Despite a lengthy flight delay in Newark, my first few days in Lisbon have been awesome. Our first day was reshuffled because of flight issues, but we were still able to check-in and explore the surrounding area. Our hotel is nice and located in a great spot. We have plenty of food and shops near us that we have been able to explore in our free time. The walking tour was a great opportunity to get acclimated with the area, while also providing historical information about monuments and buildings.
The next few days we took a few day trips with tours, while also traveling in some rain. We drove to Sintra and toured a castle, as well as exploring local shops. From there, we drove to Cascais and took pictures by the Atlantic Ocean. The drives to both cities were awesome sights to see and gave me an opportunity to see other parts of Portugal. Cascais was also cool because we drove by extravagant houses/communities where some of the wealthiest Portugal citizens live.
One of my favorite parts of the trip thus far is probably the olive oil and cork tours. Both provided an opportunity to learn about the processes of each industry and how they impact the local economies. Lastly, we just completed a food workshop today where we made pastel de nata. The owner walked us through the cooking steps and explained his business in detail which I appreciated. Overall, it has been a great experience so far and I am looking forward to the next week!