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Published: August 30th 2017
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Finally arrived in Lisbon after an overnight flight from Toronto... Underground metro took us within meters of our Airbnb! After we got settled, we took a stroll down our street, Rua Augusta - a busy pedestrian street with mosaic cobblestones, lots of shops, restaurants and buskers - anchored by Arco de Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio, which is right on the river. Baixa was constructed after the massive earthquake of 1755. It is a very touristy area, but fun, with a great vibe. We sat and had a few beers on a patio before cleaning up for dinner. For dinner we met a friend at Sommelier Lisbon in a district just north of Baixa... The food was spectacular, but even more impressive was their wine selection and tasting bar... You get a card when you are seated, and you can actually go up and either taste or pour your choice of their extensive Portuguese wine selection (kept in a pneumatic system) - you are then charged only for what you drink. Was a great experience and great first night out in Lisbon!
Sunday was a late start... while we managed to stay up past 11, the jet lag did
eventually set in. Finally up and at it, we had breakfast at a cafe down the street and headed for Castelo de São Jorge, which is one of the highest points in Lisbon. The site dates back to BC, but the current form dates back to the 11th century when Lisbon was under Moorish rule... From then the castle changed hands a number of times and had numerous uses before it became a protected cultural site in 2006. The views from the castle of Lisbon are spectacular. Red rooftops stretch for miles, and you can see most major city landmarks... definitely a must see! The trek back from the castle was though the narrow cobble-stone streets of Alfama... we wandered up and down the steep hills among the large gothic cathedral, finding all sorts of nooks and crannies, fado bars, restaurants, artisan craft stores and other gems. The narrow, tall colourful houses with laundry lines strung between them felt like something out of a storybook... Part of the fun of travelling is getting lost in neighbourhoods like this... there is literally no grid system, and you can easily get turned around and end up somewhere you least expect it... Lunch
was piri piri chicken and a famous Pastel de nata (custard tart) at an outdoor cafe in the midst of our journey... we also stem led upon a number of placed selling shots of Ginja... A cherry liquor often sold in chocolate cups 😊 when in Portugal... 😊 We also found a fabulous wine bar in Baixa afterwards... smoked ham, cheese and tried some white port... more on that later, but that was my first experience with white port... It was surprisingly delicious... (just like the Ginja!)
First impressions of Lisbon/Portugal... friendly (and helpful) people, tons of history, great food, music, wine and of course Port 😉 Tomorrow is a day trip out yo Sintra!
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Portugal
It's country that has always fascinated us, but we haven't got there yet. Love the sound of the food and drinks - especially the shots of Ginja! I haven't come across it before, and it sounds delicious! :)