3 nights
Day 31 to 34
Lisboa, Portugal
Absolutely gobsmacked at the historical beauty of Lisbon. Docking in port at 4.30am we were confronted with a beautifully lit domed building and as the sun came up, the full landscape of this historic town came into view.
It is hard to describe Lisbon but the feeling of warmth, history and respect for the old buildings is prominent.
There are no skyscrapers, the roads are small cobblestones and the pavements are patterned with stone. This is not a town to wear high heels.
Buildings have a façade of uniform tiles and the buildings are exquisite. Our hotel room is on the 4th floor (no lift) but it looks over the square and we have a Juliet balcony. Makes up for the hike up the stairs.
Our Hotel is the Pensao Praca Da Fiqueira, very welcoming and only $30 a night with breakfast and maid service.
The food is delicious. We have had Pasteis de Nata ( Cream Pastry) OR Custard tart from Pasteis de Belem which boasts the best tarts in Portugal. Saedinha de la Algave which were fried Sardines and pastéis de bacalhau – codfish croquettes from the Croqueteria dos Melhores in the Mercado da Ribeine. Sounds exotic.
Getting onto an old tram to a destination unknown was fun. We just got off when the majority did and found Porta de Sol and the beautiful Church that was built in the 12th century.
A bus to Belen where the palace. The queue to get in was wide as the building itself. Instead, we visited the maritime museum which was full of history from Magellan’s and Vasco De Gama’s time. Portugal was quite a powerful naval force in the 15th and 16th century. Brought back some of the stuff we learnt at school.
Drove to Sintra with our friends Nicole and Michael from the Isle of Lewis. Sintra is a resort town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains about from Lisbon. As it was a favourite of the royalty, it is absolutely packed with palaces and chalets.
We visited the Castelo dos Mouros and walked over the very “Chinese Great Wall” looking fortress.
Last day in Portugal. It is a great place. We will miss the swallows, the tiles, the cobblestones, the croquettes, the sardines and those delicious custard tarts!
Off to Spain tomorrow!
Two Travelling Bags 