27th May, 2024, I packed my bag and went to the airport to catch my flight to Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹. With no expectations or itinerary in mind, other than attending the Non Fungible Conference 2024, I embarked on this journey.
I was invited to speak on behalf of Crossmint. My talk was scheduled for 29th May (Wednesday) at 5:50 PM. It was going to be a Lightning talk, and I was set to speak about creating custom GPTs to mint NFTs (blog post here).
I decided to at least spend a few hours of my busy schedule to explore Lisbon and its beauty, and boy, did it not disappoint!
27th May, 2024 - Monday
My flight landed at around 11:30 AM in Lisbon. I booked an Uber to my hotel, which was around Parque Eduardo VII, the venue for Non Fungible Conference. I reached my hotel in less than 30 minutes, but my check-in was scheduled for 2 PM. I had 3 hours to kill before I could check into my room. I quickly looked for a nice place to get something to eat and found a small cafeteria in Amoreiras Garden, a park that was a 10-minute walk from my hotel.
On my way to the cafetaria/park, I stumbled upon this beautiful view. Although, this seems to be nothing special, the tree and the colour of its leaves made it so serene.
After basking in the views, I got some breakfast. It was a simple cheese and ham toast with some Pastel de Nata (also known as Pastel de Belém). Sadly, I did not take any pictures of my food. After breakfast, I wanted to walk back to the hotel's lobby and decide what to do. I still had around 2 hours to kill. On my way back to the hotel, I chose to take a different route, and again, to my surprise, I was met with some beautiful trees and buildings.
After I reached the hotel's lobby, I looked for interesting places to visit in Lisbon that were in close proximity to my hotel. I found Castelo de São Jorge, an 11th-century hilltop Moorish castle with palace ruins. Since it was a hilltop castle, I had a notion that the views from the top would be amazing. So, I booked an Uber and went there. The ticket for entry costs around 7.5€ for people under 25 years old and 15€ for people over 25. I booked the ticket online to avoid a long queue at the entrance of the castle. My intuition was correct; there was a huge queue of people waiting to get their tickets and enter the castle. Since I had already purchased the ticket online, I could simply scan it and walk in with no wait time.
After you enter, you come across a small garden. The walls are short and made of uneven rocks, giving it a medieval look, which it truly has. Consequently, you have an incredible view of Lisbon's skyline, the ocean, and the traditional European buildings.
I decided to sit down, breathe, and spend some time experiencing the beauty in front of me. And just like that, 30 minutes went by.
I decided to enter the interior part of the castle, which I believe were the palace ruins. In all four directions, there were stairs that took you up, each offering a different view of the city. I loved how everyone carefully held the railing on the stairs and maintained distance from the people climbing in front of them.
I spent around 10 minutes walking along the top edges of the castle. Then, I decided to go back down and explore other parts of the castle and the palace ruins.
Ever since I entered the castle, I repeatedly heard the noises of some animals screaming. I couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from or which animal it was. I had assumed that it was just a different kind of bird, but I was wrong. I stumbled upon many peacocks and peahens, and I believe that the noises they were making were mating calls.
I spent some more time walking around and then finally decided to leave the castle and walk to "Miradouro das Portas do Sol", a scenic viewpoint with panoramic city views of traditional Alfama houses with red roofs and churches.
On my way to the viewpoint, I saw a tram running. It was quite old, slow, and rustic, but still functional. However, it gave Lisbon a distinct vibe that I will never forget.
I finally reached the viewpoint, and now all that was left was to spend a few minutes immersing myself in the breathtaking view. At the center of the viewpoint, there was a statue of S. Vicente, beautifully carved and still in good condition.
And now for the view—this is what it looked like. Quite the view, huh?
I stayed there for 10 minutes and then decided to head back to the hotel to get some rest. In the evening, I had to attend a speakers' dinner organized by the Non-Fungible Conference and another side event.
28th May, 2024 - Tuesday
This was the first day of the conference, and consequently, most of my time was spent attending the conference and other side events. However, I had a great time networking with the people there, listening to talks, and visiting booths.
No sightseeing on Tuesday, and spoiler alert, for most of Wednesday either. However, I want to share my complete experience, not just the fancy traveling part. While working in Web3 has its perks, you also have to be willing to work 50-60 hours a week and be flexible. You can think of these blogs that I write as a journal that I am willing to share for everyone to read!
29th May, 2024 - Wednesday
This was the second day of the conference, and today, I was scheduled to give a Lightning Talk on "How to Create Custom GPTs that can Mint NFTs". I woke up early in the morning to get some work done. After that, I went through my presentation once again just to ensure that everything was in place.
At around 11 AM, I headed to the conference venue. I spent some time networking and chatting with teams already working with my company, Crossmint. Before I knew it, the clock struck 5:30 PM. My talk was set for 5:50 PM, so I made my way to the Lightning Stage and waited for my turn.
The time was 5:50, and it was showtime!
If you're interested, you can watch my talk here. After my presentation, I was invited to a boat party scheduled for 7 PM. So, right after my talk, I took a cab and headed down to the port to board the boat before it departed. The funny part was that they postponed the departure time to 8 PM, so I ended up being there early.
The boat dropped us back at the port by 11 PM, and I was going to head back to the hotel and call it a night.
30th May, 2024 - Thursday
This was going to be my last day in Lisbon and my flight back to Madrid was at 10 PM. As usual, I decided to wake up early, but this time, I wanted to go for a quick sightseeing trip around Lisbon.
I went to "Rua do Arsenal" and "Praça do Comércio", two notable streets in Lisbon where the waterside public plaza with its notable arch and statue, lined with outdoor cafes and shopping venues, are all walkable.
Upon walking down the street, you find yourself facing the famous "Arco da Rua Augusta," an 18th-century triumphal arch with sculpted figures and views over the city center.
Right next to it is the waterside public plaza with the "Estátua Equestre de Dom José I," an equestrian statue of King José I. You can observe that the statue was likely made of copper due to the green-colored rust formation that is visible. However, the details on the statue and the arch were incredible.
I then began walking up Rua Augusta, one of the most famous streets in Lisbon. It had everything from small cafes, boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants, and small bars. I had a feeling that everything being sold on this street might be a bit overpriced due to how touristy it was. I could be wrong, but that was my assumption. And I don't think my assumption was far off from the truth when I saw a coffee and a sandwich being sold for 10 Euros.
I continued walking up the street and reached "Praça do Rossio." This was another town square in Lisbon, with fountains and statues. However, it was surrounded by some withered trees, which made the surroundings very aesthetic.
After exploring this side of Lisbon, I wanted to go to the other side, the east, to explore Belém and its beauty. I booked a cab straight to "Mosteiro dos Jerónimos."
This is a late Gothic monastery with maritime museums in its wings. It stands as a testament to Portugal's rich history and cultural heritage, offering a glimpse into Portugal's golden age of exploration and discovery. This is a must-visit for anyone who comes to Portugal. As much as I wanted to go inside and see its interior, there was a mass going on, and only people going to pray were allowed inside. Hence, I had to skip it as I was short on time.
My next stop was "Padrão dos Descobrimentos," the Monument to the Discoveries, which is a 10-minute walk from the monastery. I'll have to admit that this was definitely one of the most beautiful monuments I have visited.
It is a statue that was built in 1940 to mark 500 years since Prince Henry the Navigator's death. By this point, I had realized that the Portuguese statues were remarkable! Not only is this a monument dedicated to Prince Henry, but it is also dedicated to all the explorers and seafarers.
Onto the final item on my agenda: the closing beach party by the Non-Fungible Conference that I was invited to. This was all the way in Costa da Caparica, which is around an hour away from downtown Lisbon. Since I hadn't had the time to visit a beach, I thought this would be a great opportunity to hit the beach and relax for a while.
The beach was not very crowded; however, the sun was burning through my skin. So, if you visit, do not forget your sunscreen; otherwise, you will regret it. I got something to eat and then walked along the beach for 10 minutes.
The best part of the club was the bartenders who were serving drinks with huge smiles on their faces. So, I decided to click a picture of them to cherish this memory later.
The clock struck 6:30 PM, and I realized that I had to get a cab to the airport. The reason I left early was that there is usually traffic on the way back from this side of Lisbon. It took me an hour and a half to get to the airport. It was 8 PM, and I decided to get dinner before boarding my flight at 10 PM. While having dinner, I took a moment to look back at this trip and the memories I had made.
And with that, my trip to Lisbon came to an end. Lisbon, you were truly beautiful, and I found myself getting lost at every corner of the city. This has to be one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited, and someday, I would love to go back!
As I boarded my flight, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the experiences and connections made. Lisbon left an indelible mark on my heart, reminding me of the beauty of exploration and the joy of discovering new places.
Until next time, Lisbon. Obrigado!
