BoA Boyz
“Yo, where the Pastel de Nata at?'“ - BoA
BoA means Good in Portuguese, so I suppose the “Good Boys'“ have touched down in Lisbon. Let’s stick to BoA boyz, sounds cooler.
Quick trips to Europe are great, as long there is a solid itinerary, you can’t go wrong.
This trip was no different. As the designated holiday coordinator, in charge of selecting the activities, hotel and ensuring good vibes were had. I knew the pressure fell on my hands, and of course I was going to deliver.
The start of the holiday began with some big news from BoA, a long drive handled effortlessly by BoN and the banter provided BoO.
Touched down in Lisbon around 5pm and realised that Benfica were playing AC Milan that evening in the Champions league. Without tickets and in the pouring rain, we decided let’s check out if any tickets are still available.
They did. Which meant we were half way there to watching the game, the second part was finding our seats, which practically involved scaling to the top of the stadium. The view was actually decent though.
Footage from our seats of the champions league anthem in Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica - 3rd October 2024
The journey home after the game was short, likely 30 minutes. On the way back to the hotel, we picked up some water bottles. It was at this point, I relayed to the boys our e-bike tour of Lisbon was booked for 9am. Which resulted in some disgusted stares as to the earlieness of the booking.
See, my perspective when booking trips, is always make use of early-starts, and tick of the main items so you can enjoy the rest of the day in a fairly chill way. More intentional and planned at the start and then spontaneous and go with the flow later on.
Still the disgusted stares continued on the way to the tour the next morning.
But man like Eduardo (Edwardo/Ecuador) - made sure the tour was worth it. Taking us on rapid E-bikes around the city, by-passing pedestrians, showing us the famous cities and gifting us the knowledge of where to get Lisboa’s famous Pastel De Nata. The guy was a legend.
The tour finished around 12pm, we had a quick Pastel De Nata break and headed to Jumuah - which is a must, even on holiday.
A few areas I was recommended before arriving was, Cascais a beach-front and Sintra which boasted some incredible botanical richness, Portuguese architecture and a colourful castle.
When it comes to booking an itinerary, I usually Google or YouTube to generate ideas, however speaking to friends who can recommend is always another great way. First-hand, trusted experience is ideal. If you don’t trust that friends recommendations - just nod and smile.
The above pictures explained:
A brunch is essential on holiday, slow morning vibes and coffee.
Champions league match, with a surreal atmosphere.
Quinta da Regaleira - trippy.
Lisbon Central Mosque for Jummah
We knew Lisbon had a pretty good weather even outside of summer, which meant visiting the beach and going for a swim was a must. BoN looking like Arnold - unrivalled. Lowkey hadn’t swam in a sea in a while and forgot how quickly it gets deep, had to lock for real. See some footage below.
Having had a trip to Porto cancelled due to protests in French airspace in 2023 - which also resulted in not going to Porto league game (football match).
To then, the following year, visiting Lisbon and watching a champions league game, well that felt good.
So, never give up - your time will come!
Shoutout BoA and BoN - for the good vibes all around.
