Lisbon & Barcelona
Oct, 2025
/ film only :)
It was our first time in Europe, and I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. Our journey started with a TAP Portugal flight, and as soon as we landed, George lost his passport. I knew this was going to happen and had prepared three layers of locks to protect our IDs and cash — just didn’t expect it to be literally 30 minutes into Lisbon.
Apparently, we left it at the currency exchange counter (thank god at least it wasn’t stolen).
The airport police were kind enough to retrieve it for us, while George had his phone on silent and completely missed the currency exchange guy’s WhatsApp message. (LOL)
Lisbon felt intense in a good way. The amount of things to see, the endless uphills and downhills, the brick roads — it was crazy (and I was wearing heels). Although it was tough on the legs, we had so much fun just walking around, observing local life, and watching tuk-tuks weave through tourists.
And the garlic butter shrimp? Amazing.
We had to do the Hippo Bus!
As we got tired of hiking the city, we took an Uber to Cascais, Boca do Inferno, and Azenhas do Mar Viewpoint. The sun was brutal, but the ocean breeze — and gelato — helped a little. Our very cool Uber driver drove one-handed, full speed, through some of the most curved roads I’ve ever seen. Somewhere along the way, it got foggy. By the time we reached Azenhas do Mar, we could barely see anything at all.
We decided to take a chance and stop at a viewpoint restaurant with very little hope that the food would be good. Surprisingly, it ended up in our top three favorite restaurants of the trip. Not sure if the one-liter sangria helped, but watching the waves hit the cliffs — the splashes so strong — I felt deeply satisfied, letting the smell of the ocean run through me.
Compared to Lisbon, Barcelona felt much more “big city.” Even though the streets were still full of detail, it somehow reminded me of Shanghai — a city I haven’t been to in the last 15 years. Casa Batlló felt like stepping into a fantasy world. With my 50mm lens, it was hard to avoid all the people, but the details were fascinating — especially when light filtered through the glass and the underwater world came alive.
They also had the most beautiful magnet collection.
Although the last few days were cloudy, we managed to secure the last tickets to Sagrada Família and visited a few more of Gaudí’s works.
And yes — we secured all our belongings for the rest of the trip.