Portugal – Day 5 – Walking In Lisbon
Characterized by narrow cobblestone streets, quaint shops, cozy restaurants and well preserved architecture
Day 5 Itinerary
From Memmo Alfalma Hotel:
Staying Downtown is key to easily walking Lisbon
Memmo Alfama Hotel Lisboa
Tv. Merceeiras 27, 1100-348 Lisboa, Portugal
Our hotel is trendy but laid back and only a 10-minute walk from Praça do Comércio plaza and a 13-minute walk from São Jorge Castle.
The minimalist, modern rooms come with complimentary minibars and luxury linens.
We are loving the breakfast buffet. Other amenities include a wine bar, an outdoor pool and a rooftop with city views and we have taken advantage of all of it.
Night time view from the outdoor bar overlooking the pool lit up with red LED lights
Woke up to three cruise ships parked on the river outside our hotel. Downtown was packed all day. It poured rain with thunderstorms through the night but this morning the weather is stunning with perfect temperatures, light breeze and sunny.
Each day starts with an outrageously gourmet breakfast
- whole wheat crepes with wild berry puree
- Lauri with her gourmet scrambled eggs
- Egg, melon, papaya and homemade granola
We were thinking of starting our journey into the heart of Lisbon city with a trip on the famed Tram 28 but the line was ridiculously long. Maybe tomorrow. The narrow and winding streets that the tram traverses offer a unique experience we will try to catch.
The hilltop castle, is one of Lisbon’s most emblematic scenes. The Moors built the fortress in the mid-11th century. Later, after Dom Afonso Henriques became Portugal’s first king in 1147, it became the domain of royalty. This castle offers 360-degree views of Lisbon. Looking out at the city’s abundance of red rooftops and the Tagus River beyond is one of Lisbon’s most unique assets.
We are staying in the timeless old neighborhood of Lisbon’s Alfama, where history goes back thousands of years! We meandered through its twisty, cobblestone streets, stumbling upon hidden squares and colorful buildings. We visited São Jorge Castle perched high on a hill – its panoramic views of Lisbon and the Tagus River are amazing.
Meanwhile… back in Virginia
Thea, our granddaughter looks at our latest blog post.
Wilson our dog gets baby sat by our grand daughter
Wilson gets a hug even when he is not so sure he wants it.
So I am the guy who said he wan’t going to go in any churches and ended up going into multiple. I am only going to post one of the many pictures I snapped. To sum it up, the ornateness of this church and its vestibules built hundreds of years ago is stunning. We went into three churches all within a mile of each other that were large and opulent.
- View from a park overlooking Lisbon
- Lunch at a cafe in downtown Lisbon
- Lauri has shrimp croquettes for lunch
- Behind Lauri the street is built with blocks of granite
- The busy narrow streets
- In the middle of lunch, break dancers showed up
The famous Praca do Comercio
We ran across an interesting archeological dig right in the middle of a street in downtown Lisbon. They were digging out below the streets to create an additional subway line when they ran into ancient buildings and artifacts. Needless to say, they had to reroute the subway. Now the street is fenced off and there is a tour that goes down into the massive hole in the middle of the street.
Dinner was at Baixamar Restaurant in the Alfama district. Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 28B. 1100-071
Lauri tried the Duck and risotto. Mark tried a three protein entree’.
Thoughts for the day :
Lauri :
I am incredibly grateful for a level of fitness that allowed me to walk for hours around a city that is so vertical. The local street experience is not to be missed. Spend your time outdoors. I can pass up the shopping but not the river shore and cool street scene.
Mark:
Another great day walking many miles through a historic city with interesting monuments , parks, alley ways and streets. Now that I have been in two different cities in Portugal I am beginning to get a feel for the international vibe. A great example was when I picked up our Hertz rental: one of the ladies working behind the counter was Spanish and the other was Portuguese. One customer to my left was Danish and the customer to my right was from Asia. There I was, the lone American in the middle.
