Cont...

After landing, I went in search of my bags. This typically isn't a difficult task, but per usual, I have a way of turning the simple into impossible. I watched every person from my flight pick up their luggage, then sat and stared at an empty carousel. Seeing as my bags have always made it to my destination, I figured now was as good a time as any for the airlines to forget about me. I joined 2 Canadian couples in line for the missing/damaged bags office. (The Portuguese really know what they're doing in this department: you're required to take a ticket and wait outside the office. Once your number is called, then and only then are you allowed to enter. The people in the office are actually pleasant and smile when you sit down! US airports, take note!!) It took the lady only 30 seconds to look up my information; I had been at the wrong carousel the whole time! Portugal-1, Jen-0.
I used the complimentary luggage cart, collected my luggage, and was on my way. I walked outside, snagged a cab right away, and practiced the only Portuguese I knew: "Fala inglesh?" --Nope. Okk.... "Fala espanol?" --Poquito. Perfect! I was at my hotel in about 5 minutes.

English is used here more so than Spanish, so checking in was a breeze. I was able to set up my laptop and connect to Skype, so I spent a few minutes chatting with family to let them know I landed in Lisboa, and not Russia or Australia. I was sweating my culo off carrying around my travel-unfriendly luggage, dressed for the Arctic Tundra known as Northern Virginia. I opened my window to beautiful 65 degree weather and a great view of the city.

Hunger kicked in around 5:30, so I asked the front desk for a good Portuguese restaurant to try. They suggested on down the street but warned me it didn't open for dinner until at least 7:30 (Duh, Jen. Welcome to Europe.) So to kill time, I took a lap around area. The city was bustling with young people everywhere, walking and riding bikes. I was very close to a University and passed numerous book stores, coffee shops, and patios filled with students chatting. Made a new friend, who was just hanging out:


Also saw this dude:Around 8 PM, I made my way to the restaurant. Only one person spoke English, and showed me to a nearly empty dining room. He showed me a menu, and asked if I know what I want. I took a brief glance, but decided to close it and make an order based solely on what he says is good. So I started with a small bottle of red wine, sopa verde, and complimentary fried Cod, a specialty of the area. Not even 10 minutes after I sat down, I received my lamb dish. It was cooked to a perfect medium and the meat was so tender, it made me want to cry! For a second, I wondered what they would do if I just picked up the entire plate and smeared it all over my face because it was that tasty. Decided against it, finished up, and paid.
Took a quick walk around the area again, returned to my hotel room to prepare for my bus ride, and slept like a baby. The next day, maneuvering my luggage proved to be somewhat tricky. I attempted to strap my smaller suitcase to the larger suitcase, and as it turns out, this is not the small strap's intended use. In the process, I bent the extend-able handle on the larger suitcase. Guess I'll worry about that on the return trip in a few months... Made it to the bus station in perfect time, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and loaded a near empty bus headed to my final destination of Badajoz.Seats were extremely comfy and I slept most of the ride. It was supposed to take about four hours, but we made it in under three. My teacher, Belen, met me at the bus station around 2:30 and drove me to my piso.
Here, I met my 3 room mates: Sandra, Sandra, and Sara. (No joke) I dropped off my luggage, and Belen took me to lunch. When I came back, my bed was completely made (since I didn't bring bed sheets, Sandra R. set me up with some of hers) and my room mates welcomed me. I'm so lucky to have had a ride from the bus station, my apartment ready, and such accommodating room mates. I was finally in Badajoz!