Museums & Azulejos

I have a new favorite part of Lisbon…looking down at the Marques do Pombal statue and Avenida de Liberdade from the top of Parque Eduardo IV, at night, in the rain. It’s very pretty all the time, but lit up at night with rain, it’s just peaceful and wonderful.

Also, I finally went to the Gulbenkian Museum today for the first time, it’s supposed to be one of the best museums in Portugal. I really liked it; it was relaxing and had some cool stuff to see. Plus, it was free because it was a Sunday. I spent an hour or two there and took lots of pictures. My favorite displays were of the Islamic art and the azulejos.

I love azulejos. They’re all over the city here, on houses, churches, etc. All different colors and styles. And last Friday I went to the Museu dos Azulejos with the CIEE group and we saw more tiles; from Portugal and from the Netherlands mostly, and then we got to paint our own tiles which was really fun – I can’t wait to see how it turns out. But it was being in the Gulbenkian today that made me realize how much I love azulejos. I think I like them as much as my friend Grant likes graffiti (seeing it, not making it) and he likes graffiti so much that he has a blog about Lisbon’s graffiti (there’s a ton of it). But azulejos are so pretty and so quintessentially Portuguese. There’s so many different styles and colors and patterns. I already have some pictures of azulejos, but I’m going to take more.

Also: pictures from yesterday — around Alfama and from the lookouts. (PS: Anyone who comes to Lisbon, I’m taking them to this lookout).

Theatre & Cafe(taria)s

Today during class we tried to go to another museum. It was also closed (every Monday). Oops. Instead, we got to walk around the park the museum was in. Lots of fun and there was an ampitheatre where they were getting ready for a show. There were a couple of guys working on it; there were a bunch of trusses — maybe 5 — and they were all the way on the ground with only a few lights on them. It made me miss working on theatre. 😦 I miss the techies and Mendenhall and purple carpets.

What else? We found another GIANT shopping mall, like El Corte Ingles (in size) but also like a suburban Connecticut mall, in the types of stores it had. It also was divided into different stores, which potentially would make things easier, but I didn’t have the patience to work out what each store sold. But SO MANY American stores there. I don’t think I’ll use it that much, even though it’s supposed to have a supermarket that is cheaper than El Corte Ingles (which I did not find), because it is 5 or 6 metro stops away. Way too long to be carrying groceries, plus a ten minute walk.

So classes at the university actually start today, but we’re (the CIEE students) not starting till next week. HUH? Yeah, I don’t really get it either. It has something to do with hazing (the upperclassmen dress in black & white dress outfits [pants for boys, skirts for girls] with long jackets and cloaks with patches on them. It’s very flight attendent/Harry Potter-esque and then the younger students get things written on their faces, have to wear paper dunce caps, or paper bags. I don’t understand but I’m glad I don’t have to go through it) and something about the professors not showing up at classes or classes changing location. Apparently we won’t miss anything by starting next week. So I hope.

Also, I’m in danger of becoming a “regular” at a cafe. This has never happened before as I don’t drink hot drinks in most cases and am too cheap to buy a cold fruity drink that often. But there’s this pasteleria/cafetaria (diff meaning than in the US…just a place that sells coffee) called Liberty Cafe on the end of Avenida de Liberdade (Lisbon’s version of New York’s 5th avenue except with a cool, long mini park in the center of the street). They have juices and coffee (my friend always gets a galão, basically a latte), beanbag chairs and outdoor seating, and my personal favorite…chamosas (samosas). SO GOOD. Downside? It’s in a kind of touristy/upscale area so it’s not necessarily that cheap and, while I can walk there, it’s really 4 metro stops away. I’m going to try to find one closer to campus/my dorm that’s cheaper and has all those wonderful qualities (bean bag chairs are negotiable).

And…I only have 3 hours left of being a teenager. I plan on sleeping for at least two of those…I’m wiped. And I think tomorrow’s going to be a win…field trip to Sintra and hopefully the palace there, something at the American Embassy in the afternoon, and … I don’t know what else, but it’ll be fun. Plus, I already did all of my homework.