We opted to spend our spring break in Portugal along with the majority of people studying in Prague. While everyone booked villas, Kristina, Natalie and I stayed in Estrella de Luz, a hotel that exceeded our expectations. Due to the lack of an airport actually in Lagos, we had a connecting flight into Lisbon on Monday (4/31), and planned to take a 4 hour bus ride from there to Lagos Monday night. Shock of all shocks, we ran into some travel issues. After discovering our connecting flight was delayed an hour, our layover in Vienna was spent calling the bus company to try and reschedule the bus that we were now going to miss. Switching the bus ticket to a later time was not possible since we bought our tickets online (note to self: read the fine print. 2nd note to self: always listen to mom; when she says book the later bus just in case of a flight delay, do it). Mom, when will you teach me how to be all-knowing? Long story short we inevitably ended up having to buy a second bus ticket. After fussing about it over lunch we came to our senses and realized we should probably stop complaining about what time we're going to casually arrive in Portugal for a week. Brats.
After a delayed flight and a long bus ride, we finally arrived in Lagos and thanked our lucky stars that the sketchy cab we hopped into didn't take any wrong turns. We arrived at our hotel and were thrilled to see how nice it was considering the small amount we paid for it. We crashed on our "full size bed" aka two twin beds pushed together, (apparently that's the move over here), and called it a night.
As our weather apps had predicted, we woke up to clouds and rain the next morning. After a delicious brunch of scrambled eggs and Bloody Mary's at the hotel restaurant, we headed over to the villas, despite the weather. A short cab ride later we arrived to complete spring break madness. We may have not been able to be outside, but that didn't stop people from celebrating spring break the way we know best. Once we decided to call it quits, we headed over to the famous Nah-Nah-Bah for the supposed best burgers in town. If I liked burgers maybe I would be able to agree that the rumors are true. Guess I'll just have to trust the crowd on that one.
Unlike most places one visits abroad, the main sights to see in Lagos are the beaches. Thankfully our 2nd day was much nicer, so we were able to spend it outside. We basked in the sun and didn't rest until it went down. We again tried to end the day with Nah-Nah-Bah but sadly arrived before it even opened. Whoops. Our miscalculation of time landed us at a random but delicious Italian place in the town center. Although I didn't appreciate that the shrimp on my pasta still had eyes, I brushed it off and enjoyed a good meal. Because the day was short everyone was ready to rally again for the night; but more importantly for Kristina's 21st. She definitely did it right, and if you don't believe me we have pictures and videos to prove it.
We woke up Thursday morning and were extremely happy to say it wasn't our last day there like everyone else. Back to the villas we went as we tried to overcome the ramifications of helping your best friend celebrate her 21st birthday. Another beautiful day was spent drinking and enjoying the sun, ultimately ending on the beach. The sight and feeling of just sitting in the sand in Portugal was surreal; is this actually how we get to live?
As the sun went down and our stomachs began to rumble, we knew that Nah-Nah-Bah was calling our names; this time it was actually open. I decided a chicken sandwich was the next best thing for a red-meat-hater like myself, and I was right. A+ Nah-Nah-Bah, you definitely impressed. Everyone else had booked their early returns to Prague the following morning with an 8am wake up call; everyone except for us. As they got some rest and prepared to wake up at the crack of dawn, we took full advantage of the indoor pool and jacuzzi in our hotel. It was exactly what our food comas and drained bodies needed.
Friday morning we woke up and thanked my mom for her brilliant idea not to rush out of Portugal so quickly. We booked an afternoon bus back to Lisbon, leaving us plenty of time to get in some last minute tanning time. One hour later we became Lobsters 1, 2, and 3. Maybe we should have re-applied the sunblock a few more times?
After regretting our poor decisions we packed up our things and headed to Lisbon. Our tired bodies and burnt skin somehow made the bus ride less torturous. We arrived in rainy Lisbon and checked into our hotel conveniently located right near the airport. During dinner our waiter questioned where we could have possibly just been to be that burnt, and then followed up by telling us that him and the other waiters had a debate about it. Lagos, my friends, beware of the sun.
We fell asleep right away and awakened to head back to Praha. We packed up our things and said goodbye to another week finished abroad. Thank you Lagos for your high UV index, raining less than we predicted and for allowing me to do spring break right.
After a delayed flight and a long bus ride, we finally arrived in Lagos and thanked our lucky stars that the sketchy cab we hopped into didn't take any wrong turns. We arrived at our hotel and were thrilled to see how nice it was considering the small amount we paid for it. We crashed on our "full size bed" aka two twin beds pushed together, (apparently that's the move over here), and called it a night.
As our weather apps had predicted, we woke up to clouds and rain the next morning. After a delicious brunch of scrambled eggs and Bloody Mary's at the hotel restaurant, we headed over to the villas, despite the weather. A short cab ride later we arrived to complete spring break madness. We may have not been able to be outside, but that didn't stop people from celebrating spring break the way we know best. Once we decided to call it quits, we headed over to the famous Nah-Nah-Bah for the supposed best burgers in town. If I liked burgers maybe I would be able to agree that the rumors are true. Guess I'll just have to trust the crowd on that one.
Unlike most places one visits abroad, the main sights to see in Lagos are the beaches. Thankfully our 2nd day was much nicer, so we were able to spend it outside. We basked in the sun and didn't rest until it went down. We again tried to end the day with Nah-Nah-Bah but sadly arrived before it even opened. Whoops. Our miscalculation of time landed us at a random but delicious Italian place in the town center. Although I didn't appreciate that the shrimp on my pasta still had eyes, I brushed it off and enjoyed a good meal. Because the day was short everyone was ready to rally again for the night; but more importantly for Kristina's 21st. She definitely did it right, and if you don't believe me we have pictures and videos to prove it.
We woke up Thursday morning and were extremely happy to say it wasn't our last day there like everyone else. Back to the villas we went as we tried to overcome the ramifications of helping your best friend celebrate her 21st birthday. Another beautiful day was spent drinking and enjoying the sun, ultimately ending on the beach. The sight and feeling of just sitting in the sand in Portugal was surreal; is this actually how we get to live?
As the sun went down and our stomachs began to rumble, we knew that Nah-Nah-Bah was calling our names; this time it was actually open. I decided a chicken sandwich was the next best thing for a red-meat-hater like myself, and I was right. A+ Nah-Nah-Bah, you definitely impressed. Everyone else had booked their early returns to Prague the following morning with an 8am wake up call; everyone except for us. As they got some rest and prepared to wake up at the crack of dawn, we took full advantage of the indoor pool and jacuzzi in our hotel. It was exactly what our food comas and drained bodies needed.
Friday morning we woke up and thanked my mom for her brilliant idea not to rush out of Portugal so quickly. We booked an afternoon bus back to Lisbon, leaving us plenty of time to get in some last minute tanning time. One hour later we became Lobsters 1, 2, and 3. Maybe we should have re-applied the sunblock a few more times?
After regretting our poor decisions we packed up our things and headed to Lisbon. Our tired bodies and burnt skin somehow made the bus ride less torturous. We arrived in rainy Lisbon and checked into our hotel conveniently located right near the airport. During dinner our waiter questioned where we could have possibly just been to be that burnt, and then followed up by telling us that him and the other waiters had a debate about it. Lagos, my friends, beware of the sun.
We fell asleep right away and awakened to head back to Praha. We packed up our things and said goodbye to another week finished abroad. Thank you Lagos for your high UV index, raining less than we predicted and for allowing me to do spring break right.