Submitted by Helena Garcia on the 2016 summer session program in Salamanca, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Before travelling to Portugal last weekend, I admittedly knew very little about its beautiful landscape, culture and language. Although, I had not originally planned to go to Portugal, I am very glad I went to see this small yet vibrant country that shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain. Because I knew very little about Portugal, I had no expectations about the trip and simply tons of curiosity. For this reason, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the country’s capital Lisbon, the beaches Cascais and Estoril, as well as a pair of small towns we stopped in on our bus ride home. Although Portugal is not geographically far from Salamanca, Spain; its landscape is quite different. There are still the arid desert like parts that it shares with Western Spain, but these areas quickly become coastal and mountainous closer to Lisbon. When we first entered Lisbon, the lush landscape outside my bus window immediately caught my eye. However, the city itself is home to many colorful buildings and monuments. Coming from New York and living near the city, I am accustomed to viewing cities in a sort of perpetual grey scale, but this is not the case in the coastal city of Lisbon. One example of this is the sidewalks. The streets in Lisbon are a pattern of stone in waves or other shapes which create a whimsical effect for the pedestrian parts of town.
Additionally, in Lisbon and the small towns we visited, there was an abundance of flowers that seemed to be part of the town, rather than private property. This again is something I am not accustomed to in New York City, where there are flowers, but they seem too far and few between in comparison to Portugal’s. Not only is the colorful itself colorful, so is its ice cream and way of life. 
The people, from what I could gather in my two days there, live life for enjoyment and who wouldn’t when they live in such a vibrant place? Overall, Portugal has had a great impact on me and I wish I could see more of this well maintained, colorful and beautiful country.