Lovely Lisbon: Fresh Seafood, Custard Tarts, Miradouros, Hills and more Hills!
Apr 29th, 2018, 03:41 PM
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Lovely Lisbon: Fresh Seafood, Custard Tarts, Miradouros, Hills and more Hills!
We just returned from a 5-night trip to Lisbon and loved it!!! First, I’d like to give a little background on us. I am 68 (with some mobility issues) and my husband is 71. Our oldest daughter lives in France, so first we visited her, our son-in-law, and our 2 grandchildren for 2 weeks. Then on our way home, we stopped over in Lisbon for 5 nights.
We flew TAP Portugal. We knew from our trip last September that TAP has a new Portugal Stopover Program. You can choose to stop over (at no extra cost) either in Lisbon or Porto for up to 5 nights. So we chose Lisbon for 5 nights on our way home.
First, a word about TAP. We flew from Boston to Lisbon on April 7, arriving in Lisbon on April 8. Upon landing, we discovered our connecting flight from Lisbon to Marseille was cancelled due to an air traffic controllers strike in Marseille. TAP put us on the next available flight the next day. They paid for our hotel, the Marriott, for the night; transferred us by bus to the Marriott that day and back to the airport the next day, and gave us food vouchers for all of our meals! From what I understand, they didn’t have to do this because the cancellation was not their fault. Obviously, it’s good customer relations to take care of their stranded passengers, but we were happy and impressed, nonetheless.
Sunday, April 22: Arriving in Lisbon, a nice walk down Ave. Liberdade; and dinner at Time Out Market
We flew from Marseille to Lisbon via TAP, and arrived in Lisbon around 1:30PM. Temperature was in the mid-60’s and overcast. We took a taxi to our hotel, and arrived about 3:00PM.
Hotel Real Palacio
Rua Tomas Ribeiro, 115
We really like the Hotel Real Palacio. The lobby and public rooms are beautiful, and the staff are very professional and helpful. Our room was spacious, including the bathroom, and we had lots of storage room. Having a spacious room was important to me because we were there for 5 nights. Our room was very clean, and we also had a private balcony. Our rate ($170 per night) included a buffet breakfast. The hotel is near the Marques de Pombal and Edward VII Park, so it’s not right in the city center. When we did walk downtown, it did take us a good 20-25 minutes. I am a slow walker due to chronic arthritis pain. I realize the location is not for everyone, but we were happy with our choice. We were also within walking distance of the Gulbenkian Museum. There are several metro stops nearby, but we chose to use taxis, which always cost less than 10 euros.
After checking in, we decided to take a leisurely walk down Ave Liberdade all the way to Praca do Comercio. We really enjoyed our walk down Liberdade. Yes, it is lined with high-end stores, but it was a very pleasant walk with leafy trees, flowers starting to bloom, and patterned cobblestones. First we reached Praca Restauradores, then Rossio Square. Rossio is a huge square with 2 baroque fountains (one on either end), and a statue of Dom Pedro in the middle. I love the wave-pattern cobblestones in this square, pictured in many guidebooks. According to my guidebook, this square has seen everything, from bullfights, to musical performances, to public executions.
Our next stop was Praca do Comercio, another lovely square with a statue of Dom Jose I, and crowded with tourists. It’s right next to the Tagus River. The square is lined with 18th-century buildings, lots of restaurants and cafes, so it was very busy when we walked through. The neighborhood of our hotel, BTW, is quiet. We noticed as we walked down Liberdade, the crowds increased as we got closer to the center and the river. So that was another advantage of our hotel’s location for us.
We then walked along the riverfront heading to the TIME OUT MARKET, also called Mercado Ribeira. This is a huge market hall that until recently was solely stalls of fresh produce, meat, fish, etc. Now at least half of the hall, or more, has been transformed into food stalls and small restaurants. Just by chance, we decided to eat at Monte Mar, which turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip. Both my husband and I had shrimp soup (in a very tasty and somewhat spicy broth) and grilled shrimp for appetizers. I had Hake for my main meal, served with rice, and my husband had Sea Bream, also served with rice. The fish was very fresh!!! And of course a couple glasses of wine!
Monday, April 23, 2018: Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Miradouro de Alcantara, and Sao Roque Church
We awoke to a glorious day! Sun was shining and skies were blue! The predicted temp was mid-70’s, perfect sightseeing weather.
After our very filling breakfast at our hotel, we walked to the CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN MUSEUM. This is one of our favorite sights in Lisbon. It is an awesome museum. Calouste Gulbenkian was an Armenian oil tycoon who gave his personal art collection to Lisbon, in gratitude for granting him asylum during WWII. The collection consists of the Founders Collection and the Modern Collection.
Quite by accident, we entered the Modern Collection building first, which was a good thing because I was initially thinking of skipping this collection since I’m not a fan of modern art. That would have been a big mistake! We both loved the modern collection, consisting of paintings, sculptures, and photographs. I remember a wire sculpture called “the Giant Grasshopper” which reminded me of a giant alien from sci-fi movies. I loved the historical collection on the bottom floor, which gave a historical timeline of Portugal, (using photos and news articles) from kings and the dictator Salazar to the present. Very interesting.
However, what I remember most from this exhibit was the Abolition of the Hood art piece. This piece consists of many negative images of faces covered in white hoods – very eery and spooky. Until 1913, prisoners in Lisbon Prison wore white hoods in communal spaces. This gave them a loss of identity, a lack of communication, and a feeling of suffocation. The practice was finally ended, and this artwork celebrates the abolishment.
From here, we walked through the beautiful gardens with leafy walkways, blooming flowers, ponds, ducks, and sunning turtles! Our destination was the Founders Collection, but first we stopped at the museum’s café for cold drinks and delicious frozen yogurt (mango, passion fruit, and sesame seeds!)
The Founders Collection is an amazing collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic and Asian art, and European paintings, such as Rembrandt, Monet, and Renoir. I especially enjoyed the Islamic collection (beautiful blue and white bowls, plates, etc) and the Asian collection (gorgeous pink and green flowered Chinese vases).
We arrived at 10:30AM and stayed until 2:00PM! Longer than we expected, but well worth it. And the museum is refreshingly uncrowded!
At this point, we were getting tired, and I needed a break, so we stopped at a café for cold beer and some custard tarts. I admit we never made it to Pasteis de Belem, but we had custard tarts at random places, and really enjoyed them. Then back to our hotel for a rest.
In the late afternoon, we called a cab to take us to Miradouro de Alcantara, one of the many viewpoints in Lisbon. The view is gorgeous! We could see the Lisbon Se, the Castelo de Sao Jorge, and all of Lisbon spread before us. We also noticed a lot of construction cranes!
From here, we partially followed Rick Steves walking tour of Bairro Alto. I know some people on this forum don’t like him, but I like his walking tours. They lead us to streets and alleys we might not have found on our own.
During our walk, we stopped in for a quick visit to Sao Roque Church, one of Portugal’s first Jesuit churches, built in the 16th century. The façade is simple and plain; however, the interior is very ornate. There are many elaborate side chapels, but the most important one is the Chapel of St. John the Baptist. It was built in Rome, disassembled, and transported to Lisbon!
We were getting hungry, so we decided to head to a restaurant in Baixa we had in mind. First we walked past the Gloria Funicular, and along with everyone else, took photos of it coming up the tracks. After another short walk, we took many, many, many stairs down to Baixa! I was thinking of counting the steps, then decided not to. I probably don’t want to know how many steps I walked down. And we did this same walk another day, too! But walking down is easier than walking up! All a part of being in Lisbon!
We headed to Merendinha do Arco, at Rua da Sapateiros 230, in Baixa. We watched Mark Wiens video before we came to Lisbon, and he recommended this restaurant. He is a travel blogger who focuses on food! The restaurant is modest and small, and there were a mix of locals and tourists. We think the food is very good but not excellent. My husband, BTW, is very picky about food. I did enjoy my meal (Bacalhau with onion sauce, fried potatoes, and broccoli). My husband doesn’t remember what he had (definitely fish) but he was disappointed, and we don’t remember why.
We then hailed a cab to bring us to our hotel. We don’t stay up late any more. We are too old.
I’d rather go to bed early and get up early.
More to come about our Lisbon adventures!
We flew TAP Portugal. We knew from our trip last September that TAP has a new Portugal Stopover Program. You can choose to stop over (at no extra cost) either in Lisbon or Porto for up to 5 nights. So we chose Lisbon for 5 nights on our way home.
First, a word about TAP. We flew from Boston to Lisbon on April 7, arriving in Lisbon on April 8. Upon landing, we discovered our connecting flight from Lisbon to Marseille was cancelled due to an air traffic controllers strike in Marseille. TAP put us on the next available flight the next day. They paid for our hotel, the Marriott, for the night; transferred us by bus to the Marriott that day and back to the airport the next day, and gave us food vouchers for all of our meals! From what I understand, they didn’t have to do this because the cancellation was not their fault. Obviously, it’s good customer relations to take care of their stranded passengers, but we were happy and impressed, nonetheless.
Sunday, April 22: Arriving in Lisbon, a nice walk down Ave. Liberdade; and dinner at Time Out Market
We flew from Marseille to Lisbon via TAP, and arrived in Lisbon around 1:30PM. Temperature was in the mid-60’s and overcast. We took a taxi to our hotel, and arrived about 3:00PM.
Hotel Real Palacio
Rua Tomas Ribeiro, 115
We really like the Hotel Real Palacio. The lobby and public rooms are beautiful, and the staff are very professional and helpful. Our room was spacious, including the bathroom, and we had lots of storage room. Having a spacious room was important to me because we were there for 5 nights. Our room was very clean, and we also had a private balcony. Our rate ($170 per night) included a buffet breakfast. The hotel is near the Marques de Pombal and Edward VII Park, so it’s not right in the city center. When we did walk downtown, it did take us a good 20-25 minutes. I am a slow walker due to chronic arthritis pain. I realize the location is not for everyone, but we were happy with our choice. We were also within walking distance of the Gulbenkian Museum. There are several metro stops nearby, but we chose to use taxis, which always cost less than 10 euros.
After checking in, we decided to take a leisurely walk down Ave Liberdade all the way to Praca do Comercio. We really enjoyed our walk down Liberdade. Yes, it is lined with high-end stores, but it was a very pleasant walk with leafy trees, flowers starting to bloom, and patterned cobblestones. First we reached Praca Restauradores, then Rossio Square. Rossio is a huge square with 2 baroque fountains (one on either end), and a statue of Dom Pedro in the middle. I love the wave-pattern cobblestones in this square, pictured in many guidebooks. According to my guidebook, this square has seen everything, from bullfights, to musical performances, to public executions.
Our next stop was Praca do Comercio, another lovely square with a statue of Dom Jose I, and crowded with tourists. It’s right next to the Tagus River. The square is lined with 18th-century buildings, lots of restaurants and cafes, so it was very busy when we walked through. The neighborhood of our hotel, BTW, is quiet. We noticed as we walked down Liberdade, the crowds increased as we got closer to the center and the river. So that was another advantage of our hotel’s location for us.
We then walked along the riverfront heading to the TIME OUT MARKET, also called Mercado Ribeira. This is a huge market hall that until recently was solely stalls of fresh produce, meat, fish, etc. Now at least half of the hall, or more, has been transformed into food stalls and small restaurants. Just by chance, we decided to eat at Monte Mar, which turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip. Both my husband and I had shrimp soup (in a very tasty and somewhat spicy broth) and grilled shrimp for appetizers. I had Hake for my main meal, served with rice, and my husband had Sea Bream, also served with rice. The fish was very fresh!!! And of course a couple glasses of wine!
Monday, April 23, 2018: Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Miradouro de Alcantara, and Sao Roque Church
We awoke to a glorious day! Sun was shining and skies were blue! The predicted temp was mid-70’s, perfect sightseeing weather.
After our very filling breakfast at our hotel, we walked to the CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN MUSEUM. This is one of our favorite sights in Lisbon. It is an awesome museum. Calouste Gulbenkian was an Armenian oil tycoon who gave his personal art collection to Lisbon, in gratitude for granting him asylum during WWII. The collection consists of the Founders Collection and the Modern Collection.
Quite by accident, we entered the Modern Collection building first, which was a good thing because I was initially thinking of skipping this collection since I’m not a fan of modern art. That would have been a big mistake! We both loved the modern collection, consisting of paintings, sculptures, and photographs. I remember a wire sculpture called “the Giant Grasshopper” which reminded me of a giant alien from sci-fi movies. I loved the historical collection on the bottom floor, which gave a historical timeline of Portugal, (using photos and news articles) from kings and the dictator Salazar to the present. Very interesting.
However, what I remember most from this exhibit was the Abolition of the Hood art piece. This piece consists of many negative images of faces covered in white hoods – very eery and spooky. Until 1913, prisoners in Lisbon Prison wore white hoods in communal spaces. This gave them a loss of identity, a lack of communication, and a feeling of suffocation. The practice was finally ended, and this artwork celebrates the abolishment.
From here, we walked through the beautiful gardens with leafy walkways, blooming flowers, ponds, ducks, and sunning turtles! Our destination was the Founders Collection, but first we stopped at the museum’s café for cold drinks and delicious frozen yogurt (mango, passion fruit, and sesame seeds!)
The Founders Collection is an amazing collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic and Asian art, and European paintings, such as Rembrandt, Monet, and Renoir. I especially enjoyed the Islamic collection (beautiful blue and white bowls, plates, etc) and the Asian collection (gorgeous pink and green flowered Chinese vases).
We arrived at 10:30AM and stayed until 2:00PM! Longer than we expected, but well worth it. And the museum is refreshingly uncrowded!
At this point, we were getting tired, and I needed a break, so we stopped at a café for cold beer and some custard tarts. I admit we never made it to Pasteis de Belem, but we had custard tarts at random places, and really enjoyed them. Then back to our hotel for a rest.
In the late afternoon, we called a cab to take us to Miradouro de Alcantara, one of the many viewpoints in Lisbon. The view is gorgeous! We could see the Lisbon Se, the Castelo de Sao Jorge, and all of Lisbon spread before us. We also noticed a lot of construction cranes!
From here, we partially followed Rick Steves walking tour of Bairro Alto. I know some people on this forum don’t like him, but I like his walking tours. They lead us to streets and alleys we might not have found on our own.
During our walk, we stopped in for a quick visit to Sao Roque Church, one of Portugal’s first Jesuit churches, built in the 16th century. The façade is simple and plain; however, the interior is very ornate. There are many elaborate side chapels, but the most important one is the Chapel of St. John the Baptist. It was built in Rome, disassembled, and transported to Lisbon!
We were getting hungry, so we decided to head to a restaurant in Baixa we had in mind. First we walked past the Gloria Funicular, and along with everyone else, took photos of it coming up the tracks. After another short walk, we took many, many, many stairs down to Baixa! I was thinking of counting the steps, then decided not to. I probably don’t want to know how many steps I walked down. And we did this same walk another day, too! But walking down is easier than walking up! All a part of being in Lisbon!
We headed to Merendinha do Arco, at Rua da Sapateiros 230, in Baixa. We watched Mark Wiens video before we came to Lisbon, and he recommended this restaurant. He is a travel blogger who focuses on food! The restaurant is modest and small, and there were a mix of locals and tourists. We think the food is very good but not excellent. My husband, BTW, is very picky about food. I did enjoy my meal (Bacalhau with onion sauce, fried potatoes, and broccoli). My husband doesn’t remember what he had (definitely fish) but he was disappointed, and we don’t remember why.
We then hailed a cab to bring us to our hotel. We don’t stay up late any more. We are too old.
I’d rather go to bed early and get up early.More to come about our Lisbon adventures!
Apr 30th, 2018, 07:17 AM
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Apr 30th, 2018, 11:24 AM
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Tuesday, April 24, 2018: Castelo De S. Jorge, The Alfama, and Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora
After another delicious breakfast at our hotel, we asked the hotel to call a cab for us to bring us to Castelo De S. Jorge. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk uphill to the castle, and I wanted to save my energy for wandering through the castle and the Alfama. The cab was able to drop us off right at the castle’s entrance! We arrived by 10:00AM, and the line was short.
We really enjoyed the castle, which was built by the Moors during the 11th century. After we purchased our tickets, we entered the Miradouro de Sao Jorge. We spent a bit of time here enjoying the spectacular views of the river, the April 25 Bridge, and the red-tiled roofs of Lisbon! We took a lot of photos!! There is also a small gift shop, café, and museum near the viewpoint. Then you enter the castle, which consists of about 11 towers and the castle walls. There aren’t any rooms to wander through, which is fine with me. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed slowly walking on top of the walls, taking photos, and appreciating the views. We also saw the camera obscura, (lenses and mirrors), which give you real time views of Lisbon. We wandered over to the archaeological site, where there is the remains of a palace and the Moorish quarter. There are periodic guided tours of the Moorish quarter, but we would have to wait awhile for the English tour, so we passed. But I’m sure it is interesting to see.
A highlight of the castle are the peacocks!!! There are quite a few peacocks strutting around, and one in particular kept opening his colorful feathers; what a huge span! He would also sit on the castle walls, and look out over the city, as if he was admiring his kingdom!! They provided a lot of entertainment.
When we left the castle, around 12:30PM, the line was very, very long. I recommend coming in the morning to avoid a long wait.
We walked through Largo do Contador Mor, just outside the castle walls, and had a light lunch at a restaurant here. I don’t remember the name. We shared an octopus salad, and also had the snacks waiters put on the table (the bread, olives, and cod cakes) along with sangria. We didn’t need a huge lunch after our large breakfast. This is the square where the Miss Can shop is located.
We followed Rick Steves walking tour for the Alfama. We love the Alfama! This was one of our favorite days. For those who may not know, the Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon because it was not destroyed during the 1755 earthquake. There are lots of stairs, up and down walking, and narrow, twisty alleyways. The Alfama has been criticized for being touristy, but the only touristy section we found was just outside the Castle walls and including Largo do Contador Mor. Following Rick Steves walking tour, we first came upon Largo Santa Luzia, a superb Alfama viewpoint! The views of the river and the red-tiled roofs, with the shining sun, made me feel we were on the Mediterranean. It was just gorgeous, one of our favorite viewpoints!
The walking tour took us through the part of the Alfama where people live; we saw clothes hanging to dry on balconies, we could hear radios or tv’s coming from open windows, children riding their bikes on the few flat areas. Our destination was Largo de Sao Miguel. The map was not detailed enough to find the square, so we used google maps, which I think was confused because of the narrow, twisty alleyways. So we had fun getting lost, but we finally found Sao Miguel Square. There was an elderly lady sitting under a shade tree, with a small table, selling gingrinja (the sour cherry liquer). It cost one euro per small cup, just enough for a taste! And there were very few tourists around.
From here, I wanted to find the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora, which someone on this forum recommended, but I forgot to note his/her name. So after getting lost, and more up and down wandering, we accidentally came upon the Feira Da Ladra Flea Market in Campo de Santa Clara. This flea market operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is a mix of junk and interesting goods. But first we needed a drink! We were really thirsty. This was a warm day, high 70’s, so we stopped at a café for chilled wine and watched the people browsing the market. Before we headed for the monastery, we purchased 3 tiles to use as hot plates/trivets.
Luckily, the monastery was close by. We enjoyed the monastery because it was quiet, cool, and filled with gorgeous blue and white tiles! We followed the signs for the towers and rooftop terrace, where we had more awesome views of Lisbon and the river.
Outside the monastery, we decided to hire a tuk-tuk driver for a short tour and then to drive us to a restaurant we had in mind. We spent about an hour with our driver, who was very interesting. It was also nice to be in an open, fresh air vehicle. She took us along the river by Praca do Comercio and up through Chiado and Bairro Alto, and past the Convento do Carmo. All this for only 20 euros!
My husband had found a restaurant on Trip Advisor he wanted to try in the Bairro Alto district. The name is O Cacador da Oliveira. We both ordered grouper, which came with boiled potatoes, and I think the vegetable was broccoli. The boiled potatoes were bland, and we thought the grouper was a little overcooked. So this was our least favorite restaurant from our trip.
After dinner, we walked down those many, many stairs again to Confeiteria Nacional, which both Isabel and Thursdaysd recommend for lunch. Our plan was to have dessert and coffee here, but it closed at 8PM, and it was now 8:30PM, so we were out of luck! Unfortunately, we never ate here because we were never in the neighborhood around lunch time. So we stopped at a place on Rossio Square for coffee and dessert. I don’t remember the name. My husband liked his coconut tart, but my almond tart was dry. Then we grabbed a taxi back to our hotel. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive! I was exhausted by the end of the day because we never had a break, and I had to take 2 or 3 Aleve to keep going! But it was worth it!!!
To be Continued . . . .
After another delicious breakfast at our hotel, we asked the hotel to call a cab for us to bring us to Castelo De S. Jorge. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk uphill to the castle, and I wanted to save my energy for wandering through the castle and the Alfama. The cab was able to drop us off right at the castle’s entrance! We arrived by 10:00AM, and the line was short.
We really enjoyed the castle, which was built by the Moors during the 11th century. After we purchased our tickets, we entered the Miradouro de Sao Jorge. We spent a bit of time here enjoying the spectacular views of the river, the April 25 Bridge, and the red-tiled roofs of Lisbon! We took a lot of photos!! There is also a small gift shop, café, and museum near the viewpoint. Then you enter the castle, which consists of about 11 towers and the castle walls. There aren’t any rooms to wander through, which is fine with me. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed slowly walking on top of the walls, taking photos, and appreciating the views. We also saw the camera obscura, (lenses and mirrors), which give you real time views of Lisbon. We wandered over to the archaeological site, where there is the remains of a palace and the Moorish quarter. There are periodic guided tours of the Moorish quarter, but we would have to wait awhile for the English tour, so we passed. But I’m sure it is interesting to see.
A highlight of the castle are the peacocks!!! There are quite a few peacocks strutting around, and one in particular kept opening his colorful feathers; what a huge span! He would also sit on the castle walls, and look out over the city, as if he was admiring his kingdom!! They provided a lot of entertainment.
When we left the castle, around 12:30PM, the line was very, very long. I recommend coming in the morning to avoid a long wait.
We walked through Largo do Contador Mor, just outside the castle walls, and had a light lunch at a restaurant here. I don’t remember the name. We shared an octopus salad, and also had the snacks waiters put on the table (the bread, olives, and cod cakes) along with sangria. We didn’t need a huge lunch after our large breakfast. This is the square where the Miss Can shop is located.
We followed Rick Steves walking tour for the Alfama. We love the Alfama! This was one of our favorite days. For those who may not know, the Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon because it was not destroyed during the 1755 earthquake. There are lots of stairs, up and down walking, and narrow, twisty alleyways. The Alfama has been criticized for being touristy, but the only touristy section we found was just outside the Castle walls and including Largo do Contador Mor. Following Rick Steves walking tour, we first came upon Largo Santa Luzia, a superb Alfama viewpoint! The views of the river and the red-tiled roofs, with the shining sun, made me feel we were on the Mediterranean. It was just gorgeous, one of our favorite viewpoints!
The walking tour took us through the part of the Alfama where people live; we saw clothes hanging to dry on balconies, we could hear radios or tv’s coming from open windows, children riding their bikes on the few flat areas. Our destination was Largo de Sao Miguel. The map was not detailed enough to find the square, so we used google maps, which I think was confused because of the narrow, twisty alleyways. So we had fun getting lost, but we finally found Sao Miguel Square. There was an elderly lady sitting under a shade tree, with a small table, selling gingrinja (the sour cherry liquer). It cost one euro per small cup, just enough for a taste! And there were very few tourists around.
From here, I wanted to find the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora, which someone on this forum recommended, but I forgot to note his/her name. So after getting lost, and more up and down wandering, we accidentally came upon the Feira Da Ladra Flea Market in Campo de Santa Clara. This flea market operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is a mix of junk and interesting goods. But first we needed a drink! We were really thirsty. This was a warm day, high 70’s, so we stopped at a café for chilled wine and watched the people browsing the market. Before we headed for the monastery, we purchased 3 tiles to use as hot plates/trivets.
Luckily, the monastery was close by. We enjoyed the monastery because it was quiet, cool, and filled with gorgeous blue and white tiles! We followed the signs for the towers and rooftop terrace, where we had more awesome views of Lisbon and the river.
Outside the monastery, we decided to hire a tuk-tuk driver for a short tour and then to drive us to a restaurant we had in mind. We spent about an hour with our driver, who was very interesting. It was also nice to be in an open, fresh air vehicle. She took us along the river by Praca do Comercio and up through Chiado and Bairro Alto, and past the Convento do Carmo. All this for only 20 euros!
My husband had found a restaurant on Trip Advisor he wanted to try in the Bairro Alto district. The name is O Cacador da Oliveira. We both ordered grouper, which came with boiled potatoes, and I think the vegetable was broccoli. The boiled potatoes were bland, and we thought the grouper was a little overcooked. So this was our least favorite restaurant from our trip.
After dinner, we walked down those many, many stairs again to Confeiteria Nacional, which both Isabel and Thursdaysd recommend for lunch. Our plan was to have dessert and coffee here, but it closed at 8PM, and it was now 8:30PM, so we were out of luck! Unfortunately, we never ate here because we were never in the neighborhood around lunch time. So we stopped at a place on Rossio Square for coffee and dessert. I don’t remember the name. My husband liked his coconut tart, but my almond tart was dry. Then we grabbed a taxi back to our hotel. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive! I was exhausted by the end of the day because we never had a break, and I had to take 2 or 3 Aleve to keep going! But it was worth it!!!
To be Continued . . . .
Apr 30th, 2018, 11:44 AM
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Apr 30th, 2018, 12:06 PM
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I am really enjoying reading about your trip Portugal was my first trip to Europe, and I had less than a weeks notice. I had NO idea of anything there, but we loved it so much and it got us hooked on Europe. I am itching to return. I flew with our kids who were 4 and 7, and we met DH there as he was on a port stop. We had a fantastic meal at Bon Jardim! Your comment about the laundry hanging from balconies struck me as I bought a print of that and had it framed when we got home, so I get to see Portugese laundry here at home, lol.
Portugal was my first trip to Europe, and I had less than a weeks notice. I had NO idea of anything there, but we loved it so much and it got us hooked on Europe. I am itching to return. I flew with our kids who were 4 and 7, and we met DH there as he was on a port stop. We had a fantastic meal at Bon Jardim! Your comment about the laundry hanging from balconies struck me as I bought a print of that and had it framed when we got home, so I get to see Portugese laundry here at home, lol.
Apr 30th, 2018, 02:04 PM
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I am really enjoying reading about your trip Portugal was my first trip to Europe, and I had less than a weeks notice. I had NO idea of anything there, but we loved it so much and it got us hooked on Europe. I am itching to return. I flew with our kids who were 4 and 7, and we met DH there as he was on a port stop. We had a fantastic meal at Bon Jardim! Your comment about the laundry hanging from balconies struck me as I bought a print of that and had it framed when we got home, so I get to see Portugese laundry here at home, lol.
Portugal was my first trip to Europe, and I had less than a weeks notice. I had NO idea of anything there, but we loved it so much and it got us hooked on Europe. I am itching to return. I flew with our kids who were 4 and 7, and we met DH there as he was on a port stop. We had a fantastic meal at Bon Jardim! Your comment about the laundry hanging from balconies struck me as I bought a print of that and had it framed when we got home, so I get to see Portugese laundry here at home, lol.
Apr 30th, 2018, 04:16 PM
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Wednesday, April 25, 2018: Our Day in Belem & The Carnation Revolution
After breakfast, we took a cab directly to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos in Belem. It’s another sunny, warm day! YEAH!!! We really have lucked out with the weather. We arrived at the monastery at 9:30AM, 30 minutes before it opens. There was already a line forming, but it was a short line, so we thought we were all set! What is the expression about best laid plans??? The ticket sellers, of course, didn’t start selling tickets until 10AM, and we thought we would be in shortly, since the line was short. Well, we were wrong, and we didn’t get our tickets until 11AM. That’s because the Viking Tour Groups were admitted before the people waiting in line. I assume they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time, because the tour groups were admitted, and then our line moved up an inch or two as they admitted a few people from our line. This kept happening as more tour groups arrived. So, we finally made it in after waiting 1.5 hours.
Side Note: Isabel did suggest that we go to Torre de Belem first, which would have a shorter line, and buy the combination ticket there for the tower and monastery, and then we could just walk right into the monastery. But we decided we didn’t want to go up the Belem Tower, and instead chose to take the elevator up the Discoveries Monument. So I figured as long as we were at the monastery 30 minutes before it opened, that would eliminate a long wait. That strategy worked for us in Spain in September, but not here.
I guess the other solution to avoid a long wait is to buy tickets online.
Anyways, the monastery is worth the wait. The cloisters are gorgeous, especially on a sunny day with the light streaming in. The architectural style is Manueline, named after King Manuel. It has a lacy and elegant look, with many beautiful arcades. There are beautiful views wherever you walk. On the second floor is the entrance to the Upper Choir, which overlooks the inside of the church. We visited the church on our way out to see Vasco Da Gama’s tomb.
Then we walked across the street and through a park with a lovely, huge fountain, where we took more photos. From there, we walked through the tunnel under the street to get to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (The Discoveries Monument). This riverside monument was built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. The monument is white, huge, and covered with carvings of Prince Henry at the prow and other Portuguese explorers behind him. Thursdaysd suggested taking the elevator to the top, and Maribel in her guides suggested taking the elevator “for unparalleled views of the city”. I knew there would be lines at Torre de Belem, and I didn’t feel like walking up 120 steps, so we chose to take the elevator to the top of this monument for our views, and we weren’t disappointed. There were no lines!!! And the view is stunning, from the monastery, to the river, to the Belem Tower, which we saw from afar, but not up close and personal. We also noticed, as our stomachs were growling, riverside restaurants on the Belem Docks. Hmmm? Our decision where to have lunch was solved!
So, we then walked over to the Belem Dock and decided to have lunch at Restauraunt Vela overlooking the river. This is one of our best meals of our trip! I had sea bream served with roasted potatoes and creamed spinach! Everything was delicious! I could easily remove the fish from the bones. No problem at all. My husband ordered shrimp curry, which he liked, too, but he liked my dish better. We also had a pitcher of red sangria. The location was perfect sitting outside overlooking the water, and the scene was very festive. Because this is the April 25 Holiday in Portugal, to celebrate the Carnation Revolution, people didn’t have to work and school was closed. The restaurant was full and very busy, and sometimes we had to look for our waiter. He apologized profusely and explained about the holiday and how busy it is. Everyone was out and about enjoying the sunshine, families, people riding their bikes, etc.
After our lunch, we walked to the Museu Nacional dos Coches, also recommended by Thursdaysd. When the last queen of Portugal realized that cars would soon take over horse-drawn carriages, she preserved her collection of royal coaches which is now the museum. These elegant and elaborately decorated coaches were used by Spanish and Portuguese royalty. We really enjoyed this museum and spent about an hour here.
It was now about 4PM, and we were exhausted. We headed back to our hotel via taxi for a much needed rest.
We decided to walk to our restaurant, but first we strolled through the Edward VII Park. The views from the park down to the waterfront are lovely, and the park is nice. There were a lot of people around. I don’t know if we saw all of the park; it is very green but not as nice as other parks we’ve seen, such as Retiro Park in Madrid. We then walked down Ave. Liberdade again and stopped at a small market to purchase some food gifts (chocolates, wine, & jams).
Then we headed to Bonjardim Restaurante, recommended by Thursdaysd. This is another of our favorite restaurants in Lisbon. It is small and plain, nothing fancy, but the food is delicious and reasonable. We both ordered the ½ split roasted chicken, which is some of the best chicken we have had. It’s moist and very tasty. I used the piri piri sauce, but it’s delicious without it, too. We also ordered red wine from the Douro Valley, French Fries to share, and the creamed Spinach to share. We did not like the creamed spinach here. We thought it was very heavy and had an odd taste. I prefer the creamed spinach I had at lunch. We probably should have ordered the mixed salad for our vegetable. It was a beautiful night and we were able to sit outside. The ambience was very festive and lively with street musicians. There were a lot of people out, and the restaurant was full. I’m sure the restaurant and the neighborhood are always busy, but I think it was even busier because of the holiday. A lot of people were carrying red carnations and white carnations. This was our first non-fish meal in Lisbon!
For people who might not know, the Carnation Revolution is the name given to the almost bloodless military coup that occurred on April 25, 1974. When the coup was over, flower vendors put carnations inside the barrels of the soldiers’ guns.
One more day left in Lisbon . . . .
After breakfast, we took a cab directly to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos in Belem. It’s another sunny, warm day! YEAH!!! We really have lucked out with the weather. We arrived at the monastery at 9:30AM, 30 minutes before it opens. There was already a line forming, but it was a short line, so we thought we were all set! What is the expression about best laid plans??? The ticket sellers, of course, didn’t start selling tickets until 10AM, and we thought we would be in shortly, since the line was short. Well, we were wrong, and we didn’t get our tickets until 11AM. That’s because the Viking Tour Groups were admitted before the people waiting in line. I assume they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time, because the tour groups were admitted, and then our line moved up an inch or two as they admitted a few people from our line. This kept happening as more tour groups arrived. So, we finally made it in after waiting 1.5 hours.
Side Note: Isabel did suggest that we go to Torre de Belem first, which would have a shorter line, and buy the combination ticket there for the tower and monastery, and then we could just walk right into the monastery. But we decided we didn’t want to go up the Belem Tower, and instead chose to take the elevator up the Discoveries Monument. So I figured as long as we were at the monastery 30 minutes before it opened, that would eliminate a long wait. That strategy worked for us in Spain in September, but not here.
I guess the other solution to avoid a long wait is to buy tickets online.
Anyways, the monastery is worth the wait. The cloisters are gorgeous, especially on a sunny day with the light streaming in. The architectural style is Manueline, named after King Manuel. It has a lacy and elegant look, with many beautiful arcades. There are beautiful views wherever you walk. On the second floor is the entrance to the Upper Choir, which overlooks the inside of the church. We visited the church on our way out to see Vasco Da Gama’s tomb.
Then we walked across the street and through a park with a lovely, huge fountain, where we took more photos. From there, we walked through the tunnel under the street to get to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (The Discoveries Monument). This riverside monument was built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. The monument is white, huge, and covered with carvings of Prince Henry at the prow and other Portuguese explorers behind him. Thursdaysd suggested taking the elevator to the top, and Maribel in her guides suggested taking the elevator “for unparalleled views of the city”. I knew there would be lines at Torre de Belem, and I didn’t feel like walking up 120 steps, so we chose to take the elevator to the top of this monument for our views, and we weren’t disappointed. There were no lines!!! And the view is stunning, from the monastery, to the river, to the Belem Tower, which we saw from afar, but not up close and personal. We also noticed, as our stomachs were growling, riverside restaurants on the Belem Docks. Hmmm? Our decision where to have lunch was solved!
So, we then walked over to the Belem Dock and decided to have lunch at Restauraunt Vela overlooking the river. This is one of our best meals of our trip! I had sea bream served with roasted potatoes and creamed spinach! Everything was delicious! I could easily remove the fish from the bones. No problem at all. My husband ordered shrimp curry, which he liked, too, but he liked my dish better. We also had a pitcher of red sangria. The location was perfect sitting outside overlooking the water, and the scene was very festive. Because this is the April 25 Holiday in Portugal, to celebrate the Carnation Revolution, people didn’t have to work and school was closed. The restaurant was full and very busy, and sometimes we had to look for our waiter. He apologized profusely and explained about the holiday and how busy it is. Everyone was out and about enjoying the sunshine, families, people riding their bikes, etc.
After our lunch, we walked to the Museu Nacional dos Coches, also recommended by Thursdaysd. When the last queen of Portugal realized that cars would soon take over horse-drawn carriages, she preserved her collection of royal coaches which is now the museum. These elegant and elaborately decorated coaches were used by Spanish and Portuguese royalty. We really enjoyed this museum and spent about an hour here.
It was now about 4PM, and we were exhausted. We headed back to our hotel via taxi for a much needed rest.
We decided to walk to our restaurant, but first we strolled through the Edward VII Park. The views from the park down to the waterfront are lovely, and the park is nice. There were a lot of people around. I don’t know if we saw all of the park; it is very green but not as nice as other parks we’ve seen, such as Retiro Park in Madrid. We then walked down Ave. Liberdade again and stopped at a small market to purchase some food gifts (chocolates, wine, & jams).
Then we headed to Bonjardim Restaurante, recommended by Thursdaysd. This is another of our favorite restaurants in Lisbon. It is small and plain, nothing fancy, but the food is delicious and reasonable. We both ordered the ½ split roasted chicken, which is some of the best chicken we have had. It’s moist and very tasty. I used the piri piri sauce, but it’s delicious without it, too. We also ordered red wine from the Douro Valley, French Fries to share, and the creamed Spinach to share. We did not like the creamed spinach here. We thought it was very heavy and had an odd taste. I prefer the creamed spinach I had at lunch. We probably should have ordered the mixed salad for our vegetable. It was a beautiful night and we were able to sit outside. The ambience was very festive and lively with street musicians. There were a lot of people out, and the restaurant was full. I’m sure the restaurant and the neighborhood are always busy, but I think it was even busier because of the holiday. A lot of people were carrying red carnations and white carnations. This was our first non-fish meal in Lisbon!
For people who might not know, the Carnation Revolution is the name given to the almost bloodless military coup that occurred on April 25, 1974. When the coup was over, flower vendors put carnations inside the barrels of the soldiers’ guns.
One more day left in Lisbon . . . .
May 1st, 2018, 06:34 AM
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KarenWoo--Our trip was August of 1999. We had just over a week there was all, so we split our stay between Lisbon and Cascais. That worked really well for us, since with the kids it was more laid back. We did a day trip to Sintra and loved it. The day we changed cities, DH;s boat was doing a VIP cruise, so the kids and I took a taxi out to Cascais and he would meet us later. I remember driving along the river and seeing DH's submarine, which he was driving, going along almost next to us! The kids recognized it immediately so we told the taxi driver about it and he was almost as excited as we were lol!
May 1st, 2018, 07:37 AM
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mms, what a nice story! Lisbon must have been much quieter in 1999. It has become very popular now, and even in April it was very crowded and busy. On our last day we went to Sintra and Cascais. That will be my last installment, along with some general comments. Hopefully, I can finish today.
May 1st, 2018, 08:21 AM
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Thanks Karen! We leave in a couple of weeks! Enjoying your trip report! Funny, of all of the research I have done, Bon Jardim is the name that keeps popping up! I can't believe I am going all the way to Portugal to eat chicken!
May 1st, 2018, 09:32 AM
#20
The absolutely best chicken I have ever eaten was in Portugal. Long time ago, in a small fishing village, have no idea which one. Bom Jardim is very good, but that was great.
The closest I have found outside Portugal is actually a chain - Nandos.
The closest I have found outside Portugal is actually a chain - Nandos.
