While studying abroad in Spain, I visited Portugal. I had a flight to Lisbon from Madrid booked weeks in advance, yet somehow when I arrived at the airport my reservation was nonexistent. This caused for panic and ultimately leaded me to renting a car from Madrid Barajas International Airport and driving 6 hours to Lisbon, Portugal. Looking back, I am super thankful I was able to drive to Lisbon instead of flying. With my rental car, I was able to experience more in Portugal than I had ever dreamed of. All in only two and a half days. 

​

Day 1: Airport confusion and driving to Lisbon. I arrived at my hotel around 11pm, so I immediately went to sleep.

Day 2: I walked a few blocks from my hotel to the nearest subway station and took that transportation into Lisbon's city center. Lisbon reminded me of San Francisco immediately. The city is on the water, extremely hilly terrain, and even has a copy cat Golden Gate Bridge. With San Francisco being one of my favorite American cities, I immediately fell in love with Lisbon. 

Day 3: Took my rental car to Sintra and explored an underground secret cave system connected to a large castle. The castle is obviously centuries old and the intricate tunnel system was still perfectly intact. This location is also home to the famous Portuguese spiral well. After completing my adventure in Sintra, I drove to the beach. Praia da Aguda is a quiet beach north of Sintra and offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic coastline. Be sure to prepare yourself for the steps to get down to the actual beach, because you will be winded. After the beach, I drove back to my hotel in Lisbon and went to sleep early to prepare for yet another 6 hour drive back to Madrid.