Tuesday 19th May: Lisbon

Today we visited Belem neighbourhood, which is a town about 4 miles west of Lisbon and is famous for its monastery. We decided to get there for when the monastery opened but we weren't the only people with that idea and we had to queue for half an hour before we got in!

Our next stop in Belem was to view the 'monument of the discoveries' which was built to celebrate the Portugueses discoveries in the 15th and 16th century.

Monument of the discoveries

Our final stop in Belem was the bakery where they invented the portuguese custard tart - apparently these are the best you can get so we didn't try them anywhere else and they were definitely worth the wait - delicious!

Man behind eyeing up my tarts!

After a three day heatwave the temperature dropped dramatically today and didn't even reach 70 degrees - and it was VERY windy! So of course this is the day we decide to visit the seaside! We jumped on a train which took us along the Lisbon coast to Cascais. It was a lovely little town but it was so windy we were either having sand blown in our face or nearly being blown off in to the sea! We had a walk around the historical town and marina, and also stopped to look round a stately home.

This evening we went to a Portuguese restaurant but we weren't very impressed - the food was ok but the service was very slow and we were there over 2 hours!

 

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Monday 18th May: Lisbon

As it was going to be another hot day we got up early again - our first stop was Castelo de Sao Jorge which is situated on top of a hill overlooking Lisbon. Our choices of getting there were by tram (too crowded), walking (too knackering) or the cheats way, which was taking two lifts up the hill, although we did have to walk up the last bit up of the hill to get to the castle and we were sweaty messes by the time we got there (muttering to ourselves, between puffing and panting, that we were glad we didn't have to walk the whole way!).

Peter taking a rest outside the castle!

As we are at the highest point in Lisbon the views were amazing and we could see for miles. We enjoyed looking at the views and walking the ramparts around the castle.

We could hear peacocks calling but we couldn't see them, until we noticed one of them was up a very tall tree - I told Peter not to stand underneath it because, from that height, if it pooed it would knock you out!

The peacocks at the castle

We then walked down the hill, through the small streets and alleyways, to the cathedral. With so many small alleyways we were a bit lost and stopped to look at our map - a local, an old man, stopped to help and even though we weren't speaking the same language me shouting 'cathedral' at him, and lots of pointing and nodding, got us on our way and we soon got to our destination!

Typical street near the castle

The Se Cathedral

After lunch outside in one of the squares we had a look rounds the shops in the Chaido area, and visited the ruins of the Carmo Convent. The 1755 earthquake caused the church, which was the largest in Lisbon at the time, to collapse leaving the roofless building open to the sky all that remains of the arches and rubble that caved in on the congregation as they were attending mass.

The Carmo Convent

There is a small museum at the ruins which we had a look round and one of the items was a mummified girl which Peter said reminded him of me - the cheek!

Peter is the one at the back!

This evening we went to another tapas restaurant and had a very nice meal - it was more nouveau tapas (with a modern twist) but still very nice.

 

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Sunday 17th May: Lisbon

This morning we decided to get up and out early for two reasons: (1) because it was going to be nearly 90 degrees and we wanted to get out before it got really hot and (2) we wanted to ride one of the old trams which are very popular and get very full, so we thought we would beat the crowds going early.

At 9am we were waiting at the tram stop for the tram to arrive and we could not believe it when it pulled up and it was packed with people! It was so full that we had to squeeze on right next to the driver. The driver then pulled up at the next stop for even more people to get on, shouting for everyone to move down so it wasn't the most comfortable journey!

The trams are notorious for pick pockets so we were both very conscious of our surroundings - so when a group of surly looking men started pushing through the tram trying to get through to the back and causing a commotion we knew straight away what they were doing - I leaned over to Peter and said 'pickpockets' and he nodded and then a local turned to me and Peter and nodded too. The next stop the tram cleared out, including the pickpockets, and for the rest of the journey we managed to sit down and it was a lot nicer experience!

Once we off the tram we walked up to one of the many viewing points of the city.

Miradouro da Graca viewpoint

On the way to our next stop we came across this mural - there are a lot of murals (and graffiti) in Lisbon.

We then walked to the Sao Vicente da Fora Monastery - were there for over and hour as it was huge and there were lots of different areas to go and explore, including the bell tour, which was quite a hike up loads of stairs and we didn't think the view was as good as the viewpoint we had just been too!

The monastery

The monastery was very quiet with few visitors so it felt very peaceful. We visited the crypt where there were a number of tombs dating back to the 17th century and when we first walked in I thought we were seeing a ghost and it scared me to death - see the photo below!

Eek a ghost!

When we got closer we could tell it was a statue but it was a bit eerie. I said to Peter I hope it isn't one of those people who pretend they are statues in the street and then move when you get close! If it had of been I think I would have run out screaming!

Panic over - it's a statue!

We then walked to the Pantheon and had a look in there.

The Pantheon

We then started to walk back through the Alfama district which is the oldest district in Lisbon. Alfama is built on a side of a hill and a walk through the old-fashioned residential neighborhood is like stepping back in time, giving you a glimpse of the more traditional side of Lisbon. It is a village within a city, made up of narrow cobblestoned streets, tiny squares, churches, and whitewashed houses with tile panels and wrought-iron balconies adorned with pots of flowers, drying laundry, and caged birds - we even came across a bird that would say Hola to anyone walking by!

One of the streets in Alfama

Saturday 16th May: Lisbon

After an uneventful flight with Easyjet we landed in Lisbon around 12:30, and by the time we got out of the airport and travelled on the metro we arrived in central Lisbon around 2pm.

We are renting an apartment for our stay right in the centre of Lisbon, although it is down a side road so it is pretty quiet, but close to all the sights and restaurants.

Stylish living room

Our bedroom

After unpacking we went to explore the area - Lisbon is really hilly so one minute it is flat, then you turn the corner and you have to walk up a steep road!

We walked down to Praca do Comercio Square, which was close to the River Tagus, and stopped at an outdoor cafe for a drink - it is very hot here at the moment so combine the heat with hills and it's thirsty work!

Praca do Comercio

Elevator de Santa Justa

In the evening we went in to the Barrio Alto area, which is the party district of Lisbon! We wandered around the streets taking in the atmosphere of the area - it is a very old area with lovely buildings and small streets, and it was already buzzing with people at 8pm. We stopped at a little tapas bar which was down an alley, with the tables very close together on the steps of the alleyway, so we were very close to our neighbours but it added to the atmosphere! On the way back to our apartment we stopped off at an outdoor cafe to watch the street performers - we were hoping to get a coffee but we never did see the waiter!

 

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