New York/Lisbon 8/12-8/13

After finishing my applied math summer course, I headed down to NYC to visit some friends:

Ashdaddy

Ode

Then I left for Spain to visit Alexx, a friend of mine who is also studying abroad this semester. Due to a delay followed by a lengthy layover, I was able to spend about 8 hours in downtown Lisbon, walking around, sweating (it was 35 Celsius plus humidity), and seeing the sights. I got a 24 hour aerobus pass for only € 3.50 and took it down to City Center. On the way I recognized a mural by the Brazilian street artists Os Gemeos. They have a similar mural in Boston.

Boston

Lisbon

Once downtown, I walked down the main drag-a wide tiled street with outdoor restaurant seating, chill ambience, and zero cars:

I spent approximately sixteen minutes in a free modern art museum. Then, I walked through Rua Augusta into a rather large plaza that is probably used as a prime location for outdoor fairs and events.

 

The water is on the other side of the plaza and it's so clear enough that you can see plenty of fish. There is also a red bridge that looks a bit like the Golden Gate.

Next, I walked to a cathedral that had a convenient foon hole cut out in the large doors for humans to enter through-this became a common feature in other cathedrals I visited:

My next task was finding the Castelo St Jorge. After climbing the steep hill that it sits on, I  with many other tourists spent a while walking in a large circle around the castle in search of the street leading to the entrance.

 There were peacocks and owls on the castle grounds and a gorgeous view of the city. The tour guide led us through the castle as though we were Imperialists trying to break through the numerous defenses of the castle. Later he informed us that none of the defenses were ever put into action apart from in training and drills. When the team of French, Spanish, and other armies came, they simply staked out the castle for a few months before the Portuguese surrendered.

I walked back downtown and started to wait in line to ride the Elevador de Santa Justa-a tower built by a student of Eiffel.

The line was moving terribly slow and as my resolve waned, I spotted a Chinese buffet for around the same price as riding the Elevador. I had a delicious meal before heading back to airport. Worn out, I napped and read Harry Potter before boarding my flight to Madrid.