few euros for water but no such luck. Fortunately, we were up in time (somehow) for the complementary breakfasts so went downstairs, looking dreadful, and gorged ourselves fearing we wouldn’t eat again that day. Sluggishly we ambled back up to our room and crawled back into our pit, not before sending a desperate text to mum and dad for top-up funds – I was only 19 so can be forgiven I reckon.

Loving life in our new purchases

Not the best I've ever felt

I woke up a few hours later and reached out lovingly to Ev, who wasn’t there. The shock jolted me awake, our room was tiny so there was nowhere to hide. I peered around the curtain to the balcony, not there either. I began thinking I had imagined him, I mean what else could he be doing? It was just me and him in a strange place and here I was so where was he? His coat on the floor next to me reassured me that he did exist but still didn’t provide any information. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry for too long as the door swung open and just as I began yelling questions at him he swung two bottles of wine onto the bed (mum and dad had come through) and held a huge cheesy grin. Turns out he had woken up and felt a surge of happiness, so went out to get us some wine to celebrate; us and the city we were in.  A lovely gesture but definitely not what our hungover bodies needed. We realised this very quickly so he headed back out to get a more nourishing lunch of bread, ham, and crisps. We ate the entire loaf, in sandwiches, within about 15 minutes. Then we headed out to explore some more, not before drinking the wine.

On entering a familiar-looking bar we were greeted very warmly by the staff and were very surprised when the owner knew our drink orders. Amusingly neither of us had much recollection of being there the previous night so just smiled as if we did and hoped they were laughing kindly. That night was much the same as the last, with the bonus of finding a 1 Euro shot bar. 

The next morning, we were awoken by reception calling us continually. Turns out we had overslept, missed the free breakfast, and consequently our check-out time. We rushed our things together and appreciated that at least this morning we had left ourselves just enough money to get to the airport that afternoon. Slightly embarrassed we trudged our way downstairs to give the key back and headed out. 

After we walked around the city for an hour or two we ended up in Praca de Comerico, a big open square bordered with restaurants and shops. Each restaurant looked more inviting than the next to our hungry bellies. With no money spare for lunch, we resisted, until we couldn’t anymore and gave in. We went to a nice-looking restaurant and ordered pizzas. We had no idea how we were going to pay but decided to figure that out when we weren’t hungry anymore. Strangely, it all figured itself out for us. A loud American man a few tables down, who had irritated us with his loud celebrating of winning money on the stocks, noticed Ev rolling a fag and bounded to his side. He claimed to have never seen someone do that before, he was in absolute awe and offered him 20 Euros to roll him one. Sorted! Shortly after we were in a cab and on our way back to the airport.

Waiting for pizza in Praca do Comercio

We didn’t see an awful lot of Lisbon’s history or have
specific recommendations, but we did have an amazing time and admired the
the beauty of the buildings and the kindness of the people. What this holiday also
did was set the president for future holidays: reckless spending, disaster, and
yet an odd way of things coming together. This pattern has

 followed us since
getting more intense each time it seems, but we quite like it that way now and
it makes for a good story!