That Time I Went to Portugal and Fell Madly in Love With It

Posted: 09/24/2012 | September 24th, 2012

They say you just know when you’re in love. That this feeling of certainty comes over you as if you two were always destined for each other. While I’ve never been in love, it’s a feeling I’ve experienced before. I remember the moment I walked out of the metro onto Paris’s Champs-Élysées. I knew right there I loved Paris. I could feel it in my bones. I loved Paris, and every day I’ve spent there since has only made that feeling grow stronger. Paris and I were destined for each other.

And that’s exactly how I feel about Portugal.

Walking along the streets of Lisbon as I made my way to my friend’s house, I got that feeling all over again. I knew instantly I was in love with Lisbon. But more than that, I knew I was in love with Portugal.

I don’t know how I knew, but I did — and as I spent two weeks in Portugal exploring Lisbon, Porto, and the Port wine region of the Douro Valley, I fell madly in love.

Let’s start with the ways I loved Lisbon.

As I made my way up to my friend’s apartment on that initial walk, I couldn’t help but notice the trash, graffiti, and abandoned buildings everywhere. Half the buildings are broken down with boarded-up windows and look as though they’d be filled with squatters or drug addicts. Yet unlike the Italian city of Naples that has that same outward appearance, Lisbon didn’t feel gross or unsafe. It didn’t make me feel like I needed a shower. No, it simply felt lived in. I think Naples is a disgusting city, but Lisbon? There the run-down feeling is charming and lovable. Lisbon had an aged, rather than dirty and grimy, feel to it.

I spent four days traversing the city, and every tiny, cobblestoned street that opened onto a café-lined and church-filled square just made me love it more. Lisbon had history. It had depth. It had a personality.

Since Lisbon is a very hilly city, you can climb these hills with sweeping panoramic views of the city and its classic red-roof homes. The old Alfama area is a maze of tiny, meandering streets, and if you visit the space between the Museum of Fado and Museum of Portuguese Art, you escape the tourists and come across dimly lit local restaurants and homes where wives sit outside and shave their husbands’ beards, men paint, and grandmothers sit around and chat about the day.

I left Lisbon in awe and headed north to Porto, the famous city on the Douro River known for its port wine. While I didn’t love Porto the way I loved Lisbon, it was still a fabulous city with very cheap wine and a great riverfront. I think the area around the river is stunning and has some worthwhile panoramic views (try to get across the river and head to The Yeatman Hotel, where you can have a drink in the bar, sit out on the terrace, and enjoy the view without being a guest).

What I really enjoyed was the surrounding Douro Valley, with its thousand-meter peaks and wineries that I loved. I only got to spend two days in the region, but what a beautiful region it is. The wineries are high up on the hills and a bit of a drive along winding roads, but it’s like no wine country I’ve ever seen, and sitting up on the patio looking out over this incredible valley was jaw dropping.

Not only was the country beautiful but all the locals I met were super friendly, warm, and welcoming as well. They took the time to help me, explain Portuguese life, and show me their culture. I particularly remember a woman who ran a restaurant in Lisbon (which has since closed, unfortunately). It was a tiny place: only three tables. I went there for dinner, and she prepared a four-course meal paired with wine. The food was good and the wine great, but her charm and amazing conversation are what I’ll remember. And then there’s the amazing staff at Gallery Hostel that cooks elaborate 10-course meals and sits down to eat with the guests.

Portugal charmed me, dazzled me, and wooed me. It’s been a while since a country took me aback so much. (Japan did a few months ago, but I was already in love with it before I went.) I love most countries I visit, but few leave lasting impressions this strong (France, Cambodia, and Sweden come to mind), and in my two weeks in Portugal, I loved what I saw. But I still have more to explore: the Azores, the Algarve, Lagos, Faro, and everything in between.

Portugal is talked highly of among travelers, and after spending time there, I understand why. If you haven’t been yet, I suggest you go. You might even run into me while you’re there, because with so much left to see and my undying love, I’ll be back soon.

 

11 Reasons Why I Fell in Love With Morocco

Visiting Morocco has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to ride a camel, see the desert, explore maze-like medinas, and drink tea with Berbers.

As I stood overlooking the Sahara one morning, marveling at the rhythmic, undulating dunes of the desert, I realized that my dream had come true.

For miles around, the dunes rolled like red-tinged waves in the sea. I had ridden a camel to the spot where I would gaze at a million stars that night, smiling at the fact I was finally somewhere I had dreamed about under the same stars thousands of miles away.

For two weeks, I traveled around the country on Intrepid Travel’s Best of Morocco tour and gorged myself on couscous, drank my body weight in mint tea, hiked, and absorbed the sights and sounds of Morocco.

Of all those moments, these were my favorite experiences from the trip:

Camel trekking in the Sahara

While I wish you could still ride the old camel caravans from Morocco to Egypt, I settled for one night under the stars. Turns out riding a camel for an hour is pretty uncomfortable, but seeing the beautiful color of the desert up close and personal, camping with Bedouins, and gazing at a million stars with no light pollution made it all worthwhile. There’s an eerie silence in the desert when the wind dies down and you feel a great sense of peace, just sitting and being in nature.

Fun fact: It rained while I was in the desert. There was a crazy, crazy lightning storm — one of the most intense I have ever seen. The roar of the thunder sounded like a million bombs going off, and the lightning turned night into day. It hadn’t rained all year but that night the sky opened up for a brief moment to let out all her anger. Surreal.

Hiking the Atlas Mountains

The Atlas Mountains cover most of Morocco, and we spent a lot of time in the low, middle, and high parts of the range (it’s hard not to). My favorite part was when we traversed the High Atlas range, climbing for an hour to reach a small farmhouse, where we stayed the night with a local family (who cooked us the tastiest tagine dinner and Berber omelet of the trip).

Arriving early and leaving late the next day, we had plenty of time to hike and explore the surrounding area. I love a good hike, so I enjoyed the opportunity to really get out into nature, walk through riverbeds, and see Mt. Toubkal (North Africa’s highest peak) in the distance. Next to the camel trek, this was my favorite experience.

Eating at Café Clock

Recommended to me by many people and with locations in Marrakesh and Fez, this Western-influenced café is famous for its gigantic and delicious camel burger (which tastes a lot like spicy shawarma). The food is excellent: the burger, green smoothies, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery chicken couscous were so satisfying I ate here twice. And, in the crazy and chaotic medinas of each city, the cafés provide an oasis of calm, where you can recharge, use Wi-Fi, and cool down with air conditioning. They also offer cooking classes and host regular events in each location!

Getting lost in the medinas

The medinas are the historic hearts of each city in Morocco: part residential area, part shopping center, part food market. Here you’ll find twisting and turning streets where shops, restaurants, markets, and homes all line the streets in buildings seemingly too close together and too old to stay up much longer. As someone who loves to get lost, the medinas were heaven. I spent hours wandering through them, making right turns, doubling back, walking through plazas and streets that kind of looked familiar, and finding my way, only to get purposely lost all over again. They were a maze I loved trying to solve while also drinking tea, eating delicious and fragrant food, and seeing the sights.

Word of caution: Fez is a bit sketchy and unsafe, so do not go too far off the beaten path. Stick to streets with lots of people. I had some close calls involving pickpockets and potential robbers.

Exploring Volubilis

A major trading center and the southernmost settlement during Roman times, Volubilis is one of the best preserved (and least frequented) such ruins in the world. I found it empty of tourists, not built up, and open in a way that really lets you get up close and see the structures without being behind ten feet of barriers and jostled by crowds. Most of the city is still unexcavated so the site has a very raw feel to it. I’ve been to a lot of Roman ruins in my travels, but I love this one the best.

Seeing Aït Benhaddou

Though I didn’t get to spend much time here, exploring this place full of kasbahs (fortified houses) was pretty amazing. It is the Hollywood of Morocco and has been featured in Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and many more films. It was the most picturesque ksar I saw, which is probably why it’s in every movie! It plays into what people think an old ksar -fortified village – should look like. I enjoyed roaming the streets and climbing to the top for the view.

Enjoying the beach and seafood of Essaouira

My favorite city in Morocco, Essaouira is located a few hours from Marrakesh on the Atlantic coast and is a popular beach destination for tourists, especially Brits. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of the city, the lack of pushy touts, the sea air, and all the fresh fish.

Be sure to visit the wonderful fish market in town, where all the small fisherman sell their day’s catch. Afterward, check out the small fish stalls nearby in the main square where you can enjoy fresh seafood grilled really cheap. My friends and I “splurged” on a meal here: for $75 USD total, the four of us shared a lobster, eight tiger prawns, two fish weighing over a kilo, and half a kilo of squid. All that came with drinks, bread, salad, and tea. (We ate there every day, and meals afterward were about $15 USD.) Try stalls #5 and #11 for the best fish!

Visiting Marrakech

Marrakech was everything I thought it would be: a modern mix of Moroccan and international culture with the most diversity of delicious international food (check out PepeNero for Italian and Latitude for a Med-Moroccan mix) and beautiful architecture in the medina. Though Marrakech lacked the grit and edge of the rest of the country, it was the most eclectic city on the trip.

The chaotic pace exposed a city and people always on the go. The famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square is truly the mess everyone describes: tens of thousands of people at night eating, shopping, getting henna tattoos, listening to bands and storytellers, and watching magicians (and snake charmers during the day). It’s one of the most hectic but fascinating people-watching places in the country. It still blows my mind how big and full it was! (Contrast that to the underwhelming Saadian Tombs, which is an attraction I would skip — they are simple, the grounds are small, and overall, it was just bland.)

Eating lots of couscous and tagine

By the end of my two weeks there, I was a bit “couscoused out.” That said, I dove head first into eating as much of it as possible — I loved savoring the flavors, seeing the regional variety, and getting to really appreciate how long each dish took to prepare. Tagine (cooked with meat, dates, nuts, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron in a clay pot) was by far my favorite Moroccan dish. Also worth trying is the Berber omelet, which is egg, tomato, onion, and herbs, also cooked in a clay pot.

Drinking mint tea

I’ve never drunk more tea than when I was in Morocco. In a country where “having a beer” is not a thing, locals substitute pots of mint tea. There’s even an art to pouring it: the higher the teapot, the better. I couldn’t get enough of this minty, sugary treat and sitting in the tea shops watching soccer with the locals. I must have drunk a pot or two a day. Man, that stuff is addicting!

Hearing the call to prayer
While I’ve been to predominantly Muslim countries before, in Southeast Asia, I’ve never experienced an Arab Muslim country or heard the call to prayer. There was something beautiful about the melodic nature of the call, and it was a great alarm clock at 5 a.m. Seeing people flock to the mosque in their white prayer clothes was a unique cultural experience I couldn’t help but observe.

Morocco is an incredibly destination. At times, it was trying, stressful, chaotic, and overloaded my senses, but for all the stresses of travel, it was a country where I felt out of my element and like I was truly somewhere new and different. I loved that feeling and everything else about Morocco.

Editor’s Note: I went to Morocco with Intrepid Travel on their Best of Morocco tour. It was part of my ongoing partnership with Intrepid Travel. They covered the cost of the tour, flight, and meals.