My first weekend in Lisbon was jam-packed with sightseeing! My goal was to get a good lay of the land so if there was something I wanted to explore a bit more, I had plenty of time to go back the following weekend.
My Saturday morning was spent visiting Livraria Bertrand, the world’s oldest operating bookstore (since 1732!), the Elevador de Santa Justa (another iconic structure in Lisbon), Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara, and Parque Eduardo VII.
Then we went over to Belém (pronounced like “blame”) where I got to have the OG Portuguese sweet treat, the Pastéis de Belém. This delicacy was invented in 1837 by the monks that lived in Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. They eventually passed over the recipe which to this day is top secret. Fun fact is that the pastéis de natas that Portugal is well-known for are actually a knock-off version of the pastéis de Belém so no other place in the world can say they make them. Trademarking at its best.
Next, we stopped at Belém Tower, another iconic Lisbon structure, which used to be an old prison. The prisoners were kept in the basement so when high tide came in… well, not so great for them.
Later that evening I went on a food tour of Alfama (the district where I stayed) and like the tour in Porto, it didn’t disappoint. We visited several hidden gem spots and tried amazing traditional Portuguese foods (my favorites were the octopus salad and cheeses). I even discovered my post-retirement plans – selling liquor shots on the street like these old ladies! Or maybe my Dunedin wine girls and I can start doing that now.
The next day, I was off on a Jeep tour to Sintra, which is about a half an hour from Lisbon on the coast. Sintra is a magical place with gardens, forests, castles, and palaces, one of which inspired many Disney movies. One of the coolest structures there was an inverted tower.
We also saw several cool cliffs, beaches, and lookout points including the most western point in continental Europe. The tour group was really fun and we topped off the day with a shot of Ginja, a Portuguese cherry liquor.
By Sunday I was completely wiped but saw so many amazing things around Lisbon. The more time I spent in the city, the more it grew on me. Part three coming up…
Amor e luz (love and light),
MW
Epic! 😎
That inverted tower was cool!