Day 1 -- Travel

We arrived at SFO for our flight to Lisbon via Newark. An uneventful flight, but it was nice for Craig as he got upgraded!

Day 2 -- Lisbon

We arrived in Lisbon about 1 hour early! That doesn't happen often. Unfortunately, the passport control line was hideous -- it took us over 1 hour to get our passports stamped. So much for that "extra" time because of the early flight arrival. We picked up our bags and purchased 2 Lisbon Cards at the TI at the airport. These handy cards allow for unlimited usage of all public transportation and significant discounts on many attractions in and around Lisbon. We ran the numbers before our departure and calculated that it was a financially advisable purchase.

We jumped in a cab and within a few minutes were at our accommodations for the next several nights -- the Lisbon Destination Hostel. Very well located in the Rossio train station building. The hostel is very hip, clean and friendly. A bit more geared to the 20-something crowd, but all were made to feel very welcomed and comfortable despite our advanced age :).

Being too early to check in, we left our bags and started exploring. Just a short walk from our hostel was the Elevador da Gloria, a funicular which breathlessly takes you up from the lower town to the Bairro Alto. After getting off the Elevador we walked to the right and admired the expansive view of Lisbon from the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. The weather was partly cloudy and there had been rain earlier, but we were lucky to get some views in during a sunny spell.

Our next stop was the Port Wine Institute as Efren was already hankering for some port. It was a few minutes before opening time (11am) so we strolled down the narrow street to check out the beautiful Sao Roque Church. The church has a beautiful painted wood ceiling and lovely side chapels -- especially the Chapel of St John the Baptist with its magnificent mosaics and lapis lazuli columns.

We then checked out the oldest beer hall in Lisbon. We didn't stay for a beer (we wanted port), but walked inside to see the beautiful tiles. Tile work is something we'll be seeing a lot of in Lisbon and Portugal in general.

It was now after 11am, so we headed back to the Port Wine Institute. We were the first 2 there! After us several other folks strolled in -- all guided by the same guidebook we were using. Only a bunch of tourists would be sipping port at 11:02am. The service was surly, but the port (and bathrooms) were very nice!. After tanking up on port we stumbled through several other sites in Bairro Alto -- recurring themes we saw everywhere was the destruction of the city in the 1755 earthquake as well as the peaceful transition to democracy in 1974 during the so-called Carnation Revolution.

Our next stop is the Elevador de Santa Justa -- designed by Eiffel to move between the Bairro Alto and lower Chiado section of town -- which unfortunately is undergoing major construction so we were unable to see the details of this famous iron elevator. Still, the views from the top across the city of Lisbon were spectacular.

By now we had worked up quite an appetite, so we made our way to the famous Cafe A Brasileira for cafe and yummy pastel de nata custard tarts. We became quite fond of these tasty snacks during our stay. After the snack we wondered over to the Armazen do Chiado Mall -- not to shop, but rather to take the elevator down to the ground level so we could start to explore the Chiado district.

Lisbon in many ways is like San Francisco. The city is situated on the mouth of the Tejo River - which is wide enough to seem like a bay. The city is built on hills so streets in many sections are very steep. And then there are the cable cars (or trolleys). These trolleys, many of which are vintage models from 100 years ago, trundle their way up incredibly steep hills and through the most narrow of passageways. Quite scary! They are a great way to get around but tend to be crowded and you need to watch out for pickpockets. We hopped on the #28E trolley to take us up to another Lisbon district -- the Alfama.

The Alfama used to be the sailor's quarter, and as it largely escaped damage during the 1755 earthquake, is largely intact and its narrow hilly streets are incredibly atmospheric and extremely photogenic. We took the tram to the Largo Santa Luzia for yet another captivating view of the city. We then hiked up a few blocks and waited in line to enter the Sao Jorge Castle. From the castle ramparts we had wonderful views over the city, and it was high enough up where we caught some very refreshing breezes (it was hot standing in the sun waiting to get into the castle grounds). After the castle exploration we wandered through the streets of the Alfama and eventually made it back down the the river just in time for a short but very vigorous rain shower. Good thing we packed our ponchos as Craig's umbrella immediately disintegrated upon its very first opening!

We eventually make our way over to the Praca do Comercio dominated by the Arch of Triumph and headed back towards the hostel by walking up Rua Augusta through the Baixa part of town. We stopped for dinner at a very mediocre tourist-thonged place -- definitely will not do that again. On our way back to the hotel we checked out some places for dinner later on -- several promising candidates were located just a couple blocks from the hotel near Largo de Sao Dominigos. After a quick return to the hotel to check in, we headed out again and had a dinner of spicy Chicken Piri Piri at Bonjardim. We then tried the local favorite "ginjinba" -- a liquor made from the ginja berry (like a cherry), sugar, cinnamon and brandy. Quite yummy. Still looking for something sweet, we walked a few blocks for some amazing pastries at Casa Brasileira. Something tells me we'll be back to this place!

With the buzz from the ginjinba still fresh, we decided to call it a night after this very very long day. Tomorrow our plans are to check out the sites at the nearby town of Belem.

Day 3 -- Belem

Today the plan is to explore the sites a few miles west in the Belem district. Belem lies about 3 miles west of downtown Lisbon, and is the location of many important sites from Portugal's glory days as an imperial navigational power. Before setting off, we stopped again at Casa Brasileira for some breakfast pastries. While drinking our cafe con leche, the skies opened up for a very strong but thankfully quick downpour. We then made our way over to Placa da Figueira to catch the #15E tram for the 40 minute or so journey to Belem. There are faster ways to get there, but the tram offers a great way to glimpse actual Lisbon life and gives a chance to interact with some of the locals.

We hopped on the packed tram (this one was modern unlike yesterday's 28E) and were on our way. A helpful older gentleman promised to tell us where to get off for the main stop on the journey -- the Monastery of Jeronimos. The tram ride turned into quite an ordeal as there was some kind of official visit going on the the monastery (it is one of the main locations for heads of state from abroad to visit when in Lisbon). So we waited. Finally they let us out of the tram and we made a beeline to the entrance of the monastery. The line attendants seemed somewhat out of sorts from the official visit, and took quite a bit of time to set up the entrance for visitors. While waiting, we were able to enjoy the facade of the monastery. The building is giant and made of white limestone, so it is extremely impressive. It was built as thanks for the success of the early Portuguese explorers. The main portal shows Henry the Navigator and apparently was used as a sailor's chapel back in the day where sailors would prey before their voyages.

Finally, we were able to buy our ticket and enter. The interior of the church is beautiful and airy -- it is easy to pick out the maritime themes and imagery from far-off lands where the Portuguese were exploring during this time period. The tomb of Vasco de Gama, one of the big wigs of Portuguese exploration (and who one of the main bridges over the Tejo River is named) is here. Next we entered the incredibly beautiful cloisters. The architecture here is simply stunning -- the lacy stone work invokes the Alhambra in Granada (which we'll see later), but the style is very different from that Moorish influence. We had a great time looking at the details, including the gargoyles which took all sorts of forms -- monkeys, birds, and insects.

After the monastery we walked across the street and past the beautiful fountain to see the Monument to the Discoveries. This giant riverside monument commemorates the 500 year anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. We encircled the huge monument by foot and enjoyed investigating the detail of the carvings of all the individuals involved in world exploration. We paid a few extra euros to go to the top for the view, but it wasn't anything too spectacular.

We then walked down the riverside promenade (dodging raindrops) to the famous Tower of Belem. A beautiful building of the Manueline style -- it protected the harbor and was often the first thing Portuguese sailors saw of home after their harrowing long journeys abroad. We opted not to go into the tower to the top as the line was long and it didn't look like the view from above would be terribly captivating.

As the walk down here from the monastery was quite long, we looked for the tram stop and took that back to the monastery. Although we were getting hungry, the lines at the restaurants in the area were super long, and it looked like it was going to rain again, so we decided to check out the National Coach Museum. In the early 1900's the Queen of Portugal foresaw the coming of the modern automobile and preserved a collection of royal coaches (think horse and buggy). The collection is vast and interesting -- many are incredibly ornate.

After the visit we headed for lunch at the recommended Restuarante Os Jeronomos. What a great place! Although busy and tight, we were treated to a delicious feast of freshly grilled fish and octopus rice (tastes better than it sounds). After we finished the staff came by and asked if we wanted so more of the rice -- and we definitely obliged! We then had to stop at the very famous Casa Pasteis de Belem, the birthplace of our newly beloved pastel de nata custard pies.

After lunch we were ready to head back to Lisbon. We ended up waiting and waiting for the tram, and when one finally came, it turned out not to go all the way back to Placa da Figueira, but dropped us off a bit before. We decided to just walk our way back to the Baixa area (about 15 minutes), and by late afternoon were back at the hostel. We rested a bit and then asked at the hostel for a good location to see the sunset. We were recommended to head up to Bairro Alto and make our way to the Miradouro de Santa Catarina. It was a bit of a hike to get there, and upon our arrival we found basically the hippie sunset hangout. Lots of pot wafting through the air as everyone sat back and enjoyed the view. We found a cute bar/restaurant that offered some interesting tapas along with the view. After the light dinner we headed back towards the hostel. We were still hungry, so we ended up having dinner at a another mediocre restaurant. After another genjinba and an ice cream at the gourmet shop located at Rossio station, we headed to bed.

Lisbon observations:
1. Free wifi is everywhere
2. If you eat the bread, butter, olives, etc brought to the table at the beginning of a meal, you will be charged. If you don't eat them, they are taken away and not charged
3. Seems like everyone on the street is selling hash/cocaine. Getting propositioned to buy so regularly gets a little annoying (but they seem pretty non-threatening)
4. Pastel de nata is excellent. Food prices in general are quite reasonable. Vino verde, a lightly sparkling wine, is delicious
5. The food is really good. We stumbled on a couple of mediocre spots, but mostly because we were just super hungry at the moment and hit tourist traps
6. Although the Portuguese language looks somewhat like Spanish when written, it sounds NOTHING like it when spoken. Luckily, we found most folks in Lisbon spoke English quite well and were happy to use it - especially if you tried to start the conversation with some rudimentary Portuguese
7. Although there is lots of graffiti around, the streets are generally free of trash. The roads and infrastructure are very good
8. Bathrooms in restaurants are incredibly clean and well-equipped :)