Lisbon: A Slice of Western Europe
I had barely caught my breath from my trip to the U.S. when I got a chance to spend a week in the beautiful city of Lisbon. I went there to present a short paper at a conference, and the trip surpassed all my expectations!
The first day of the conference got cancelled, so I had a free day to explore Lisbon on my own before my colleagues arrived. As I took the tram into the city, I realized that it had been a year since my last international solo adventure. Most of my adventures are with my partner or my family, so I felt a little nervous traveling alone. But that’s the beauty of big European cities – their awesome public transport and buzzing tourist spots make you feel right at home. Plus, Lisbon had a San Francisco vibe, probably because of its Golden Gate look-alike: the 25 de Abril Bridge! This bridge is architecturally similar to the Golden Gate, but with a European twist—it also has rail traffic!
My PhD advisor and my other colleagues were to join me on this trip, and we all planned to go sightseeing together. Since I already had some plans in mind, everyone decided to follow my lead on a walking tour, something I always enjoy in European cities.
It was a sunny day, and our tour guide quickly realized we were there with our boss, leading to plenty of jokes and shared anecdotes. The guide had a fresh enthusiasm about the city, which is the second oldest capital in Europe after Athens. We walked through the narrow lanes of the city and stopped to look at the ruins of Carmo Convent. He explained that this convent was ruined in the 1755 earthquake, which created a chain reaction. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that flooded the river, and candles lit for All Saints’ Day were knocked over, starting a firestorm. Nearly 90% of Lisbon’s population was wiped out in the catastrophe. Gosh! That was hard to hear. Our guide had many such stories and showed us some truly unique spots.
Left to Right: The ruined Carmo Convent and Lisbon’s famous trams
As we followed our guide through the narrow, elevated streets of Lisbon, he showed us many azulejos - the colorful and beautiful ceramic tiles adorning the house walls. They gave the city a very charming look.
Our next stop was Livraria Bertrand, and we almost didn’t believe our guide when he told us that it was the oldest operating bookstore in the world! Who would have thought? We had a blast picking out books as souvenirs. Each book was stamped with the text: this book was bought from the oldest operating bookstore in the world. As a book lover, that day turned me into a “certified” book nerd. It truly made my day!
On one evening, we explored the Belém tower and spent time by the seashore watching ships pass by. But the best part of the trip had to be the delicious Pastel de Nata (custard tart) from a bakery just 100 meters from our conference venue. As someone with a sweet tooth, I was in heaven—the Pastel de Nata melted in my mouth. Our tour guide shared an interesting fact: only a few people know its original recipe, and they aren’t allowed to travel on the same flight to prevent the world from losing this delicious treat! I truly learned some random things on this trip!
Belém tower
Pastéis de Belém’s Pastel de Nata
This trip was a unique experience for me. It was my first time traveling with my work group, and it made me realize what I missed when I first started my PhD in the middle of the pandemic. The casual evenings, traveling to the conference venue together, cheering for each other in the presentations, and the very spontaneous sightseeing plans were some of the highlights from this trip. It felt like the perfect mix of work and fun. If academia involves more trips like this, yes please sign me up to be a researcher! :D