If you follow me on Instagram, you'd have seen this outfit. Here's the story linked to it :)
Spring came slightly early for me when I was basking in the sun and its warmth during my solo trip to Lisbon in Portugal. One of the places I visited, was called Belem, a place 3 train stops away from the Lisbon city centre. It is a place with PERFECT OOTD backgrounds, windy, yet sunny, nice open space, lush greenery, and most importantly, it is home to the ORIGINAL PORTUGUESE EGG TARTS.
In Portugal, they are called Pastéis de Nata which translates to custard tarts. Well whatever you call them, they are delightful. I had at least 1 for every day I was in Portugal.
On the first night of my arrival in Lisbon, I had a brief conversation with a stranger interviewing tourists in Lisbon for a school project, and he told me I had to visit Belém. I was certain I would be going until, during dinner, a fellow traveler (who has been to Lisbon before) told me that she thought Belém was overhyped.
Nevertheless, on my third day in Portugal, I had a free afternoon to kill, and thus headed off to Belém, and I was glad I did!
Before hitting up Belém I scrolled through the internet looking for ideas on what to do there and things/attractions to visit. One of the top places that came up was the Jerónimos Monastery. From the pictures online, it looked really majestic.
There were 2 parts to the Monastery, the Church was free to enter, but to enter the other part of the Monastery, I had to pay 10euros. I thought It would be pretty worth it, considering it looked incredible from the outside, and so I did. Unfortunately, despite the really neat architecture, I thought 10 euros was way too over priced. The details of the Jerónimos Monastery facade was interesting, but if you aren't a fan of architecture, I suggest skipping out on the entrance and just enjoying the external view.
Fortunately, I was one of the last to enter the place for that day, and I had it pretty much all to myself. There weren't many tourist in the Monastery to begin with anyway.
After leaving the Monastery, I headed towards the river for some awesome views by it. But, as I was passing by a huge fountain, I caught a rainbow! I love sights like this, it just reminds me how beautiful and unexpected our world is :)
By this time, the sun was about to set and the winds started to blow, it was nice to admire the view of the river and the bridge. The lack of a railing by the edge of the waters did freak me out a little. I didn't dare go too near the edge for the fear of getting blown into the waters or losing my balance and falling in. The strength of the wind was seriously insane!!
When people go to Belém, more often than not, is to visit the Tower of Belém, where you could apparently get a beautiful panoramic view. I had this theory that the last entry would be approximately 6pm, so that visitors could watch the sunset from above. Happily believing my self-constructed theory, and without checking the internet for any prior confirmation, strolled over to the tower at 6, and realised everyone was walking in the opposite direction.
That's when I started thinking, "Could it have closed earlier than 6? Why is everyone walking away from the tower?" Upon reaching the Tower of Belém, I realised that the last entry to climb up for the views was 5pm. I was pretty bummed, until I realised the lack of tourists in the region means a chance to take decent photos - i.e. photos with no tourist heads in them!
What made all the walking worth it despite not having the opportunity to head up to the tower was the colourful sunset. I loved walking by the river just taking in my surroundings and having the sunset right in front of me.
Against the sunset, the tower looked incredible. It reminded me of the type of tower Rupunzel would be trapped in. Slightly fairytale like, but not pretty perfect and all princessy.
It was a shame I didn't get to visit the tower, but I enjoyed my afternoon in Belém. Coincidentally, I wore an outfit with nice teal green shades and a flowy cut that reminded me of mermaids and the ocean.
I am definitely missing the double digit temperatures of Lisbon now that i'm back in cold rainy London. Cannot wait for spring and summer to arrive. I think I'm a beach/sun/warmth loving girl at heart.
Thank you for reading, do let me know your thoughts! x
WHAT I WORE
Teal Dress: ASOS
Fluffy Cardigan: Primark
Boots: ECCO Shoes
'Fur' Lined Leggings: Primark
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