TRAVEL PROJECT LISBON We decided to go to Portugal, because it’s a very interesting and beautiful country. It’s famous for its rich history, fascinating historical buildings, football, pastries, beautiful beaches that draw many tourists to come sightseeing around. We want to learn something new about their culture, food, architecture, the language and their life, so we made a little research on the country and Lisbon. Portugal, officially the Portuguese republic, is the westernmost country in Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. Their official language is Portuguese, which is the official language in also 7 other countries, and is spoken by over 250 million people. Its climate is Mediterranean and is one of the warmest European countries. The country is named after its second largest city Porto and is divided to 18 regions. It’s a developed country and it’s ranked as a city that has the world’s 19th highest quality of life. It’s one of the world’s most globalized and peaceful nations. 81% of the Portuguese population are Roman Catholic. Its population is 10 million inhabitants, of which 2 million live in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The city is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the southwest of the country. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world and is recognised as a global city because of its importance in many different areas (finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education, and tourism). Lisbon enchants travellers with its white bleached limestone buildings, architecture, intimate alleyways, and an easy going charm that makes it a popular year round destination. Our first day, 28th December is going to be all about travelling. As we arrive to Lisbon’s airport at 9.50 p.m., we go directly to our hotel by bus and leave exploring for the next day. Next day, we wake up full of energy at 8 a.m. After breakfast we take a walk down Avenida de Liberdade, the city’s big central boulevard that leads us to the Rossio square, which has been the meeting place for people of Lisbon for centuries. There also stands the magnificent National Theatre Dona Maria II. From the square we head to The Santa Justa Lift. This is a remarkable masterpiece designed by an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. On the top of it we stop to enjoy the beautiful view over the city centre and the Tagus River. Later on, it’s finally time for lunch. We go to one of local restaurants and try a traditional dish called pastéis de bacalhau that consists of potatoes, codfish, eggs and parsley. We also try a dessert, arroz doce, creamy rice pudding rich with egg, flavoured with lemon and vanilla. In the afternoon we go by tram to Alfama, a typical quarter of Lisbon. Visiting Alfama means to visit architecture, the sounds, the soul and the smells of Lisbon. We take a walk tour and check Casa dos bicos, an architectural curiosity with diamond-shaped stones (a total of 1125); Castle of São Jorge, a medieval citadel located atop the highest hill in the area. It was a royal residence until 16th century and now offers the best views of the city. Next up, it’s Sé, the oldest cathedral from 12th century in which you can see a mixture of different architectural styles. In the evening we make a quick stop to have dinner and go to the cinema. We return to our hotel at around 11 p.m. On Sunday, we wake up at 9 a.m. and leave the hotel to eat outside. After a nice delicious breakfast we take a bus to Belém, which is one of the most beautiful historic quarters and the symbol of the “golden age” of the Voyages of Discovery. The road takes us to the Monastery of Jeronimos, which is the major attraction. It was built in 1502 as thanksgiving for Vasco da Gama’s discovery of India. Then we wander around, until we get to the Tower of Belém, a beautiful fortified white tower and emblem of Lisbon from 16th century. We also go see the Discoveries Monument, which presents us the world’s explorers in stone and the 25th of April Bridge. Under the bridge at around 1 p.m., we go us to one of the restaurants where we try frango à piri-piri, that consists of a barbecued chicken with chili and then go to the famous pastry shop to buy typical pastéis de Belém to sweeten our day. Afterwards, we explore the beautiful Jardim Agricola Tropical, the botanical gardens with tropical plants and trees. Seeing different kinds of trees is very interesting, but it is time to continue our adventure with shopping in the shopping centre that is opened also on Sunday. We spend our evening outside, in a music café bar listening to the typical Portuguese music called fado. Fado is a unique, melancholy and very peculiar expression of the Portuguese music culture. Accompanied by the guitar, the fado tells a story of the sea. The words of each song sing the soul of people yearning. On the following day we leave hotel at 10 a.m. and head to Bairro Alto, one of the most characterful and attractive neighbourhoods in the city. Its streets are full of traditional restaurants, Fado houses and fashion shops, where we’ll spend some of our time. At night it transforms into a nightlife quarter. The first on our list are São Roque church with its magnificent baroque interior and The Carmo Convent, an amazing romantic Gothic monument that used to be the biggest church in Lisbon. Now you can only see its ruins, left by the devastating earthquake in 1755. After that, it is time for lunch; that day, on our menu is bife à café, which is a tender steak with a creamy sauce, served with chips and topped with a fried egg. As a dessert we will try toucinho do céu. It’s a traditional cake made of almonds, eggs and sugar. Next on our list of “must sees” is the famous National Museum of Ancient Art. The museum collection includes paintings, sculptures, metalwork, drawings and other decorative art forms from the Middle Ages to early 19th century. Continuing our tour, we head towards our last sight, Palácio de São Bento, known as “The Portuguese Parliament”. And finally, evening comes and the New Year spirit and excitement takes us over. We set off to Praça do Comércio, the square near the Tagus river, where Lisbon's biggest New Year's Eve party takes place. We spend our evening there, having fun listening to music and celebrating a new year and meeting new people. We return to our hotel late in the night. It’s January 1st, time to relax a bit. We sleep until 11 a.m. and when we finally wake up, we take a train to a town outside Lisbon, to Sintra. It’s really pretty, and has Romantic architecture and landscapes. We stay there until 5 p.m. exploring, enjoying Sintra’s beaches, beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean, mountains, forts and palaces (one of them is also Pena National Palace). Before we leave, we make a stop at baker’s shop, where we try cheese tarts spiced with cinnamon - queijadas da Sintra. Then we head to a spa in the city centre to swim in the pool and have a relaxing massage. And our last day comes up. It’s time for some last sightseeing, at 8 a.m. we head to the Estação do Oriente, an awesome architectural attraction. Then we must go to see Parque das Nacoes, a lively, dynamic, multipurpose space where people have fun, enjoy shows, go for a walk, play sports, shop or work. It presents Lisbon as a modern and ideal city. Then we go see the Europe’s longest bridge that’s 17 km long, Vasco da Gama Bridge and afterwards do some final shopping in a big Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre and there also eat a quick lunch. We don't forget to buy a famous souvenir »The Rooster of Barcelos«. At 2 p.m. we go pick our suitcases to the hotel by tramway and then, finish our great journey at the airport. A journey into entrepreneurship Costs per person Airplane: 336, 48 € Additional costs: budget 300 € Hotel: 47, 25 € Food / drink: 80 € Transportation: taxi: 10 € tramway: 1, 40 € one way ticket = 7 times x 1,4 0 € = 9,80 € bus to Sintra: 2, 05 € one way ticket = 4, 10 € a return ticket Total transportation price: 23, 9 € Day 2, day 3, day 4 = 33 € (the Lisbon card that offers free entrance to museums, sights and public transport) Activities: fado concert: 14 € cinema: 6 € spa – massage and pool: 85 € Pena National Palace: 9 € botanical gardens: 1, 50 € Total activities price: 115, 5 € Total price: 299 € .