So here I am at the tail end of September trying to remember what we did in Lisbon way back in May. The summer has been crazy. It's actually been warm(ish) here in Dublin, Michelle and I have been traveling all over Europe, and as usual, working like crazy.
What do I remember about Lisbon? Great food, friendly people, nice wine, warm weather, amazing architecture, impressive castles, beautiful countryside, and idyllic beaches. We packed a lot into a 3 day weekend but barely scratched the surface of Portugal.
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| Beach side park, those are actually benches. |
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| Typical street in Lisbon. Totally reminded us of San Francisco with the hills. |
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| Another reminder of San Francisco |
Upon arriving in Lisbon, we headed up the hill around the corner from our apartment to Castelo de Sao Jorge. This place has an amazing view across the city and as usual an impressive history. Originally a fortress dating back to the 2nd century BC. The buildings today are a 16th century Moorish castle.
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| View from the Castle over the water. |
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| I always revert back to a 10 year old kid when I see cannons. |
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| Michelle is not posing at all... She naturally stands like this in Moorish doorways. |
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| In the main castle grounds. |
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| Michelle keeping watch up on the castle wall. |
We spotted a market in a square from the top of the castle and decided to make our way down to find a snack. Lisbon is a great city to wander. The side streets can be so quaint with tiled buildings and mosaic sidewalks.
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| Lisbon is filled with small side streets. |
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| And main streets snaking up hills. |
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| These purple trees where everywhere, they almost look fake. |
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| The tiled ground had different designs all around the city |
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| beautiful squares and buildings |
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| Tile was everywhere, it was so detailed and beautiful |
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| Lot's of tiles from the buildings |
When we made it down the hill we were rewarded with one of many cheap
local beers, delicious plates of meat, cheese and bread. We made a
couple of return trips to this weekend market.
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| The weekend market |
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| Drinks, and waiting for the snacks |
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| Not a bad lunch |
That night we went to a fancy tasting menu dinner at 100 Maneros is the very hip and lively Barrio Alto. Of course the neighborhood was quiet even when we went to dinner at 10:00, but when we left just after midnight the streets were so packed you could barely walk.
Dinner was nice, we tried to take pictures of all 8 courses but forgot on a few. While we loved every dish and the atmosphere, neither of us where blown away. The highlight for me was definitely the octopus below and the first dessert course (served on a log).
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| All sorts of seafood on this plate, the octopus is on the far left |
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| dessert on a log |
The next day we took the train outside of Lisbon to Sintra, a small town with a big palace above it. This is a great side trip for the day from Lisbon and definitely recommended. On the way up we stopped at another Moorish castle. This particular castle was very well preserved and of course with amazing views.
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| The walls were really cool, and we walked along them all |
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| Just a few steps to the top... |
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| It was a beautiful view |
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| Our next stop was that castle in the background |
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| One last shot of the castle wall |
We finally made it to Pena Palace and saw what all the fuss was about. Talk about baller status. This royal escape is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most impressive buildings I have seen. Very much a fairy tail sort of building.
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| Gates leading up to the palace. |
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| The whole facade of this part was tiled |
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| It was hard to get it all in 1 photo |
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| Crazy statue watching over the doorway |
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| Nice sea view from one of the verandas. |
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| View from the Queen's balcony. |
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| The both of us up on the Queen's balcony. |
Behind, beneath, and around the palace there are the Palace Grounds. This has to be one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. They are kept up very well and feature changing scenes as you make your way down hill.
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| Entrance to the forest, it was a nice break from the sun |
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| black swans! |
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| That's me, taking it all in. |
That night we cruised over to the waterfront to check out a few sites before dinner. The big monument behind me is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos which is to remember Portugal's many explorers and discoveries.
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| Did you notice the Golden Gate looking bridge in the back? |
Then down the waterfront the Torre de Belem, which of course was closed but cool to see anyways.
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| Saturday night in Lisbon. |
Sunday was our beach day which is always my favorite day. We took the train about 30 minutes up the coast to a great beach town. Unfortunately it was overrun with kids and some carnival.
Fortunately for us a 10 minute cab ride later we found the perfect mellow beach. Soft sand, warm sun, no giant Sponge Bob, much more our scene.
The beach was perfect and super chill. The only thing around us was a little beach shack that we very welcomed when my now sun starved sort of Irish skin needed a break and a cold beer.
After the beach we made our way back into the main town to the train station and actually went back in the water. We couldn't resist.
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| Seaside selfie. |
That night we went to Cervejaria Ramiro, one of the best seafood meals I've ever had. This place is small, in a random neighborhood with not much around it. No reservations and the line gets out the door and down the block. We got there early enough to get seated right away.
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| Me about to be real happy |
We sipped a great bottle of "green wine" which is basically a fruity white wine that goes well with seafood, really popular in Portugal. The starters were incredible. We had amazing garlic clams and butter shrimp. Cooked very simply and of course as fresh as can be.
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| Yum. |
After the starters we shared a delicious crab. Again, cooked simply, super fresh and incredibly delicious. We were both blown away by the food and loved the atmosphere. The staff were really nice and there is a good mix of locals and tourists. Since the restaurant is not in the main tourist area and the line is pretty daunting, you really need to wan to eat here to end up at a table. Well worth the trip and highly recommended if you find yourself in Lisbon.
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| Michelle getting her crab on. |
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| That crab never stood a chance! |
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| Michelle outside the restaurant after dinner, the line was massive when we left. |
The next day we flew out pretty early so we couldn't do much. We took a walk up to a nice view point from the top of Parque Eduardo VII before our flight back to Dublin.
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| View from the top, down the main boulevard, all the way out to the water. |
The great thing about living in Dublin is that we can easily escape to warmer climates and spend a few days exploring a new city and country. The tough part is that on trips like these we only see a small part of such an amazing place. Portugal is definitely on our list to return to and we would love to see some more of the country. When we do go back though, we'll be looking for the same sun, wine, food, and friendly people that we found in Lisbon.
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Last shot of the trip before heading back to Dublin and to cooler climates...
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