Lisboa

Lisbon (Lisboa) is a great place to visit.  Considering we only had 2 nights and 1.5 days, we managed to see a great deal of the city.  As mentioned in our last post, as soon as we arrived at the hotel it was shower, change clothes, lunch, and then off for a walking tour led by Sam and inspired by Rick Steeves.  The tour took us through many side streets leading us to great view points and small squares filled with tourists and locals alike enjoying the sunshine, refreshments and listening to local musicians.

These Two Joined Us For Our Walk

Lisbon, like many cities; is comprised of many neighbourhoods, with the oldest nearest the sea. The oldest neighbourhood is the Alfama.  This area survived the damage caused by a great earthquake years ago.  The Avenida Da Liberdade is the grand, tree-lined main avenue that runs through the city to the sea and is the main artery connecting all the parts.  Our hotel was just off the Avenida and only a few steps to the Metro.

The Alfama District 

Getting around is easy using public transport.  A Lisboa travel card can be purchased for 6eu and is good for all public transit for a 24-hour period.  It is good for the buses and the trolley streetcars.  The trolley cars were a highlight for us.  The system dates back to 1885 and I think much of the equipment is original.  There are lots of them and wait times are short.  There are also two steep-incline Funicular cars to carry folks up the steepest streets to access the fabulous views. 

Our stay involved lots of walking, watching street performers, enjoying Portuguese cuisine, drinking great coffee and quenching our thirsts with Super Bock beers.  Our only other visit to Lisbon was in November 2008 to watch our son play an international rugby game.  I must say that while this visit had many more tourists, the city itself was much more enjoyable with all the things that were going on.  I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

Oldest Continuous Beer Bar in Lisbon - 170 Yrs.

Daily Gelatos

The Pilgrims

I am writing this while riding the train to Porto. We are prepositioning for the start of the Camino bright and early Tuesday morning.

Lisbon to Porto - 3.5 Hours by Train.