Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Portugal

I have spent quite some time over here in Portugal and every day, I am more amazed by this city. My Portuguese is getting better,and I am confident enough to try some small talk with locals. A great adventure was my trip to Nazaré.

Although we did not see the highest wave of the world that was measured here a few years ago, we got to see a lot of beautiful beaches and viewpoints, sweet little shops and tasted the best ice cream in the world. A little walkway was located at the end of the incredibly long seafront and there stood a beautiful lighthouse. Inside, surfboards of world champions were on display as well as some interesting videos about surf competitions were shown in the background. We now have also made it our goal to visit a new museum each Sunday as all museums are free on Sundays in Lisbon and we want to see all of them :D Stay tuned if we manage to reach our goal. One night, I lost one of my friends from uni and felt a bit lost, but already after minutes I met some really nice girls from France and Turkey. We started chatting and got on really well. Together, we went to a Rooftop Sunset Session and after a very long time, I had sangria and Vinho Verde again. Portuguese Vinho Verde is a sour, fruitful and fresh wine that goes wellwith light meals. The wine also shimmers slightly green. Me and the girls exchanged numbers and had already planned a trip to the beach the following week.

My friends back home often cannot believe it when they watch my Instagram story,and they have all admitted beinga little bit jealous. Unfortunately, there are still some “problems” due to corona. Sometimes, people mustwait outside of cafés, bars or museums as there is only a limited number of people allowed inside. Some exhibitions seem to vary their opening hours on a daily-basis,and it has already occurred that we went to an exhibition and the doors remained closed. On weekends, all the shops and restaurants close at 1 p.m. so it is clever to plan beach days on weekends :D Butsometimes the city surprises: Last Sunday, I went on an evening walk to call a friend in Germany,and I stumbled upon a sweet courtyard of a hotel. They had a pool and a rooftop bar, and they were allowed to have it open until 10 p.m. and even non-hotel-guests were invited inside. I loved it and think that this will become my new place to be.

Next week, a friend of mine from uni comes to visit but unfortunately, we already have the first exams at uni so I will have to study a lot over the next few weeks. As I am also completing my semester at home at the same time, I am often stuck at the computer. I also mustapply for internships for my practical semester next year. We now have arranged to attend classes together and meet up in cafés to do so. This is a good alternative as everyone is switching to work mode instantly as it is motivating to see others doing the same thing. Definitely a betteroption todoing the lecturein your pyjamas at home.

Before I came to Lisbon, I thought it would be very similar to being in Spain. In general, people tend to see Spain and Portugal as one and when Germans are asked to describe a typical Portuguese person, they struggle a lot. Well,what is a real Portuguese like? How does he or she look, are there typical character traits, how does he or she tick? I think for us Germans, it is easier to come up with solutions for Spanish or Italian people but that is such a shame! A few days ago, a local told us that the colourful houses, all of them with unique tiles, are only existing because there were now restrictions when it came to building houses. How lucky! I have already decided that my future-home will have a bathroom with tiles just like these!

Over the last few days, the weather has been a bit unpredictable and sometimes it suddenly started pouring in rain. On days like these, we mostly spend our time in one of the many vintage and second-hand shops or covered markets with food from all over the world.That is it for today, my train has just arrived in Cascais. Just as a side note: train connections are way better here than they are in Germany! Basically, there is a train connection for every sight that is located a little bit outside ofLisbon and normally a 30-minute-trip only costs around 1,50€. And there is one line that connects all the beaches, and this is exactly the train I am on now. Alright, I really must go now! I am really looking forward to discovering new places and telling you all about it.