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.
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These Two Joined Us For Our Walk
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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.
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The Alfama District
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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:
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Oldest Continuous Beer Bar in Lisbon - 170 Yrs.
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Daily Gelatos
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The Pilgrims
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I am writing this
while riding the train to Porto. We are prepositioning for the start of the
Camino bright and early Tuesday morning.
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Lisbon to Porto - 3.5 Hours by Train.
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