Lisbon—October 6-9

October 7th: We arrived yesterday afternoon about 3:00PM and caught the Metro to Pensao Estacao Central, our residence adjacent to the Lisbon Central Train Station. We're in the heart of Lisbon and this will be home for our last three days.

Yesterday before boarding the bus from Albufeira to Lisbon we met Wayne and Wendy, a couple from Toronto. They were going to Lisbon for the first time, so we took them under our wing and helped them get Metro cards and rode with them to our mutual stop, finally pointing them to the "Big i" for further directions.

We were overwhelmed by the volume of visitors yesterday afternoon. There seemed to be more tourists now than a month ago. And then while walking up the Alfama neighborhood for dinner we noticed the cruise ship docked at the foot of the hill. Right, forgot about the cruise ship invasions.

This video of college students having some fun gives a sense of the number of tourists in Lisbon.


Once settled in the pension we hit the streets, walking up to the Alfama district to Oprego, a favorite tapas restaurant of ours.

Oprego is small but fabulous and can be found just below Graca

at Largo Rodrigues de Freitas, n14-18. See their Facebook page.

We ordered the 12 piece sampler.

Tile mural representing the 

Carnation Revolution.

Read this. It explains the rubber
ducky store pictured to the left.

Praça do Comércio was built to commemorate Lisbon's
reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. Rua da Augusta
Arch in the background was completed in 1873. The plaza
fronts the Tagus River and the colonades that encircle the
plaza (see left) now house restaurants and cafes instead of
banks and government offices.

(see close up of Rua da Augusta at: http://moretravelswith
rickandmarie.blogspot.pt/2017/08/portugal.html)

Just wandering streets around Baixa Chiado
and came across this street artist.

Add money to his can and viola!

Cafe Gare across from the Lisbon Central Train Station.

Ruinas do Carmo/Convent of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel—main door.

The Convent of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel was founded in 1389 and
decimated in the 1755 earthquake.

Bell tower built in 1389-1423
survived the 1755 earthquake.
Clock added around 1900.

Sky bridge from Ruinos do Carmo
to Santa Justa elevator (i.e. better
known as Carmo Lift) opened in
1902. Famous for wrought iron Neo-
Gothic decor that mirrors the Gothic
Ruinos do Carmo.

Lovely Art Deco architecture along streets
between Rossio plaza and Praça do Comércio.

Glove shop wide enough for three

customers, maybe four. 

This Starbucks was huge.

Wandered streets enough to earn a coffee at Starbucks in a
high-end shopping complex.

Woman in sunglasses is Rosie, not Meryl Streep. We met her
and Marta and had a long and energetic conversation about
life in Miami, Seattle (where Marta lived for five years), and
Portugal.

Just took some street scenes on our afternoon walk.

Tapas and Friends is next door to our pension and we enjoyed
a delicious late lunch. We ordered the recommended spare ribs,
smoked salmon and feta salad, and tomato and mozzarella and
herb bruschetta. Followed that up with a custard tart with port
and a pot of chocolate mousse and espresso. Mmmm!

Cantinho do Avillez, one of Jose Avillez's five restaurants.
The decor of this tavern was whimsical and the food
was scrumptious. 

Chef Jose Avillez is considered one of the greats in Portugal.
His restaurant Belcanto has earned two Michelin Stars. We
happened upon Cantinho do Avillez while walking around
Baixa Chiado neighborhood, an up and coming area.

Ceramic food hangs from the ceiling,
adding to the fun atmosphere. The
decor may be playful, but the food
is seriously delicious.

We forgot to take pictures of the
three dishes and dessert. As you
can see, we were attacking this
salad until I remembered to take
a picture of this asparagus and
mushroom salad. We were so lost
in the meal I also forgot to take
a picture of our desserts. We were
definitely "in the moment."

Final Thoughts
We thoroughly enjoyed our month in Portugal, particularly the civilized social structure and friendly and helpful people.