We just returned last night from a quick, four-day trip to Lisbon to celebrate mr_go’s 50th birthday. Given that it was a short (too short) trip, we won’t do a day-by-day report but will share some thoughts on the various things we saw and experienced. This will probably be a tag-team effort over a few days, depending on who is most easily distracted from work. Photos will be coming later, hopefully within a week.
Preface: The surprise
Sometime last summer, DD (age 19) and I began discussing what to do for mr_go’s 50th birthday in early January. We had no good ideas for “things” to get him and decided pretty quickly that what we’d like to do what we enjoy most as a family—travel somewhere and explore a place we've never been (of note, we also realized this potentially would be our one and only chance for the three of us to travel as a family during all of 2013). But given the holidays and work/school schedules, we would be limited to about 4-5 days.
So where? We are not really beach people and preferred a “city” trip to typical winter destinations in the Caribbean, etc. (at least for this event). Given that parameter, you have to go pretty far afield from Chicago in January to find a city that was “new” for us and where the weather would be “nice enough.”
Balancing weather considerations and travel time to get there, we identified three finalists: Lisbon, Barcelona and Buenos Aires. I did some research on each as time permitted over the next few months. Although it was clearly the best weather option, I eventually eliminated Buenos Aires—it would be more expensive to get there and would involve overnight flights on both ends of the trip….probably too tiring for a short trip squeezed in between holiday travel and being back and ready to work on January 7.
The other two involved a calculated risk re: the weather. Temps wouldn't be a problem, but rain would certainly impact the experience. More research….and it eventually came down to gut feel (we seriously could have gone either way, and I’m sure he would have enjoyed both equally as much). Lisbon it was. I booked flights back in mid-October and began looking into accommodations.
Then, there was the small matter of keeping this a secret so it would be a nice birthday surprise. We had to tell our respective families in the context of making other plans to get together for Christmas/New Year’s. And I notified his boss, so the few days off wouldn't be a big surprise. In the midst of all this, I also had to get some passport things done (mine renewed, his sent in for more pages). Somehow, though, we managed to keep it all a secret—with plans to tell him a week or two before so he wasn't heading off to Lisbon completely unprepared.
On the evening of December 22, we were at O’Hare—headed to Phoenix to see my mother for Christmas. As we descended the escalator into the underground walkway between the B and C concourses, he looks at a big United ad and says “Gee, I really wish I was going somewhere for fun.” DD and I smiled at each other. Once we were in the United Club, we handed him a gift-wrapped Lisbon book to break the surprise. I was a little nervous—in the time since booking, it became apparent that both his schools, Georgia and Northwestern, would be playing in New Year’s Day bowl games. He was clearly looking forward to those but would now miss them, as we would have to leave our house that morning. Fortunately, if there’s one thing he loves more than football, it's travel—so it was all well received 
Sunshine, ginjinha and an angry peacock: A surprise birthday trip to Lisbon
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The basics
We stayed in an apartment in the Bairro Alto area of Lisbon (more on that later) and generally spent our time as follows:
Day 1 (afternoon): Walking in Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa to get oriented
Day 2: Igreja do Carmo, Castelo de São Jorge, Alfama, Sé
Day 3: Sintra: Palácio Nacional, Palácio da Pena, Castelo dos Mouros
Day 4: Belém: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Museu de Marinha (maritime museum), Torre de Belém, Monument to the Discoveries, Praça do Império (gardens)
At least one more day would have been nice for a first visit, as we left quite a bit on the table. But we’ll take what we can get and now have a list of things for next time; surely we will be back as a jumping off point for visiting more of Portugal.
Thanks to everyone who shared input here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/surprise-trip-to-lisbon.cfm
More to come, but I need to get back to work for now.
Sounds like a wonderful surprise.
Looking forward to this! I just booked a ticket yesterday for a long weekend in Lisbon for mid April.
I'll be in Lisbon in May and will eagerly read about your experience!
I think you nailed it, what a great gift.
Signing on for the ride.
Thanks, everyone!
Sunshine…and brilliant blue skies
As noted, I knew that weather—and in particular, rain—was a risk. Wow, did we luck out. It was raining in Lisbon up through the day before our arrival; according to the caretaker for our apartment, it was pretty heavy on New Year’s Eve.
We did not see so much as a cloud until the last evening of our stay, after we were done visiting sites and taking photos, and even those late clouds passed over fairly quickly. What I’d read about Lisbon’s amazing blue winter skies was absolutely true! High temps were around 60F—not balmy, but a good bit warmer than Chicago. What more could we ask?
On the subject of weather, we also were very lucky with respect to our travel getting to and from Lisbon, with all four flights right on time. We all know that a lot could go very wrong with flights involving O’Hare and Newark this time of year (well, Newark was a bit of a chaotic mess, but that had nothing to do with the weather).
Accommodations
We usually collaborate quite a bit in researching and selecting places to stay, but this time I was doing it alone (DD was off at school and preoccupied by this point).
Two big decisions: area of Lisbon and hotel vs. apartment, priority on the former. After a lot of reading and research, I chose an apartment in the Bairro Alto neighborhood.
I suspect there isn't a clear-cut “best” area in which to stay, but we were very happy with the Bairro Alto. We are good walkers, and we found this a great, central location for getting everywhere we wanted to go. In fact, in central Lisbon, we never took taxis or public transportation, only trains to get to outlying areas like Sintra or Belém—and from here it was no more than a 10-15 minute walk to get to those trains.
There were some pretty good dining options within a few minutes’ walk of our apartment (one was literally right downstairs). With even more bars than restaurants, the area is a little “festive” late at night, and particularly so on Friday/Saturday nights. Aside from one specific screaming argument outside at 3 am, though, this didn't really keep us up (try as we may, we aren't the post-midnight party types). The Sunday-morning aftermath was a little amusing to look at:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p102751082/h51ac4064#h51ac4064
As an aside, we also were intrigued by the area of Baixa (I think) that is on the side of the hill leading up to the castle and also by Alfama (although it didn't seem quite as centrally located).
Our apartment is here, and we found it pretty much as advertised:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g189158-d1922338-Unique_Bairro_Alto_Duplex-Lisbon_Estremadura.html
Loads of space for three people. Recent and very modern renovation—in fact, some of the appliances were so high-tech we had to haul out the instruction manuals. Great plumbing/hot water and climate controls (not always a given in older buildings). Huge windows and nice views. With our better-than-expected weather, we were actually able to enjoy the roof deck a little in the afternoons. There’s a small grocery across the street and another larger one just a couple blocks away. We were very happy here and happy to recommend it, provided you can deal with the walk up (it is on the third and fourth floors) and the neighborhood is the right fit.
Wow...the apartment looks terrific!
The apartment was incredible, LCI... ms_go nailed that one, right out of the park. And when she says "loads of space for 3 people," that's a real understatement. It was immense (and really well-furnished).
The Bairro Alto neighborhood
Honestly, if we'd never ventured more than a half-mile from the front door of our building, I still would have had an excellent time. The Bairro Alto is a tight little grid of narrow streets in the center of town, packed with dozens and dozens of small restaurants, bars, shops, cafes and the like. In each of them, you will find a nice mix of local Lisboans and Portugese, plus tourists from all around the globe. And everyone has come there to find some good food and good fun!
The tiny size of most of these establishments is the primary source of their charm. They're warm and inviting, like wandering into someone's home. Individually, there is anything and everything you could want... but taken together as a whole, it's sort of like a smorgasbord. Not feeling like the fresh seafood place here? Try the Indian place next door. Tired of this caipirinha bar? Go ten yards across the street to the wine & cheese place.
Just to the south of this grid of streets is the Praça de Camões, a large open public square that serves as a convenient meeting place and the unofficial dividing point between Bairro Alto and the Chiado area, with its high-end shopping, fashionable storefronts and historic coffee-houses.
As much as we enjoyed the neighborhood, I have a feeling that someone in their 30s might enjoy it even more.
What a great place you found to stay! I love it when the neighborhood, the rental, and space all work out like you imagine. Good report.
Beautiful apartment! Looking forward to hearing more.
(As an aside re BA, while the flight is long, the same time zone means no jetlag which is great.)
So happy to be getting the rest of the story! We love Lisbon and Portugal, so thanks forall the info.
Thanks willowjane, yestravel and taconictraveler!
yestravel--I considered that about Buenos Aires, although it was the combo of long flights and cost (several hundred $ more per ticket) that squashed that idea...this time.
The angry peacock
For those who don't frequent the lounge and didn't see it there, here is the story of the angry peacock (or peahen, as was actually the case):
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodorite-lounge/trapped-in-the-ladies-room-jurassic-park-in-miniature-in-lisbon.cfm
One of our funniest travel moments ever!
We'll try add a few other things sometime today.
For those already familiar with the peacock story, but who might not have seen the photo, here it is (in all its ferocious glory):
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p102751082/h5145c9a0#h5145c9a0
The restaurants
We generally saved time and money on this trip during the daytime, eating breakfast in the apartment and stopping for quick sandwiches and snacks at lunchtime. At night, we stayed right in our own neighborhood for supper.
Our first dinner was about 3 or 4 blocks from the apartment, at Cantinho do Bem Estar. With glowing recommendations from Chowhound and the New York Times, this simple establishment had maybe 8 or 9 tables total... and they had to move tables and chairs around Rubik's Cube-style to let diners sit along the back wall. A man outside the front door, wearing a Chicago Bulls hat, ushered us inside and we found ourselves seated at the last remaining table (even though it was only 8:00, very early by Lisbon standards). Portions were generous, bordering on immense. ms_go enjoyed a huge plate of fresh prawns in a fragrant saffron sauce; DD could barely make a dent in her delicious slow-cooked veal in coriander sauce; and I feasted on a large, whole broiled cod. All of that food, plus a bottle of the house white, set us back only 56 euros. Not bad!
Dinner the second night was at 1o de Maio (1st of May), just around the corner from the apartment. This was also a tiny, homey place with a menu in Portugese only. While there, I overheard the waiter translating menu items in four different languages. ms_go and I went for grilled octopus and squid (respectively), while DD enjoyed a roast pork dish. It was decent, unpretentious fare and along with the house white and a Coke it was under 50 euros.
On our third night, we didn't feel like a full meal. So we ducked into a cozy neighborhood winebar called Grapes & Bites for some wine, cheese and cured meat nibbles and live music. More info to come in the "Drinking & Celebrating" section (stay tuned). ms_go considers this to be her favorite meal of the trip, even though it was not really a restaurant.
Our last dinner was at As Salgadeiras, literally next door to our apartment building. It was a slightly more upscale place, but seemed worth the extra cost. The atmosphere is very warm and comfy. I enjoyed a delicious grilled grouper dish, ms_go had the 'Minho-style' octopus, and DD had a terrific beef fillet served with a creamy peppercorn sauce. I don't remember the cost of this meal... perhaps ms_go can recall.
Dinner at As Salgadeiras was about €105.
http://assalgadeiras.no.sapo.pt/en/index.html
The bill at Grapes & Bites was about the same. While it wasn't really a "restaurant meal," we had plenty to eat over about 2.5 hours there--large cheese and meat platter, octopus salad, stuffed peppers and some sinful chocolate thing for dessert!--in addition to the "drinking and celebrating" part.
http://www.grapesandbites.com/
All the meals above sound great and definitely the kinds of places I'd like to give a try. Thanks for posting the links to the restaurant and wine bar.
A question for you. From their website, it looks like Grapes & Bites might be a good place for an "aperitivo" drink. When mom and I travel we like to have a glass (or 2) of wine before dinner. Based on your experience would you say Grapes & Bites may be a good spot for that?
LowCountryIslander, I'd say so. Not everyone was eating or spending 2+ hours there like we did!
They have a HUGE wine list (see the website...nine pages of reds, alone!). Servers can make recommendations. You'll probably end up wanting to try more than one glass
LCI: I'd agree with my LW, with one caveat... it's a small place with live music. When we were there, it was a guy & his guitar playing acoustic versions of 70s and 80s rock hits. Fine by me, but I'm pretty sure my mom would like it less.
Thanks mr_&ms_go. I did check out the wine list at Grapes & Bites...WOW! I think I'm going to have to put in some "major study time" on the wine regions of Portugal before my May trip! LOL
Just so I know what the heck to order!
Mr_go...maybe I'll have to swing by the place to check things out before plunging my mom into a pre-dinner wine with 70's & 80's rock tunes...but then again, she's usually willing to "roll with the punches" when it comes to places for having wine...maybe we just need to up the number of glasses we consume!
maybe we just need to up the number of glasses we consume!
I fully endorse this sentiment.
And with that in mind...
Drinking and celebrating
No matter how you slice it, turning the life-odometer to a nice, round number is always cause for hearty celebration. And I'm never one to shy away from opportunities to discover the local poison when we travel.
As I said before, most of the bars & cafes in the Bairro Alto are friendly little small-scale establishments. Each has its own character and some have live music (of barying quality). On our first night, we ducked into one of these for just a quick drink (and DD was able to try a White Russian for the first time in her young life). But on our second night, we stopped into a really small place on Rua da Atalaia that looked interesting, and was deserted. (We believe the place is called "Be You," but we can't be sure.) Anyway, the barkeep there spoke English and was eager to chat with us and introduce us to his favorite Portuguese beverages. First came ginjinha, the ubiquitous local cherry liqueur that nearly everyplace in town serves for 1 euro per shot. Next came amendoa, an almond liqueur served with a hearty squeeze of lemon juice (an outstanding touch, btw!). And finally came rounds of aguardente, a robust grappa-like brandy. I slept well that night.
The aforementioned wine bar Grapes & Bites was the scene of some considerable wine-drinking (and food-eating) the following night, particularly the rich and earthy reds from the Douro region and, for dessert, a velvety smooth tawny port. The guy playing guitar added to the enjoyable atmosphere, even if he didn't know any REM songs (alas).
Our last evening there was on my actual birthday, which was worth a free drink at another small bar about 3 blocks from the apartment on Rua da Atalaia. It was here that I discovered the caipirinha, a Brazilian sensation that's cachaca, muddled lime, sugar and a few mint leaves for garnish. Yum!
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sagres, the popular local beer. It's darned good stuff.
Great report, as usual.
It seems you did eat well.
You'll love the pics, bob. Lots of great light, every day!
Ah, glad to find this and see you had a great time in Lisbon. I just fell for caipirinha's in Rio, nice to know I can get them in Lisbon too.
Makes me want to get on the next plane to Lisbon.
Go's...so happy that all turned out so well on your quick jump into Portugal. Waiting for pics...
stu
I am ready to go! Thanks for the trip report. I will be saving this for future trips.
Looking forward to the remaining, I have a few comments. First: The Go family displays a perfect spelling of the places in the native language. This shows a great deal of respect for the local culture. Second: it was raining before the arrival, and mostly raining after the departure. You had a perfect sense of opportunity when chosing the time window
Third: Nikki, please come!!!
Thanks to everyone for their kind words! While ms_go works out the section on our visit to Belém, I'll post a quick overview of our...
Daytrip to Sintra
If you visit Lisbon for more than a day or two, you must visit Sintra. It’s easy to get to, and difficult to forget!
The journey begins at the historic and beautiful old Rossio Station in central Lisbon. Round-trip tickets to/from Sintra were about 14 euro for the three of us, and the train trip itself was under 40 minutes. When we disembarked in Sintra, the first man off the train bolted straight for the first ‘exit’ he saw, entered the narrow passage… and was immediately trapped as a glass door closed behind him. Apparently, this was the “special access” exit for disabled passengers; and no, that was immediately evident to the rest of us either. But that didn’t stop all the rest of us passengers from standing and pointing and laughing at the man’s attempts to figure a way out of his dilemma (and leading the laughs was his traveling companion!).
When you first leave the station, the Palacio Nacional appears to be about a 3-minute walk away… but it’s not. You have to walk a 10-15 minute route around a small gorge; but the way is lined with interesting modern statuary. The Palacio itself is fairly interesting and well worth visiting, especially the huge kitchens with their massive conical chimneys, and a salon/dining room adorned with highly detailed tilework depicting hunting scenes.
Afterward, we stopped into the tourist info center and consulted with them about how to get to all the sites we were most interested in up the hill. Weighing our options, we decided just to grab a taxi up to the Moorish Castle and then to walk to the Pena Palace and (eventually) to hike down the hill back into town. But first, we wanted to fortify ourselves with some lunch. Note: we didn’t do any research into lunch at Sintra, and that was probably a mistake. The place is overrun with vastly over-priced tourist traps. We spent over 40 euro on mediocre snacks (but at least the beer was cold). Anyway… be advised.
One of my coworkers had been to Lisbon & Sintra just a month or so prior to our visit, and she’d given me the name and number of a nice, English-speaking cab driver… but frankly, I didn’t see any reason not to just take the first guy in the cab cue in the middle of town. And hey, he worked out just great. It was a fairly quick and smooth ride up the hills, and cost us about 5 euro. He gave me his card and, wouldn’t you know, it was the same guy that my coworker had recommended! Go figure. Anyway, I would definitely recommend avoiding the long queues for the local bus and just taking a taxi.
The old Moorish Castle is amazingly scenic, perched high on a hilltop overlooking the town. It mostly consists of ramparts and parapet walls, interspersed with guard towers, walkways and large, colorful flags. On a sunny day, your picture-taking finger will get a workout! After about an hour of climbing over and exploring the walls, we set off for the Pena Palace, about a 15-minute uphill walk from the Moorish Castle.
When we arrived at the Pena Palace, we all said the same thing at once: ‘I didn’t know there was a Disneyland in Portugal!” It’s huge, colorful, visually striking… but ultimately kind of fake. That’s because it was built in the 19th century by an Armenian oil magnate. Nevertheless, it’s well worth your time and effort to go and see it. Again, we indulged our photographic desires with reckless abandon.
We hiked all the way down to Sintra from there, about 35 minutes without stopping. And we all thanked our lucky stars that we’d remembered to bring proper footwear for the day!
Back in town, we did a little souvenir shopping and poking around town. After a quick round of 1 euro shots of ginjinha served in edible chocolate cups (!) we made our way back to the train station… and then back to Rossio station in Lisbon.
Thanks, all. And lobo_mau, we are happy to have brought the good weather with us, although I can assure you we didn't bring it from home (Chicago)!
Ginjinha!
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p102751082/h5145caca#h5145caca
Having a little more trouble than I thought trying to find it at home (DD wants a bottle)!
The next few sections will be about how we spent our time. To preface all of that, we decided up front that if the weather was nice, we would try to maximize our time outdoors—even if that meant sacrificing a few museums that were high on our list (e.g., Gulbenkian, Tile Museum...but isn't the whole city kind of a tile museum?).
So, going backwards…
Belém
We spent Saturday (our last day) in Belém, which is a few miles outside of the central Lisbon area.
Getting to Belém was easy. From our apartment, we walked through the Praça de Camões and then straight down the hill (10 minutes, tops) to the Cais de Sodre station on the Cascais line. Roundtrip tickets were €3 (or a little less?). Trains leave every 20 minutes (check that it stops at Belém, but that was pretty well signed). Journey takes three stops, seven minutes. There are other ways of getting there by tram/train, but this seemed the most straightforward and fastest from where we were starting.
First stop in Belém was for coffee and the famous pasteis de nata, an egg custard pastry that originated in this area. We peeked in the famous bakery, Pasteis de Belém (no line on this particular morning) but opted to have ours at a smaller shop on the corner, which advertised an old family recipe (if I translated the sign correctly). They were quite good, but perhaps not so good for the diet!
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p102751082/h51e2afee#h51e2afee
Now fortified and caffeinated, we proceeded to one of our primary destinations, the Mosteiro (monastery) dos Jerónimos, which dates from the early 1500s and (together with the Tower of Belém) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Don’t miss this—it’s fantastic, particularly the cloister on a nice sunny day like the one on which we visited. Side note: in one of the rooms upstairs there is a now-permanent exhibit with a timeline that tracks the history of the monastery along with events of world and Portuguese history. Well done and very interesting—you know it’s pretty interesting when you have trouble pulling a 19-year-old away from it so we could move on to the next stop.
At the far west end of the monastery, with an entrance that once was the chapel commissioned by Henry the Navigator, is the Museu de Marinha (maritime museum). Its series of galleries house artifacts and models dating back to the days of the early Portuguese explorers, and it concludes in a large hall housing actual royal barges and other watercraft. Well worth some time if you’re in Belém.
After a quick lunch at a small sandwich shop on Rua Bartolomeo Dias, we spent the remainder of the afternoon enjoying monuments and parks—the Torre de Belém, Monument to the Discoveries, Praça do Império (gardens), and Praça Alfonso de Albuquerque. On this lovely Saturday afternoon, there were many families out enjoying the parks and the walks along the waterfront. We climbed the Torre and took the elevator to the top of the Monument to the Discoveries. I’ve got a little (or not so little) thing about heights—love the views but get very squeamish at the top and when walking down narrow winding stairs. While the monument has a nice, thick, chest-high barrier, there was something about the very narrow area for standing at the top that nearly did me in; I had to leave the photo taking to mr_go (even DD, who has little issue with heights and has bungy-jumped, wasn’t completely comfortable up there).
We caught the train around 4 and made it back to our apartment in time to enjoy a little music and wine on the roof deck before the sun went down.
All in all, a very enjoyable and interesting day. If your schedule allows it, allocate a day for Belém.
Well, look at that! Great timing...I see both of us are equally distracted from work this morning.
Work, schmerk... there are important things to write about!
While the monument has a nice, thick, chest-high barrier, there was something about the very narrow area for standing at the top that nearly did me in; I had to leave the photo taking to mr_go
I haven't seen them yet, but I'll bet those shots turned out well. It was a pretty day, and that's an awesome vantage point.
Exploring Central Lisbon
Our favorite thing to do while walking around European cities is to do just that… walk around the city. Seeing the sights and hearing the sounds, exploring major avenues and side streets, getting a feel for the place. And yes, we did plenty of that on this trip.
On our first day, we explored the Chiado, Biaxa and Restauradores areas of central Lisbon. In the huge Praça de Dom Pedro IV, we saw people from all walks of life walking around and enjoying the day. There was a huge Christmas ornament, maybe 30 feet tall, on one side of the park, and a small-scale funfare with kiddie rides took up most of the north end.
From there we walked along the largely pedestrianized streets of Biaxa south toward the great waterfront arch on Rua Augusta, and then out to the lovely Praça do Comercio on the shore, where we rested for a bit. In the midst of winter, it was nice to have the sun in our faces and the gentle waves at our backs!
On the second day, we visited Igreja do Carmo, the Elevador de Santa Justa, Castelo de São Jorge, and the Alfama neighborhood. And we burned quite a bit of shoe-leather in the process!
The Igreja do Carmo is a beautiful ruined cathedral that dates from the 1300s, but which collapsed in the devastating 1755 earthquake. With its soaring gothic-style supports holding aloft a long-forgotten roof, it reminded us just a little bit of the Elgin Cathedral in Scotland, but with all the exterior walls intact, and it was equally photogenic. There is also a nice, small archaeology museum in the remains of the church displaying artifacts and notable tombs.
From there, we walked out onto the Elevador de Santa Justa for views overlooking the city on this gorgeous, cloudless day. We walked up across the Baixa neighborhood again, and then climbed stairs up the hill toward castle. Along the way we passed some very interesting and creative street art; the entire vicinity looked like a great place just to hang out.
The castle itself offers a series of walks along the walls, with spectacularly good views on to the city. There are also museums on the grounds but we chose not to explore these since we were enjoying the outdoors so much (and the hilarity of the previously noted peacock attack). After an hour or so at the castle, we walked down towards Alfama, stopping for views at Miradouro di Santa Luzia with its lovely gardens and tiles. We then ventured to a café/bar on plaza overlooking area on the Largo das Portas do Sol. With a table in the sun, we enjoyed decent snacks and drinks (and endured a couple of small American children chasing pigeons around the tables for entirely too long).
Next we wandered through the twisting network of alleys in Alfama. It is as scenic as it is jumbled, and (take note) it’s best to do it from top to bottom rather than vice versa. At the bottom of the neighborhood we stopped at the Feira da Ladra (“thieves’ market”), and then made our way toward the Cathedral of Lisbon, known locally as the Sé. Both inside and out, the Sé is gothic and austere, but impressive.
We made our way back along main streets near the waterfront, then up to the Ascensor (funicular) da Bica, which we rode up to the Rua Loreto, just a short walk from our apartment.
We loved Lisbon too and your report is a wonderful peek at this lovely city. Great job Go_Family of seeing and experiencing so much in a few days! I'm guessing that you'll be back, peacocks or not.
Thanks so much, Happy. I can definitely see Lisbon as a departure point after a northern Spain/Portugal trip.
Does anyone have any questions so far?
Enjoying this report so much -- here's my question:
Where are the pictures?!
Where are the pictures?!
Unfortunately, work has had to take precedence. Coming soon, though!
What was your favorite Portugese dish?
Sounds like a great trip and looking forward to more!
What was your favorite Portugese dish?
We weren't there for very long, so our sample size is fairly small. But it's hard to go wrong with the fresh seafood options there. My broiled cod on the first night was great... and great big! ms_go's prawns in a thick, garlicky sauce were messy, but delicious. We definitely would have tried more local and regional specialties, given more time.
What, no camel spit? No secrets of the black pig?
Thanks for such great accounts of your trip!
We finally just booked our 10-day trip to Lisbon and Porto a few days ago, so I'm very interested.
I know about the huge portions in Portugal, having been thru this a few years ago in the north. Did you notice if people get doggy bags there, or do things like share entrees?
I think since our trip will be broken up between Lisbon, Porto, and driving in between, we'll do a hotel or B&B instead of an apartment, but yours sounds really nice, but we'd definitely want an elevator. So much walking to do in Lisbon, I'll want to rest my legs when I get home at night!
Did you notice if people get doggy bags there, or do things like share entrees?
No, we didn't notice doggy bags there, and I believe that's largely a North American phenomenon. But I don't think they would have much problem with a shared entree. Lisboans are generally easygoing and accommodating folks.
So much walking to do in Lisbon, I'll want to rest my legs when I get home at night!
The more you walk, the more you can eat (and drink)!
I wish to congratulate the Go family for this visit and the fun to read, informative and 99% accurate report.
WWanderer, most restaurants have plastic boxes to accomodate the left overs, they just don't call it doggy bags. They should offer you this service, if they don't doesn't harm you to ask for it.
Sharing entrees is common, but there is an option that I think most visitors fail because they don't know is common and may add fun to their meal. And this option is asking a fish course (cod fish or whatever) and split between 2 persons, and then ask a meat course (secrets of black pig or anything else) and split it either. This allows clients to try the double of options and double the fun. If you want this option, you should make clear in advance, and the staff respects this, bringing the 2nd order only after you require. In a decent service, fork, knife and plates must be changed between courses. Even glasses must be changed, if you opt for a different wine in each part of the meal. Usually a verde or matured cold white goes better with fish and matured reds at room temperature go better with meat. Only one rule: fish always 1st and meat 2nd.
If you don't make clear you want fish and meat at different times, you can always share, but you won't have the benefit of forks, knives and plates replaced.
To Nikki, this article is an encouragement for you to come soon: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/portugal-travel/9787742/alentejo-eating-out.html, You know, the city is soo much fun when either you or Sher are in town.
Thanks for your kind words, lobo_mau. We enjoyed our stay very much... our only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend.
To all: We are close to ready to posting our photos. Give it another day or two. Worth the wait, we promise!
Still working on this a little (captions, etc.) but here are some photos from our trip:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/f415062165
I've moved photos around as I created these albums, so any photo links posted in the text above are probably wrong at this point.
Yeah, we went a little overboard in Sintra and Belém. But we just couldn't stop taking shots, since the light was so favorable!
Wonderful pictures! You certainly had fantastic weather which is a huge bonus. I am looking forward to a return trip to Lisbon in the next few months.
Thanks, weekender. I'm with you... I could go back there anytime. And I feel like we just scratched the surface of the place.
Great pictures...thanks for sharing!
Loved your photos!
Super pics, Go's. You've captured the essences.
stu
Mr_go: great photos and easy to see. it's a good photo site, and a very very nice reminder of Lisbon and environs!
Thanks, everyone! Having clear skies and all that sunshine definitely helped.
Anyway, that wraps up the trip report. Thanks again to everyone who helped us in our (shortened) planning. Next stop... Berlin, Dresden and Prague!
Great report and pictures. Thank you for sharing.