Backpacking Through Europe

Lisbon, Portugal

Thanks onlytherogue for telling me about Portugal❤

Harry had his camera with him and snapped pictures as they were strolling around town. Louis ended up on a lot of them but he didn't seem to mind. He just smiled at the camera.

They had booked a room together at a cheap but clean hotel and left their luggage behind. They ended up on an electric Tuk Tuk for a couple of hours that took them around sightseeing. It was fun!

They ate at MacDonald's for lunch but tried the Portugees cousine for dinner. It was delicious.
"Not to badmouth our English dishes but damn, the French, Spanish and Portuguese kitchens are absolutely killing it!" Louis said.

"I will gain so much weight on this trip." Harry giggled.

"Please, you would look good either way." Louis smiled.

Harry blushed lightly. He looked out over the ocean.
"I bet the sunset will be amazing." He said to change the subject.

"Why don't we find out? Wanna go on a sailboat?" Louis suggested.

"You can do that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. It's not like I didn't do at least a little bit of research before I left England. Not as extensively as you though." Louis teased.

"Well, you googled things I didn't even think about. I'm so happy we ran into each other. You make this trip so much better." Harry said and bit his lip, feeling shy.

Louis broke out in a beautiful smile.
"Thanks, love! Same, man!"

Okay, Harry was blushing again. They had known each other for less than a week. He knew that calling someone love was just something British people did but it felt special anyway. He had never called any of his male friends love. That was just weird. This? Not weird. Not weird at all.

They paid for their meals and headed to the dock. They found the cheapest alternative and headed on board. There were six other passengers as they left land and headed out the sea. Harry couldn't stop smiling as he sat next to Louis gazing out on open water. He turned his head to look at Louis who reached out a hand and poked one of his dimples.
"I swear to God, those dimples are the cutest thing ever."

"Thanks." Harry beamed.

Louis held eye contact before he looked out on the sea again.
"Look, the sun is setting."

They watched the sky and the palette of colors on display.
"I could just travel around the world for the rest of my life and watch the sunset at different places." Harry said.

"University is overrated anyway." Louis joked.

Harry giggled and bumped his shoulder against Louis'. The boat returned to the dock after a while and they got off and headed to their hotel. They had gotten a room with two single beds. They brushed their teeth together before they slipped under the covers. They were both wearing boxers and t-shirts. They lay awake for a while and talked with the lights off before they drifted off to sleep.

They skipped the shower when they woke up the next morning since they were going to spend the day at the beach. They ate an appetizing hotel breakfast before they grabbed a towel and snuck it passed the reception desk.

They took a bus to Costa da Caparica. It was still early but the sun was shining and it would be a beautiful and warm day. They just walked along the shoreline for half an hour discussing their favorite bands and movies. When people started to show up they found a spot and spread their towels on the sand. Louis took off his t-shirt and Harry started to fumble with his own. They laid on their towels to work on their tans for a while. Harry glanced at Louis. He looked good spread out on the towel like that. He started to feel like a creep and turned around and lay on his stomach instead, turning his eyes away. When it got too hot they decided to go for a swim.

The water was cool against their skin but it was refreshing. They stayed in the water for an hour, laughing and splashing water at each other, before they headed back to their towels and tried to dry up in the sun.
"Lunch?" Louis asked.

Harry's stomach made a sound.
"Definitely!" He giggled.

They grabbed their towels and put their t-shirts on and walked into town. They found a restaurant with a lunch buffet and sat down to eat. The food was great and affordable.

On their way back to the beach they walked past a but with surfboards. Louis stopped to read a sign.
"Surfing! We have to try it! Please." He said excitedly.

He was beyond cute. Harry immediately agreed.
"Sure. I never tried it though."

"Me neither. How hard can it be?" Louis grinned.

They found out twenty minutes later after a fast course. They headed out into the water with the instructor and tried to stand on the surfboards, both falling into the Ocean within seconds. They both laughed. They tried again and again. An hour later they returned the boards.
"Well, I will never be a surfer but that was fun." Harry smiled.

They took the bus back to Lisbon and showered before they had to check out of their hotel room. They dumped their backpacks in a locker at the train station and bought their tickets to Barcelona on the night train. They still had a couple of hours left so they headed back into town and looked at monuments and ate dinner. They found a grocery store and bought breakfast. Louis bought a bottle of wine and they shared it on a bench outside the train station. Since they didn't have any glasses they had to drink it directly from the bottle. They both got tipsy and giggly.

After they have entered the train and shown their tickets they got ready for bed. Louis came crawling into Harry's bunk bed and laid them behind him. Harry didn't comment on it. He was exhausted after a day on the beach and fell asleep right away with Louis' arm around him while the train took them to Barcelona.