*Better late than never! Here are blog posts I never got around to publishing during my adventure. Taking advantage of my first “staycation” since 2017, I finally get a chance to share these stories with all of you.*
Day: 51- 61 Km Travelled: 366.36km Steps: 89 959 Location: Lisbon, Portugal
October 27- November 6, 2017
My visit to Northern Portugal had been a smashing success and I was looking forward to exploring the southern city of Lisbon. The luxury of time that this trip afforded me was made evident with the first few days of my arrival: I fell ill! Nothing serious, but a slight fever kept me in bed for 2 days, thus I made the most of it and extended my time in the city!
The Portuguese capital, with its 3 million citizens is one of the oldest cities in the world – even older than Rome! This historic city was ruled by many different groups whose influence is still highly visible; most notably the Moors who ruled the city until the first King of Portugal, Afonzo I reconquered the city during the Crusades of 1147.
In 1755, a devastating earthquake destroyed most of the city and its landmarks, leaving only the Amalfa district relatively intact.
Praça do Comércio
Lisbon is widely known as the ‘City of 7 Hills’, for good reasons! Much like another ancient city (Rome), seven major hills mark the city’s landscape – meaning that you are either walking up or down hill all the time. All. The. Time. I’m all for exercising while travelling (counteracts all the amazing food there is to eat) but sometimes, enough is enough.
Clearly, at some point in history (1873 to be precise), the Alfacinha (Lisbon residents – don’t ask me why!!), felt the same because they came up with the quaint yellow trams that are still in existence today. Even though, today, they are mostly a tourist attraction, taking a ride is still a definite must for all visitors (and a leg saver!).
St Georges Castle
Sao Jorge Castle is an 11th century moorish castle nestled on top of the city’s highest hill. It served as the city’s principle fortification, having been occupied by the Phoenicians, Romans, and Moors, amongst others.
Walking the ramparts of the stone castle provides one of the best views of Lisbon!
And of course, no visit to St Georges would be complete without spending a bit of time with the locals: the peacocks! There’s a little cafe in the courtyard of the fortress and one does not have to sit long before the resident birds come on by. Adults and juveniles, males and females, it’s a colour feast for the eyes!
Santa Justa Lift
As Lisbon is the city of never ending hills, the best way to appreciate it is from above. Luckily, intrepid residents have an answer for that: lifts! Literally, these are elevators in the middle of the city! This one takes visitors 45m up for a panoramic view. Built in 1902, it also connects the lower streets with Carmo Square higher up.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
As Lisbon is one of the world’s oldest cities, much of the world’s history is intertwined with the city’s. For much of the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese explorer dominated the seas and discovered much of the world previously unknown to the Europeans. However, Portugal was too small to be able to dominate, colonize and defend all territories against the other European powers. Territories such as Greenland, Newfoundland and Australia were discovered by the Portuguese and colonized by other peoples.
Located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery.
Portuguese cuisine
My favourite part of travelling is by far the food (and drink!) and Lisbon did not disappoint! If the north of Portugal is about port, the south is all about sangria. And when the sangria is less expansive than water, well, ‘when in Rome’ as they say!
I also discovered a love for the famous local pastry: the Pastel de nata.
Pastel de nata is an egg tart, created in the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery (These monks were originally based in France where these pastries could be found in local bakeries. At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching clothes, such as nuns’ habits. It was quite common for monasteries and convents to use the leftover egg yolks to make cakes and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes throughout the country. – Wikipedia)
Simply, it’s super delicious!
Another local treat are roasted chestnuts. Well, technically, they’re not exclusive to Portugal as they are found on most European street corners, as a popular winter street food. This was, however, my first time trying them. It was also my first time trying one of my father’s favourite treats: sardines! Sitting on the edge of the Atlantic, you can imagine that many dishes are created from the sea. The sardine, itself, is so loved that there is a month long festivals dedicated to this tiny fish! I had only encountered sardines in a can (billionaires, anyone?) however these were tiny imitation of the Portuguese version! These monsters were more small fish than sardine, often served grilled, either on bread or straight on the plate. I chose the bruschetta version, headless of course! It was honestly, delicious! And no trip to Lisbon would be complete without visiting the over the top sardine store, Fundo Fantastico da Sardinha Portuguesa! Part store, part circus, they offer speciality tins designated by different years – the point is to buy a tin with a significant date, ie birth year, wedding anniversary, etc.
My time in Lisbon was thoroughly enjoyable, except for one thing: Portuguese pavement!
These ornate stone patterns can be found dotting sidewalks all over the city. Dating back centuries, the stones continue to be painstakingly laid down by hand, even today. While beautiful and intricate, they are, however, incredibly slippery!
One evening, in the first few days of my arrival in Lisbon, as I was walking back to my hotel along the Avenida da Liberdade (Portuguese for “Avenue of Liberty”) – which happens to be an important boulevard, famous as one of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe- I slipped. My TOMs may be my favourite walking shoes, but they offer little in terms of traction on the slick stones, worn smooth by the years.
I can tell you that the group of old Portuguese men on the street corner found it very amusing. I, on the other hand, not so much…
All in all, I had a delightful time in Lisbon. And what better way to end my time in Portugal than by enjoying the sun set over the Atlantic ocean.
