My last week in Lisbon was consumed by an ongoing list of things I wanted to see or do before I headed back to the States on the following Tuesday.
My first stop during the week was to Pink Street, which didn’t disappoint! I had to take some pics for my niece, Avery, who LOVES pink and all things colors. There was a crew that was giving the street a fresh coat of paint which made it really pop and kept people off the street which was better for photo ops. The umbrellas reminded me of the Artisan district in Dunedin which is all umbrella-lined as well.
I took Thursday off to really hit up the city with a pro! My Toronto friend Arash was kind enough to connect me with his cousin-in-law Pifus. He was SO much fun to spend the morning with!! We had a blast hitting up the city including Lisbon’s oldest building, Se Cathedral, São Bento Palace (Portugal’s Parliament building), and the Ponte 25 de Abril (April 25th) Bridge. However, neither of us was a fan of the glass floor on the observatory deck.
We also hit up lots of iconic Lisbon street art, including the artist who created Obama’s “Hope” portrait.
The weather was gorgeous in the afternoon so after I took the ferry across the Tagus River to Almada where I went to lunch at one of Lisbon’s most Instagrammable restaurants, Ponto Final. It was out of this world good. I strolled around a little bit after I was done eating and took in some of the sights from across the river.
Then in the blink of an eye, it was my final weekend in Portugal (how??). I didn’t have any plans on Saturday and Sunday other than to round out my to-see list and go on a sunset cruise on the Tagus River on Saturday night. I started in the city center and hit up the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo (or the Architecture Museum) which had stunning open-air ruins and cool artifacts.
Then, I ventured on the metro north to an awesome neighborhood called Príncipe Real (where I would totally want to live if I were to live in Lisbon!). I visited the Botanical Garden of Lisbon and the Mercado Biológico do Principe Real (an amazing weekly farmers market). It was an incredible area and I loved spending time there.
Then the next biggie on my list was to ride the iconic Lisbon yellow trolley! It was very vintage and fun with its wooden interior and plank floors.
Later that evening, it was time for my sunset cruise…except there was no sunset as the weather didn’t cooperate at all. :( But we had some cool views of the city and the bridge from the river. And there was wine - so there’s that. Guess I’ll need to wait to get back to Florida!
Since Monday was my official last full day in Lisbon (and I still had to work), I wanted Sunday to be my bougie dinner night. I came across this incredible place on Instagram called Rocco and it just might have been my favorite meal in Lisbon. The entire gastro bar is filled with bottles and bottles of wine (what I think heaven looks like!). I had fresh oysters from northern Portugal and they were amazing.
Usually, I’m not a fan of photos of myself. But this pic that the hostess snapped is an exception. I remembered all of the emotional turmoil I was going through this time last year and that the one thing I wanted more than anything in this world was to just be able to “breathe easy” and feel even a little bit at peace. It took a while but judging by this photo, I think that time has finally arrived. Finally.
The Portugal finale is coming up next…
Amor e luz (love and light),
MW
Every picture is breathtaking. You know our heaven vision is the same. What am amazing experience you've had!!!