Lazing it in Lisbon; Notes and Rambling Thoughts from and Extended Stay
May 4th, 2016, 11:04 AM
#101
marigross, still enjoying following you. We are heading there next week (yeah!)
What do you do with your cats while you are gone so long?
We have been wanting to take longer trips but didn't want to leave our cat so long. Would be interested to hear how you manage this.
What do you do with your cats while you are gone so long?
We have been wanting to take longer trips but didn't want to leave our cat so long. Would be interested to hear how you manage this.
May 7th, 2016, 12:12 AM
#102
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Hi Karen, we have 3 inside cats and an outside. I will not lie, it is not easy and I have had to ask a LOT of people before I managed to get house/petsitters. They are usually college-aged 'kids' that still live at home so they are willing to 'have a place of their own' for a while. I try very hard not to think about what is going on in my house while I'm gone.
May 7th, 2016, 01:29 AM
#103
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<b>The Last Week</b>
I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow description of the last week in Lisbon because… It was NOT pretty. At some point we picked up a stomach bug or a mild (ha! Well…’we did not have to go to an ER’-mild) case of food poisoning so we spent a lot of time in the apartment. Mercifully our ‘peaks’ were about 12hours apart so we did not have to compete too much for the single bathroom.
The natural consequence was that we did not have much energy to do things and a nagging fear of not having a bathroom nearby, so we did not stray far. Of course, the two days we were house-bound the weather was absolutely gorgeous: bright blue sky and mild temperatures. Of course. This was Karma for all the great weather vacations we have had in the past, lol.
I opted to exercise my Gratefulness and be thankful that this took place while we were still in an apartment and that we had seen most of the must-do things in Lisbon. Being this sick while on a road trip….THANK YOU LORD!
One afternoon we took the bus up to <b>Estela</b> to visit the Basilica. Funny thing, some Portuguese seem to have an issue with the translation or pronunciation of certain numbers in English. We asked the attendant how many steps to the tower (given our weakened state these things turn out to be important). We both heard ‘fifteen’. Ok… that is highly unlikely (we thought) so maybe he meant ‘fifty’, though that still seemed to be not enough to go up to the roof. Maybe there was a lift. Well, there was not. And what he meant to say was ‘one hundred fifty’. We made it up (with a sitting break around the 100th step).
Having said that, I must add that the views from the terrace were outstanding and worth every step. I was enjoying said view as I heard a muffled sound and turn around just in time to see DH crashing to the floor. Oooo. Mmmm. Ggggg. I’m usually a very positive person but all the worse-case scenario flashed through my mind: ‘he had a heart attack from climbing the stairs while still semi-dehydrated’ followed by ‘F@@K we are in a frigging ROOF by ourselves, how do I go get help without leaving him alone’ and of course ‘How is he going to be carried down the ONEHUNDREDFIFTY steps’.
He made a misstep. That was all. He scratched his arm and hurt his hand a little, but he was perfectly fine. I, on the other hand, had a migraine for the rest of the day. And my stomach was still not good enough to handle a restorative stiff drink (or three). So a 7Up in the very pretty and nicely maintained <b>Parque de Estela</b> was all I got. It was quite nice to see all the Lisboetas out enjoying the sun.
We also took a day trip to see the <b>Palacio Nacional de Queluz<b>. This is quite an easy visit, you buy your train ticket from Rossio and 15minutes later you are in the town of Queluz. The palace is a 15minute walk away from the station.
The palace has been called ‘Lisbon’s Versailles’, a baroque extravaganza but at a much smaller scale. We had the entire day to this visit so we lingered from room to room, admiring the chandeliers and the woodwork. Particularly impressive were the entrance hall, the chapel and the Cervantes Room. The tilework is really impressive both inside and in the gardens.
The gardens are absolutely beautiful! Loved the statues, particularly the two cute sphynx/ladies with their courtly hats. I think that in Queluz some of Portugal’s financial troubles can be detected: the ‘inner’ garden was very well trimmed and maintained but the ‘outer’ gardens were a bit overgrown and in need of weeding. I cannot even imagine how much it costs in money and resources to maintain a place like this.
We dropped in by the Pousada and I must say that I was not impressed. It stands isolated in the middle of what looks to be a huge parking lot, across the street from the palace. The interior/reception was not especially nice either. The restaurant is attached to the Palace and seems to be in a much better setting, though it was closed when we went by and we could not peek in.
Our last day in Lisbon was spent in a ‘redo’ of our first day. We went into the <b>Igreja do Carmen Musuem</b> and then sat outside in <b>Leiteria Academia</b> for lunch. We made our way down to the Baixa and had our last glass of wine by the riverside, gloriously basking in the warm sun.
The next day we took a taxi from the street, the third one we had tried to flag down and went to the airport so that we could pick up our rental car…. Little did we know that this was going to be an adventure by itself! But maybe I tell that story at the beginning of the next Trip Report.
Thanks to all for tagging along with me for this month! I have enjoyed your ‘company’ very much. I’ll add some general thoughts and a link to the new TR sometime in the near future. For now I will just say that we spent an absolutely marvelous week making our way from Evora to Tavira and now I’m typing this from Sevilla.
Cheers!
I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow description of the last week in Lisbon because… It was NOT pretty. At some point we picked up a stomach bug or a mild (ha! Well…’we did not have to go to an ER’-mild) case of food poisoning so we spent a lot of time in the apartment. Mercifully our ‘peaks’ were about 12hours apart so we did not have to compete too much for the single bathroom.
The natural consequence was that we did not have much energy to do things and a nagging fear of not having a bathroom nearby, so we did not stray far. Of course, the two days we were house-bound the weather was absolutely gorgeous: bright blue sky and mild temperatures. Of course. This was Karma for all the great weather vacations we have had in the past, lol.
I opted to exercise my Gratefulness and be thankful that this took place while we were still in an apartment and that we had seen most of the must-do things in Lisbon. Being this sick while on a road trip….THANK YOU LORD!
One afternoon we took the bus up to <b>Estela</b> to visit the Basilica. Funny thing, some Portuguese seem to have an issue with the translation or pronunciation of certain numbers in English. We asked the attendant how many steps to the tower (given our weakened state these things turn out to be important). We both heard ‘fifteen’. Ok… that is highly unlikely (we thought) so maybe he meant ‘fifty’, though that still seemed to be not enough to go up to the roof. Maybe there was a lift. Well, there was not. And what he meant to say was ‘one hundred fifty’. We made it up (with a sitting break around the 100th step).
Having said that, I must add that the views from the terrace were outstanding and worth every step. I was enjoying said view as I heard a muffled sound and turn around just in time to see DH crashing to the floor. Oooo. Mmmm. Ggggg. I’m usually a very positive person but all the worse-case scenario flashed through my mind: ‘he had a heart attack from climbing the stairs while still semi-dehydrated’ followed by ‘F@@K we are in a frigging ROOF by ourselves, how do I go get help without leaving him alone’ and of course ‘How is he going to be carried down the ONEHUNDREDFIFTY steps’.
He made a misstep. That was all. He scratched his arm and hurt his hand a little, but he was perfectly fine. I, on the other hand, had a migraine for the rest of the day. And my stomach was still not good enough to handle a restorative stiff drink (or three). So a 7Up in the very pretty and nicely maintained <b>Parque de Estela</b> was all I got. It was quite nice to see all the Lisboetas out enjoying the sun.
We also took a day trip to see the <b>Palacio Nacional de Queluz<b>. This is quite an easy visit, you buy your train ticket from Rossio and 15minutes later you are in the town of Queluz. The palace is a 15minute walk away from the station.
The palace has been called ‘Lisbon’s Versailles’, a baroque extravaganza but at a much smaller scale. We had the entire day to this visit so we lingered from room to room, admiring the chandeliers and the woodwork. Particularly impressive were the entrance hall, the chapel and the Cervantes Room. The tilework is really impressive both inside and in the gardens.
The gardens are absolutely beautiful! Loved the statues, particularly the two cute sphynx/ladies with their courtly hats. I think that in Queluz some of Portugal’s financial troubles can be detected: the ‘inner’ garden was very well trimmed and maintained but the ‘outer’ gardens were a bit overgrown and in need of weeding. I cannot even imagine how much it costs in money and resources to maintain a place like this.
We dropped in by the Pousada and I must say that I was not impressed. It stands isolated in the middle of what looks to be a huge parking lot, across the street from the palace. The interior/reception was not especially nice either. The restaurant is attached to the Palace and seems to be in a much better setting, though it was closed when we went by and we could not peek in.
Our last day in Lisbon was spent in a ‘redo’ of our first day. We went into the <b>Igreja do Carmen Musuem</b> and then sat outside in <b>Leiteria Academia</b> for lunch. We made our way down to the Baixa and had our last glass of wine by the riverside, gloriously basking in the warm sun.
The next day we took a taxi from the street, the third one we had tried to flag down and went to the airport so that we could pick up our rental car…. Little did we know that this was going to be an adventure by itself! But maybe I tell that story at the beginning of the next Trip Report.
Thanks to all for tagging along with me for this month! I have enjoyed your ‘company’ very much. I’ll add some general thoughts and a link to the new TR sometime in the near future. For now I will just say that we spent an absolutely marvelous week making our way from Evora to Tavira and now I’m typing this from Sevilla.
Cheers!
May 7th, 2016, 02:46 AM
#104
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Estrela, not Estela.
You said "Funny thing, some Portuguese seem to have an issue with the translation or pronunciation of certain numbers in English. "
Never thought of that concerning other people, but at least I know I have this issue! Not only with the pronunciation but with the number itself, I have to think a while! Don't know why.
Glad t oknow you are both better, and hope you will have lots of sun the becoming days!!
You said "Funny thing, some Portuguese seem to have an issue with the translation or pronunciation of certain numbers in English. "
Never thought of that concerning other people, but at least I know I have this issue! Not only with the pronunciation but with the number itself, I have to think a while! Don't know why.
Glad t oknow you are both better, and hope you will have lots of sun the becoming days!!
May 8th, 2016, 02:10 AM
#107
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Sorry about the bold! Fodor's was acting up yesterday and I did not think I had pressed the submit button.
I started a new TR for Phase B of our trip:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ildflowers.cfm
I'm also in the <b>BABY STEPS</b> stages of setting up a blog, including excerpts from this TR (and a few pics), if anyone is interested:
https://stellasspoondotcom.wordpress.com/
I started a new TR for Phase B of our trip:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ildflowers.cfm
I'm also in the <b>BABY STEPS</b> stages of setting up a blog, including excerpts from this TR (and a few pics), if anyone is interested:
https://stellasspoondotcom.wordpress.com/
Jun 11th, 2016, 01:06 PM
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Bookmarking to read more later. I'm loving this report, because it helps me remember our three (four?) trips to Portugal, starting in 1984.
We love it there, and would love to go back, but maybe not, as we are aging a bit!
We love it there, and would love to go back, but maybe not, as we are aging a bit!
Jun 11th, 2016, 03:05 PM
#112
I have really enjoyed reading your Lisbon report. We spent ten days there on our trip to Portugal. I agree that the people are very hospitable. I mentioned this to a local guide and she replied that, of course, they know you are a visitor.
Looking forward to your following reports.
Looking forward to your following reports.
Aug 1st, 2017, 10:57 AM
#114
We will be in Lisbon in mid Sept. 2017
Your post has given excellent info....love all the details.
You may have written it a year ago but, as in most European cities, things are probably very much the same.
Thank you so much for taking the time required to make Lisbon come alive.
Your post has given excellent info....love all the details.
You may have written it a year ago but, as in most European cities, things are probably very much the same.
Thank you so much for taking the time required to make Lisbon come alive.
Aug 10th, 2017, 07:40 AM
#116
You style of travel is very different from ours but I still got all the way thru and thoroughly enjoyed the report.
While we eat our meals (kind of no real lunch) our day doesn't revolve around food. Also, we don't drink. Not even wine.
But that's our problem.
We are going to Italy in a few weeks and decided to add 4 days in Lisbon (one day trip) as an expedition. Should we plan another complete trip to Portugal? We'll see.
Originally, the day trip was to Sintra. I started to read and all I saw was this line and that line and up this hill and another line.
Without telling my wife why, I had her read some of the stuff I had. She noticed the same thing.
Cascais has now replaced Sintra as the day trip.
My plan is to walk a route similar to yours and go west about 10-15 minutes beyond Boca do Inferno.
I'm an amateur photographer and like lighthouses. As you mentioned there's one Santa Marta Lighthouse. But there's another one Farol da Guia a little further.
The scenery along the water looks very interesting and relaxing.
I like your idea of doubling back to Estoril and returning to Lisbon from there.
Great report. Thanks.
While we eat our meals (kind of no real lunch) our day doesn't revolve around food. Also, we don't drink. Not even wine.
But that's our problem.
We are going to Italy in a few weeks and decided to add 4 days in Lisbon (one day trip) as an expedition. Should we plan another complete trip to Portugal? We'll see.
Originally, the day trip was to Sintra. I started to read and all I saw was this line and that line and up this hill and another line.
Without telling my wife why, I had her read some of the stuff I had. She noticed the same thing.
Cascais has now replaced Sintra as the day trip.
My plan is to walk a route similar to yours and go west about 10-15 minutes beyond Boca do Inferno.
I'm an amateur photographer and like lighthouses. As you mentioned there's one Santa Marta Lighthouse. But there's another one Farol da Guia a little further.
The scenery along the water looks very interesting and relaxing.
I like your idea of doubling back to Estoril and returning to Lisbon from there.
Great report. Thanks.
Aug 12th, 2017, 09:14 AM
#117
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"Lisbon it is not hilly, it is VERTICAL.(...) The only flat spaces in the city are the Praça de Comercio and a few streets in the Baixa."
Obviously this is not true. At all.
"Tram 28 is not only used by tourists. Be prepared for feisty little old ladies to push you out of the way."
They are completely entitled to do so. Tram 28 IS public transport. People are trying to reach their jobs, homes, whatever.
It's not made up for tourists. It is the tourists that think they own everything. It's one example of massive tourism trying to adapt the locals to it, and not the other way around. Let's hope this changes in future.
Also, the Jeronimos Monastery was NOT badly damaged after the earthquake of 1755 - only some vaults and sections of the dome had problems, and they were repaired actually in the next few years after the event. The monastery continued to served the community always. There wasn't also any kind of "extensively rebuilt" in the 1940's, just a few interventions, like it happen in all centuries, like before the earthquake. The monastery cannot be compared with the castle in that aspect. At all.
Obviously this is not true. At all.
"Tram 28 is not only used by tourists. Be prepared for feisty little old ladies to push you out of the way."
They are completely entitled to do so. Tram 28 IS public transport. People are trying to reach their jobs, homes, whatever.
It's not made up for tourists. It is the tourists that think they own everything. It's one example of massive tourism trying to adapt the locals to it, and not the other way around. Let's hope this changes in future.
Also, the Jeronimos Monastery was NOT badly damaged after the earthquake of 1755 - only some vaults and sections of the dome had problems, and they were repaired actually in the next few years after the event. The monastery continued to served the community always. There wasn't also any kind of "extensively rebuilt" in the 1940's, just a few interventions, like it happen in all centuries, like before the earthquake. The monastery cannot be compared with the castle in that aspect. At all.
