Quero Pastel de Nata!

We’ve done and explored a lot in these last few days but most importantly, learned about Pastel de Belem (Nata), Lisbon's most iconic sweet treat. Belem refers to the place where it first originated, and nata is custard. It's best experienced straight out of the oven and sprinkled with cinnamon on top.

We visited the Tower of Belem on our first day here, and now are able to learn even more and savor some of its food!  The Tower was built in the 16th century and survived the big earthquake of 1755 that destroyed nearly the entire city. It remained mainly because of the rocky ground that it stands on.

Today we woke up at our hostel and headed to class at the Enviornmental Interpretation Centre across the river from where we normally are. Students met Patricia, one of our professors and got an introduction into river, ocean ecosystems and how we as humans positively and negatively impact the environment (directly or indirectly). Students were asked to categorize them accordingly. 

We then headed to the beach and had a picnic before (attempting) to surf! 

Tomorrow AM we are off to Aveiro (about 3 hours north of Lisbon) which is dubbed as the “Venice of Portugal,” where we’ll visit a fish market, take a boat ride, kayak on the River Vouga and visit the coastal village of Costa Nova.