[Sat 5/20 - Tue 5/23]
We drove into Lisbon midday Thursday, dropped our bags at our Airbnb - near the Tagus River and the Arco da Rua Augusta - then Karri and I returned our rental car while Thomas and Caroline wandered the city. We took the scenic route walking back to the Airbnb, hoping to get our bearings.
Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake (and subsequent tsunami) in 1755. It was quickly rebuilt, but the formerly winding streets of the city center were replaced by a grid, including several grand avenues and squares. It's a beautiful - and very busy - capital city.
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| Statue of Marquês de Pombal - chief minister to the king in the 1700's |
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| Tree-lined Avenida de Liberdade |
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Statue at the center of Plaza Dom Pedro IV
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| Arco da Rua Augusta, near the riverfront - and our hotel |
We spent the afternoon wandering around various neighborhoods and taking in the sights, then met up with Thomas and Caroline for a cocktail before heading to a nearby tapas bar for dinner. We were all pretty tired - with a full day ahead on Sunday - so had a relatively early night.
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| A travel podcast recommended we try sardines - pretty tasty! |
Karri had booked an all-day walking tour with a private tour guide for Sunday. We met Theresa at 9:15am Sunday outside
Jerónimos Monastery, a large, gothic cathedral - and one of the most visited attractions in Lisbon. There was already a long line of people waiting for the museum to open at 10, but pre-arranged tour groups can enter at 9:30 and Theresa had a friend holding a spot for us at the front of the line, so we were the first 5 people allowed in - nice!
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| Hallways surrounding the main courtyard |
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| 20 minutes later the arches were packed with people |
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| Dining hall - easy to imagine 16th century monks silently dining here |
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| The crowds waiting to get in as we were leaving |
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| Neighboring cathedral - we caught a quick glimpse between Sunday masses |
After the monastery and cathedral, we walked a couple blocks for a mid-morning snack - the famous Pastel de Nata - from Theresa's favorite bakery, Manteigaria. While we were sitting outside enjoying our treats, we heard a marching band approach - turned out to be the once-per-month changing of the guard ceremony at the neighboring
National Palace of Belem.
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| Marching band and honor guard |
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| Changing of the guard ceremony |
From there, we walked to the nearby waterfront to see a couple more attractions.
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| Tower of Belem - one time guard tower turned prison |
We walked the riverfront a while, then caught an Uber to the city center and
Time Out Market Lisbon - a beautiful, massive food court with amazing food options - for lunch.
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| Time Out Market |
After lunch, we walked a nearby neighborhood taking in a few more sights, then finished up the tour behind the Nacional Theatre, near plaza Dom Pedro IV.
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| Appropriately named Pink Street - popular nightlife spot |
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| Capping off the tour with a ginjinha - cherry liqueur |
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| With our wonderful guide, Theresa |
After the great tour, Thomas and Caroline went back to the room to relax a bit while Karri and I pressed on, checking out another neighborhood we hadn't yet explored before heading back to clean up for dinner. We had an 8pm reservation at
Boa Bao - owned by a relative of Thomas and Caroline's friend Fara. It's a popular spot that doesn't take reservations... unless you know someone, apparently.
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| A popular way to avoid a steep hill climb |
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| Menu at Boa Bao... and my darling |
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| Pork belly boa - so good |
We had a great meal that lasted nearly 3 hours (European style) and were all exhausted by the end of it. Headed back home and to bed, with an early alarm set to, sadly, send Thomas and Caroline off to the airport for their flight home. Monday morning we said our goodbyes and sent them off in an Uber, then went back to sleep for a bit, enjoyed a leisurely morning, then headed out to brunch and to explore some more.
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| Brunch feast at Basilio - right next to our Airbnb |
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| View from Miradouro de Santa Luzia - with thunderstorm blowing in |
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It started to drizzle - and looked like it might pour, so we ducked into a wine bar for impromptu happy hour.
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| Traditional braised pork cheek appetizer and a red wine from the Duoro Valley |
Afterward, we walked a bit more, but were pretty much wiped out, so went back to the room to unwind - only to feel the gravitational pull of the couch. Ended up grabbing a small pizza and salad and watching some TV, then heading to bed.
Tuesday morning we went for a quick walk before packing up and checking out of the Airbnb. We stored our bags at a tourism office, went back to Basilio for brunch(!), then walked the Alfama neighborhood - one of the few we hadn't yet explored.
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| Praça do Comércio on the waterfront |
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| Narrow alley in Alfalma |
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| Street market behind St Vincent Church |
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| More beautiful tile work |
We headed back to grab our bags and hopped in a taxi to the airport - sad that our time in Portugal was coming to an end but excited for the final leg of our trip in Ireland.
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