Welcome along on my exchange to Lisbon, Portugal! In this blog I will be sharing experiences about studying and living in this lovely city. I arrived in Lisbon a little over two weeks ago and until now have explored the city quite a bit and met a lot of new people. Some aspects of the life of Southern Europeans require some time to get used to but I am really enjoying the warm weather, late nights and other things that are a part of Lisboetas' lifestyles.
In this first post I will talk about how it was to prepare for the exchange and come to Lisbon. As Portugal is a part of the EU, going to Lisbon for exchange was quite a painless project. I did not have to worry about visas or anything else, there were with only a few deadlines to remember for the application process. In fact the only frustrating part was the long wait for any information from NOVA University - it was not until June that NOVA sent any information about the exchange, but the first package of guidelines was clear and easy to follow. On a side note, waiting in general seems to be something I have get used to here as there are lines just about anywhere you go in this city.
After receiving information from NOVA, I booked my flights. I flew to Lisbon with TAP Portugal and paid around 280€ for the flights which is a little expensive but I had a direct flight and so it was worth the money as I avoided any hassles or long layovers. Flying to Lisbon for exchange with TAP Portugal is great since they allow students to bring an extra bag of 10kg - I will definitely make use of this when I fly back home in December.
As I arrived in Lisbon quite late in the evening with a huge suitcase, I decided to take a taxi to the place I would be staying at. Taxis from airport to the city center cost well under 20€ although taxi drivers often charge extra for luggage and try any other tricks to make you pay a little extra. There is also a metro from the airport which is quite well connected to the whole city and costs only around 1,50€, so if you don't have too much to carry and know where you are going it is a good option.
As I arrived in Lisbon quite late in the evening with a huge suitcase, I decided to take a taxi to the place I would be staying at. Taxis from airport to the city center cost well under 20€ although taxi drivers often charge extra for luggage and try any other tricks to make you pay a little extra. There is also a metro from the airport which is quite well connected to the whole city and costs only around 1,50€, so if you don't have too much to carry and know where you are going it is a good option.
I was lucky to have a recommendation for a great shared apartment which I already reserved in the beginning of summer so I went there directly from the airport. Getting a place to live in advance was very handy, but without any trustworthy recommendations I would not suggest making rental agreements or especially paying a deposit before seeing the place. From the stories I have heard, the descriptions of apartments do not always really match with the actual truth so it is better to go see the place yourself. There are quite many shared apartments available in Lisbon and all of my friends here have found nice places to live quickly.
Until now Lisbon seems like a great place to spend an exchange semester. There are lots of things to do, people are friendly and the city itself is charming with its many hills, small alleys and old architecture. The apartment I live in is also great and I share it with fun roommates from Australia, Germany and Finland. So far I have really enjoyed my time here and look forward to the coming months of sunshine, good times and the occasional school work.
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