Woohoo, beach time! I will say I didn't do too much research on Portugal before the trip, except reading and rereading the sections on the Algarve from Rick Steves' book. He's a genius, that Rick. We had made it to the Algarve the night before, but our first day began once we arrived at our first beach.
... And that first beach was Praia da Falesia Albufeira. Most of the beaches required a steep walk down from overlooking cliffs, this being one of those beaches. We were happy standing and staring out at the ocean, marveling at the bright red cliffs and dozens of beach goers even in October.
Next stop was Praia da Marinha! There is a walk along the cliffs called the Seven Hanging Valleys Walk (about 5.7 kilometers each way). Determined, I set out, even though I was still hobbling. Elisa was super nice to help me down into a few crevices, but ultimately the path became too treacherous for someone with a bad ankle. However, we walked about a kilometer down and caught some amazing views. The natural archways and carved out grottos hid behind towering multi-layered sea stacks that jutted out of the ocean.
We drove to Lagos (pronounced Lagosh) and checked into our weird little room (Airbnb directions are wonky sometimes). After a long day in the sun we needed ice cream, so we set out into town to find our cold treat. Not many people were out and many things were closed, but enough of downtown was open for us to wander through and look into the shops. Lots of retired folks having dinner, many of them English.
The next morning we checked out of our room and drove to Salema. Rick (Steves) recommended Salema as one of his favorite places in the Algarve and I couldn't agree more. The weather was perfect and many families were found frolicking in the waves. I jumped in the water for a dip, the water was perfect after the initial chill wore off and the water was crystal clear with only a slight undertow.
After the swim, we walked down the beach where the boats and fishing equipment were stored. I even spied some of the clay pots fishermen use to catch octopus in!
Cape Sagres was next on the list. This small peninsula is home to Sagres Fort and Navigation School where Henry the Navigator began the "Age of Discovery," or the time when Dias, Magellan, and Vasco de Gama ruled the seas. The Portuguese are extremely proud of their navigation and exploration background, and that makes them, AWESOME. So it was very cool to visit this site (although the school had been destroyed in the 1755 earthquake which basically destroyed Lisbon).
We hustled on down to Cape St. Vincent (which you can see from Cape Sagres). Which is where we saw... The Last Hot Dog Stand Until America. Solid.
Next stop, and final stop of the Portugal tour... LISBON. We turned in the car at the airport and stopped in Starbucks so Elisa could try the mocha (she likes to try them in different countries to compare - Portugal = good mocha). I decided it was time to say farewell to Gandalf and thought he blended in well with the decor at Starbucks. So, that is where he is... and where he will stay, forever. Adios amigo!
We took the metro to our next apartment, thankfully somewhere we would be staying for a few nights. I love being a turtle (wearing my house on my back) but settling in for a few days is a super treat. Isabel showed us around our attic apartment and it is the cutest Airbnb I'd ever seen. We LOVED this place. (Anyone ever goes to Lisbon, let me know, this place was affordable, very close to the metro, and perfect for a week trip if you're cool with stairs.) At this point my ankle was all but healed which was excellent, so many places in Lisbon I would not have been able to (or wanted to) access with that handicap.
First day in Lisbon started off with a bang. E & I had decided to take Rick's advice and do the first walking tour in his book - for the Bairro Alto and Chiado stroll. There are three walking tours total for Lisbon in his book, we attempted the other two the following days. But first... breakfast and dealing with the ENORMOUS... uh... bee? that decided to rest on (and possibly make sweet love to) the umbrella on our terrace.
Our apartment was a few blocks from the metro stop at the Marques de Pombal.
Once downtown, we had to figure out how to get to the starting point of our first neighborhood walk. This trolley seemed to be an option to reach the top of the hill, but it just stood there and so we walked (and beat it up the hill).
The first stop was the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara (Miradouro means viewing point in Portuguese). Amazing views of the entire city and a glimpse of the ocean through the haze.
Next stop, Sao Roque Church, a Jesuit church with wooden ceilings. Acoustics are supposed to be incredible in this building, but we didn't hear any music while we were there. I think what stood out to me were all the baby heads surrounding Mary.
Time for lunch and a beer at Cervejaria da Trindade, oldest beer hall in Lisbon. This place became a brewery after the monks were expelled in 1834. Interesting to see how easy it was to enter and walk around taking pictures while people were eating, the staff didn't seem to care. But it was a good stop to eat and to try some of the beer - I tasted the Imperial Sagres, two thumbs up.
We sauntered downhill to the Largo do Carmo where the Carnation Revolution took place in 1974. The Carnation Revolution occurred when the Portuguese people ended the revolution (to end the reign of dictator Salazar) peacefully by placing carnations in the soldiers' rifles.
Next stop was Cafe A Brasileiria, a quirky nod to the 1920s and 30s when it was a literary and cultural hotspot for writers, artists, and musicians.
After window shopping for a bit, we weaved through the streets towards the Praca do Comercio.
I had hoped to view the sunset from the castle, at the top of the city, but we had already agreed it wasn't worth the money to enter. Instead we slowly made our way towards Clube de Fado where we had reservations for dinner and a show.
The fado music was probably my favorite memory of our time in Lisbon. The music is so moving and emotional, I couldn't take my eyes off them. See the empty chairs next to us? That's where the musicians sat. We had two guitarists and a stand-up base player along with a rotation of four singers that came in throughout dinner for a few songs each.
On Day 2, we decided to hitch the train to Sintra, a neighboring town, northwest of Lisbon. This is where the royals would vacation. Sintra was hands down the most recommended place to visit by friends who heard about my Portugal trip, so I knew we had to make it out there.
Because our time was short, we decided to skip the Sintra National Palace and instead see the Pena National Palace and the Moorish Castle ruins. The site of the Pena National Palace was initially a chapel (in the Middle Ages), then a monastery, before being reduced to rubble during the 1755 earthquake. In 1838, King Ferdinand II decided to transform the ruins into a palace for the royal family. Once the monarchy was abolished, the palace was classified as a national monument and has been ever since.
We visited on a very cloudy, misty day. It was actually kind of neat to see the castle this way, although our views weren't as good - very romantic and spooky at the same time. The palace looks like Disneyland with the turrets and range of architectural themes from Romantic to Gothic, and even some Islamic influence.
Our favorite tiles of the entire trip were in the courtyard of the palace, there was something very unique about them.
Once we peaked through the Pena Palace grounds, we walked down to the Moorish Castle ruins. The original castle was constructed by the Moors in the 8th century and then changed hands numerous times (always used as more of a fortress because of its key location for spotting approaching enemies) until being completely rebuilt by the Portuguese.
We returned home on the train, tired but happy. The next day we slept in a bit and then decided to walk into the city rather than take the metro via the Avenida da Liberdade.
The Baixa neighborhood walking tour begins at the Praca dos Restauradores which is near the Rossio train station. The obelisk in the center of the square celebrates Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640.
Just around the corner we found the ginjinha! This Portuguese ginger liquor (not ginger for the taste, more for the color and pronunciation) is made from the ginja berry (tastes like sour cherries). There are a few stores that only sell shots and bottles of the stuff, and I did partake. They even include a berry or two into the shot.
Praca do Rossio is the cultural heart of the city. I loved the two fountains that flanked the oblong square.
We continued to meander through the streets as we had the first day in Lisbon. It was raining most of the day so every now and again we dashed in a shop to dry off and see if there was anything else to buy. Heat lamps flamed in the center of the boulevards next to overeager waiters vying for our business.
We walked all the way to the river, through the arch and then continued along the water. There was a great view of the 25 de Abril suspension bridge (named the April 25th Bridge in commemoration of the Carnation Revolution). Ferry boats, steamers, tugboats, and cruisers zoomed and chugged past us. A swarm of fish gulped flies on the surface of the water as gulls swooped down to grab them - it was a rat race!
Waiters and tourists crowded around televisions in the restaurants to watch the local futbol game. We settled in for our last meal together, at Cafe de Santiago (how fitting) near the Rossio Train Station. The waiter brought out the good cheese to tempt us, and I couldn't resist. I also wanted to try something different from all the cod I had been eating and chose sea bass. I am not lying, that was the best grilled fish I have ever had. Afterwards we walked around in the rain looking for gelato but couldn't find anything, so we settled for ice cream and... yes a pastry. :)
The next morning Elisa left for the airport, she flew out the day before me. I was sad to see her go! We had a great time together, catching up and touring Portugal together.
On my last day in Lisbon, last day in Portugal, last day in Europe... I decided to spend it seeing my friends, the fishes. Lisbon has the largest indoor aquarium in Europe and I was not going to miss that! The aquarium (or Oceanarium as they call it) was in a totally different part of town, at the site of Expo '98.
The aquarium is truly spectacular, I spent a total of five hours wandering around (and eating a lunch pastry of course). Inside the permanent exhibit there is a humongous main fish tank at the center of the building (two floors high) holding around 100 species of fish from around the world including the enormous and impressive Ocean Sunfish.
Surrounding the main tank are four areas dedicated to the Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean, each with an above water level floor and under water level floor (to see the birds/plants, and of course the fish).
The aquarium also hosted a temporary exhibit called Florestas Submersas (Forests Underwater) by Takashi Amano (a famous Japanese aquascaper - what a cool title!). When I first walked into the exhibit I was a bit disappointed once I realized it was one room with three sides. But then I sat down and took it in and stayed for over an hour. Amano had created a masterpiece.
The aquarium had been designed using Wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic that defines beauty as impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete. This exhibit opened in January 2015 and had changed significantly since that date. The plants and fish had changed, grown, morphed to create something different than how it started. LIVING. ART. Mind blown.
90 people from 6 countries worked together to build this exhibit - the largest nature aquarium in the world. It took 78 tree trunks from Scotland and Malaysia, 25 tons of volcanic rock from the Azores Islands, 86 species of aquatic plants and fish, and 4 tons of sand for the final product.
As you sit and watch the water ripple, the plants sway, and the fish swim around in zig zags, beautiful instrumental music is played in the background. I sat and just stared, it was like meditating.
I hurried back to the metro in the rain and then got off at the wrong exit at my stop, leaving me wandering around the Marques de Pombal looking in vain for a street I could recognize. It didn't bother me too much, I just enjoyed the rain, the walk, and my last night in Lisbon.
The next day I was leaving, heading back to America, to Boston. I had such an amazing time in Portugal - the food (I love pastry!... and lamp!), the fado music, the people, the churches, the landscape. It is a very special place and I hope to return one day. But for now, I will say Tchau to Portugal and head home.
