To start the story off right, I'm returning to September 2019. The moment when, for the first time in my entire college career, I passed on all my subjects. YEEY! And then a throwback to many years back where my mom had promised me, that if I passed on everything, she would do a city trip with me.
And so we left for Lisbon in early February 2020. By now we know that was the only trip we would take that year. And so I am extra happy that we were finally able to fulfill this promise.
After a short flight we arrived at Lisbon airport around noon. We decided to have a bite to eat there before making our way to our hotel. We quickly bought our 'Lisboa card', which allows us to take all public transport for 72 hours and have free access to a museum or garden here and there. For 72 hours you pay about € 42.
When we arrived at our hotel, we noticed that the famous streetcar 28 stops right in front of the door, and that we are not too far from the center. Ideal to get everywhere easily.
Castelo de São Jorge and exploring the small streets
We start our trip with a visit to Castelo de São Jorge. It is built on top of a mountain and from there you have a beautiful view of the entire city. The castle is mostly a ruin today, but it still gets a lot of visitors every day. I walked on the walls there: which is fully allowed, there even are stairs. From the Castelo we could already see the Arco da Rua Augusta and we decided to end our day there.
As we left the castle, we walked along the small streets that we thought were Alfama. But we only realized at the end of our trip that it wasn't… too bad.... We'll have to go back then.
Sunset at Arco da Rua Augusta & Praça do Comércio
The days are still short in February so we got to see a sunset around 6 pm. along the water in the square. The view is really fantastic, and many people seemed to think so. After a short rest, we decided to use our Lisboa card to visit the Arco da Rua Augusta. Since it was already quite late, this was a pretty quiet place to have a beautiful view of, on the one side the shopping street, on the other side Castelo de São Jorge and on yet another side Praça do Comércio. In addition, the sunset was simply enchanting.
After admiring the beauty of the sunset, we chose to go to a restaurant on the square for our dinner. For being February, it had been quite warm all day, so we chose to eat outside on the terrace.
We ended our evening with a walk back to the hotel along the shopping street and past some tourist attractions such as the Santa Justa elevator and Convento do Carmo, an old ruin church.
All the beauty of Belem
With a train ticket to Belem (free, by the way, thanks to our Lisboa card) we discovered this beautiful and famous neighborhood. We got off at the stop and immediately encountered our first 'problem'. My mom is afraid of heights and especially of bridges. Nevertheless, this bridge is the only way to get from the train stop to this part of the city. This is because the train tracks run along the highway and are closed off with wire. So the bridge is the only way.
We walked by the museum Nacional dos Coches, but we decide to do this a little bit later. It's about 10 in the morning and we find Jardim Botânico Tropical. We decide to take a look. It's still chilly outside and there's some fog, but that makes this experience just a little more beautiful. Apart from a few gardeners, we are the only ones present. In peace and quiet we enjoy the exotic tree species and even see the occasional peacock. Once I almost bumped into one... he surprised me completely, I jumped up by surprise…
Not too far from the gardens, we visit Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Personally, I've never really been a fan of churches and monasteries, but this one is beautifully preserved and the architecture is fantastic. With rows of people queuing up, we cross nicely, as we can enter without an extra ticket. Although we didn't see the church itself (because that did require a ticket), we were able to get a view of the church from above via the monastery. The different rooms within the monastery give a broad picture of what it was like in the past.
After our visit, it was time for an afternoon break. We stopped at a local bakery, where there was again a long line, and we bought the famous Pasteis de Belem. They were tastier than expected and we immediately understood the hype. After our lunchbreak, we returned to Museu Nacional dos Coches. Although the cars used to be displayed in a classic old building, we were able to view them in a state-of-the-art building. It took away some of the splendor of these old carriages, but it also gave the opportunity to introduce new technologies to complement the exhibit.
For the next two sights, we had to cross another bridge. My mom was hoping for a pedestrian crossing, but after 15 minutes of walking we hadn't encountered one. Half an hour later we were finally at Padrão dos Descobrimentos which leans diagonally over the water. A beautiful monument where many tourists rested for a moment.
Our last activity in Belem was the famous Torre de Belém. Here we could visit the whole tower, which was quite nice, but I expected a little more. Then again, it could just be that my expectations were too high for a fairly small tower by the water. The view was really fantastic though. The stairs were rather narrow so they had a red and green light system like in traffic.
That evening we went to the hotel by streetcar instead of the train we came on. We got off at a small local food market where we went in and bought something to eat. At the end of our night, we walked back to our hotel.
A day trip to Sintra
On our last full day, we took the train to Sintra. This town is famous for its yellow and orange castle. After an hour on the train, we arrive at the Sintra station. As soon as you step out of there, you are met by dozens of guides and drivers of tuktuk-like cars. We decide to find the right route ourselves and walk everywhere.
We start our walk along the town hall of Sintra: Câmara Municipal de Sintra. We stop there for a moment, but decide to continue our walk along beautiful gardens towards Palácio Nacional de Sintra. We visit the castle and are amazed by the Portuguese beauty and the views the windows here offer. Especially the kitchen has our attention... so that's what those two towers are for.
Before we start our climb up, we buy sandwiches at the local bakery. We put on some more sunscreen and start our climb. It is beautiful and warm. The beautiful nature alternates with magnificent views over the city towards the sea.
We walk along Castelo dos Mouros and see some of the beautiful ruins. We do not visit the entire castle, but the route we chose ensures that we can see a large part of it. After a brisk walk with occasional short breaks, we arrive at the Palace of Pena. The famous yellow and orange castle. We chose to tour the castle. I think we easily walked around here for two hours, counting the visit inside and out. It was crowded for a weekday in off-season, but more than worth it.
We ended this excursion by visiting the gardens of the palace. These are beautiful, nature takes over completely here and it is almost unbelievable that there is an entire city not much further. The gardens are well cared for and there were no signs of winter here. Despite the many visitors to the castle, it is clear that far fewer people visit the gardens. After walking around here for a while too, we leisurely return to the train station to take the train back to Lisbon. It's almost 5 p.m. and we won't be back in Lisbon until 6:30.
That evening we look for a restaurant that was recommended to me, but once we arrive there after a long search, it is too busy. No place for us. No problem, we return to the area of our hotel. The square nearby has some nice restaurants.
The famous ride on streetcar 28
Our last day is came all too soon, and we only have until shortly after noon to explore the city. We decide to take streetcar 28 towards the end station. The streetcar ventures between all the narrow streets and sometimes has to wait for the streetcar coming from the other direction. How the vehicle whizzes through these alleys at full speed is beyond me, but it gives a unique experience. We get the hype. When we finally arrive at the final stop after an hour, we decide to step back the way we came.
We pass more small cute alleys in our quest back to familiar territory. After a long walk and some wrongly chosen streets, we end up back at Arco da Rua Augusta. From there, we know our way around. We eat our lunch at a local market organized not far from our hotel. We pick up our luggage, and then it's time to go back to Belgium. Less than a month later, total lockdown is declared. Sad but true, this is the first and last trip of 2020.
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