Lisbon

Last week was our final out of the country trip to Lisbon, Portugal. We left with numbers. There were 9 of us from our program going. About half of them were running the half marathon there. The flight didn't leave until 1:30 on Friday so we had the chance to sleep in a little bit. The flight to Portugal was only 55 min also so that was very nice. Our hostel in Portugal was very cool. Everybody that worked that was so nice and chill. They made us drinks every night and we hung out in the lobby each night too. Once we got settled in at our hostel we ate lunch right across the street at this local portuguese restaurant. The food was great and it was also very cheap. I loved that about Portugal. Things were so cheap. I had some vegetable soup, chicken with fries, salad and rice and a lemon mousse that was delicious. Because a lot of people were there to run the half marathon, there was not a whole lot of going around to see things. Those of us who were not running had a lot of fun though. We went out the first night to a couple of different bars and had a good time. (Also that night I had an amazing grilled swordfish) Saturday (the day before the half) people were just hanging out and stuff so we didn't accomplish much. We ate out more and that night we went to a great italian place so the runners could get some pasta in them. (I had a delicious linguini with scallops and capers) The next day (the day of the race) everybody that wasn't running hung out for a bit in the hostel and then went to visit a couple of famous landmarks. The Vasco de Gama bridge and tower. The bridge is the longest in the country and it was something to do. We were all pretty tired so after we ate lunch in that area we came back to the hostel to see how everybody did and hang out before catching our flight home. Everybody ran under 2 hours so they were all pretty excited. The trip was a lot of fun and it was definitely nice to get away from all the work that we have now. Today we have a holiday so everybody is just writing papers, studying for finals and trying to find time to relax. However, one thing did happen and that is that after 2 and a half years, Sam and I broke up. I don't want to say a whole lot about it, just that it was a bit of a surprise to me and that I regret nothing from the past 2 years together. I am very upset, but going to enjoy my last few weeks here in Spain before I go home for Christmas. If you want to know more or how I am doing, just message me on facebook.

Luke