Yeah, it was worth it

“Some of the happiest people in the world go home smelling to high heaven at the end of the day.” - God, played by Morgan Freeman from the movie “Bruce Almighty”.

Hello all readers of the Gunnis blog. A blog where we tell you about the times of our lives and you, the reader, get a bit jealous. Truly, us 44 people here at Gunilla are the luckiest students in Sweden for being allowed to go on this trip. Free days have been sunny and filled with endless walks around Lisbon, shopping and cheap “fika”. Still, all this exploring does have a downside. This update will be focused on a trip to the village of Sintra from my feets perspective.

No day goes by without taking at least 20 thousand steps and my feet are already suffering. Today would be taking the pain to a new level. When climbing down from my bed, I take some extra steps on the ledge of the bed below to wake up my soles. I was very excited today because we were leaving on our first guided tour at a village called Sintra and the weather was perfect. I put on my piké and I was ready, or so I thought...

When sitting down in my seat on the bus, tiredness hit me. The guide was very passionate and I heard him talking while trying not to doze off completely in the comfortable seat. When we arrived after a chill 45 minutes, we were all shocked. Sintra turned out to be located on a steep mountain and our goal is a castle, at the very top. Most frightening was the fact that we, in our everyday shoes, would walk all the way up.

Calves, thighs and especially feet were burning as we struggled to climb up the steep brick road. Our panting was getting out of hand so we took a risk and removed our face masks for better oxygen. The only thing keeping me going at this rate is the urge to photograph. The park was full of surprise. It was filled with a wide variety of plants, old buildings covered in moss and a couple of cats. Sun bounces off rocks and flowers creating the most beautiful sights. I walk three steps at a time until I stop for another klick.

We followed the endless road and did not seem to be getting anywhere closer to the top. On the verge of giving up, SA2023 was filled with new energy as a big red clocktower appeared behind the trees. The guide tooted in a horn as the brick road lit up from reflections of the sun. Finally, we had left the forest and arrived at the castle.

The whole day we walked around Sintra, explored the beautiful castle, took pictures from the wall and visited little shops. Other people visiting Sintra watched with amazement at the big group of blue shirts roaming the village. It probably was their first time in a long time ever seeing a group bigger than five.

In the end we were all happy to return home in the comfortable bus. Although we were all tired, the day would not have been as good without the climb. In the end it was all worth it.

Klara Persson