When my friend Maria invited me to go with her to her house in Lisbon before heading to mines during the easter break, I completely agree. I have been before in Lisbon but when you visit the city with someone who lives there you can discover so many new places. The days before the flight we were full of deadlines and really stress.

The day arrived and the 28th of March we flew to Lisbon. Maria´s father was waiting for us the airport. He took us to have lunch at a Mexican Restaurant called Siesta. It was in front of the river, the view was amazing and so relaxing. When we got to Lisbon we realized that we have missed the sun and the warm weather form our countries (Spain and Portugal) while we were having a cold and grey winter in the United Kingdom.

That First Day we went to Maria's house to see her family and we stayed with them. She lives really close to the sea so we went for a walk to the beach. We were really excited about being back, the weather and everything. We took some photos of the beach and we went to have an ice cream in a famous place of Lisbon called Santini. They all looked mouthwatering, we could not decide! The taste was even better than I expected.

The second day we went to the beach again with Maria's mom, we could not get enough of it. We visited the cost of Caparica which was quite calm as in summer is incredibly full of people. We had a coffee in a beautiful restaurant called Cabana do Pescador. It is right next to the beach and it is decorated with a navy style. It had some parrots which were really funny. After a while, in the beach. we decided to go to visit the statue of Cristo Rei, which has an incredible viewpoint of Lisbon.

At night we met with a friend from the University, Pablo, whose parents were living in Lisbon. We have dinner in a gorgeous market called Mercado da Ribeira, where you can eat all the typical food from Lisbon, as much bacalao as you wanted but also there were a huge variety of different cuisines to try.

It was a Wednesday and in Lisbon, that means that is Erasmus night so we decided to go to a really cool bar that was very popular at night. It is called Park Bar and it is in the center. It also has a terrace with beautiful views and a party environment full of young people. Before we went home Maria took us to a park where her friends used to meet and we hanged out with them. The weather was amazing that night and it was really nice to be outside.

The third day we meet with another Friend from the University, she was from Lisbon as well. She took us to a rooftop of a hotel called Hotel Chiado. Again the views were breathtaking so we took some photos there and drink something. After that we went for a walk around the city center of Lisbon, we discovered the most sardine shop we have ever seen. It looked like a casino so we did not pay attention until Caroline noticed it and we went inside. They personalized all the tin with a year from 1900 until 2017 and in every year they have some important facts that happened that year. The shop was really colorful and worth to see it.

After that, we keep walking around and they showed me beautiful spots in the city. We also did some shopping, we could not resist it. For dinner, we went to a place called Café Ribeira das Naus that was facing the river, next to the water. It had some cute sofas outside to sit. In the coffee, some friends of Maria and Caroline joined us and we have an amazing time.

The fourth day, Maria's mom took us to have lunch in lovely coffee where you can see Guincho's beach. The coffee is called Café do Moinho D.Quixote This beach has amazing waves, surfers from around the world came here. The coffee was incredible, it has plenty of adorable corners. We also went driving through the cost and stopped by the Garganta del Inferno and in the western point of Europe.

That night we went with Maria´s family to 2 beautiful viewpoints where you can see the city at night. Lisbon has 7 hills, that the reason why there are so many viewpoints and different perspective from each one.

The last day in Lisbon we went back to the beach as it was the last time a was going to see the sea for a while so I wanted to be there for a while before I left. We went again to the Caparica coast, to the Cabana do Pescador beach as the weather was warm and it was close. We went to Delmara Café, which is a place in the front row of the beach with comfortable sofas and a chill-out relaxing environment. At night it was one of Maria's friends birthday so we went out with them to the best disco I have ever been in my life. It was in front of the river and the wall was made of glass, that allowed you to see the city and the river. We stay there until 7am dancing to see the sunrise. It was indescribable.

It was very enriching to discover Lisbon with a citizen because I gave me a completely different point of view of the city. I discover a different Lisbon that when I came as a tourist. I recommend everyone to visit this city as it is fascinating and full of life. I am really grateful with Maria to show me her city, culture and give me this incredible opportunity. Travelling is one of the best ways to learn about new cultures, improve other languages and meet incredible people.