Portugal Vacation - Lisbon

7/10/17

Upon leaving Sintra, our guide began making his way toward Lisbon to see a couple sights and then drop us off at our hotel.

Our first stop in Lisbon was the Belem Tower, which was commissioned by King John II in the early 16th century to protect the mouth of the Tagus River.  The tower is built on a small island in the river, very near to the shore.  It was closed the day we visited, so we had to settle for a bunch of cool exterior pics.  Our guide assured us that we weren't missing much by not seeing the inside.

Belem Tower.

The Padrao dos Descobrimentos is located about a 10-15 minute walk from the Belem Tower and was built to celebrate the Portuguese Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.  Fun fact: the Portuguese are really into Vasco da Gama.  There is a cool world map in the area behind the statue that shows all the Portuguese discoveries and colonial holdings.

Padrao dos Descobrimentos.

Another 10 minute walk will take you from the Padrao dos Descobrimentos to Jeronimos Monastery.  Construction of Jeronimos Monastery began in the year 1501 and took 100 years to complete.  Unfortunately, the monastery was closed for renovations while we were in Lisbon, so we were only able to view it from the outside.  Not good timing on monument visits for Team Anthony today.  As you can see, it is absolutely massive.  

Mosterio dos Jeronimos.

More Mosterio dos Jeronimos.

Right across the street from Jeronimos Monastery sits the world famous Pasteis de Belem.  Due to the Liberal Revolution of 1820, monks began selling their pasteis de nata for a little extra cash to keep the monastery afloat.  When the monastery was closed in 1834, the recipe was sold and Pasteis de Belem was opened.  

Things were an absolute madhouse when we arrived.  Luckily, we were able to snag the only open table in the building due to a couple finishing their meal right as we were walking by.  I would definitely recommend stopping by to see what all the fuss is about, because their pastel de nata is absolutely delicious.  We only ordered a few, and I immediately regretted it.  Should have bought 20. 

After checking out these sights, our driver dropped us off at the Hotel Avenida Palace, a 5 star hotel that is conveniently located near the train station and within walking distance of the Baixa and Barrio Alto neighborhoods.   We got checked in and then made our way to the Baixa district to wander a bit before it got dark.  We meandered our way down Rua Augusta, a large pedestrian street filled with shopping and restaurants.  Nearing the waterfront, we came across the Arco do Triunfo, that leads into the Praca do Comercio.

The Arch from Rua Augusta.

Arco do Triunfo.

Crossing under the Arco do Triunfo led us to the large commercial square.  This is where people will attempt to sell you drugs.  It made me feel super cool.  After rebuffing 5-10 drug dealers, we made our way back to our hotel, stopping to grab a quick bite on the way.  Day 1 in Lisbon was in the books.

Terreiro Do Paco.

7/11/17

Our final day in Portugal began with us sleeping in before hitting the town to check out a couple more sights and to do some shopping.  Momma needed a new purse.  We decided to start the day by taking the Santa Justa Lift to visit the Barrio Alto district.  This turned out to be a very time consuming process.  If there is no line, or if you have all the time in the world, feel free to take this gigantic elevator.  It's definitely not a "can't miss" type of attraction.  It does, however, drop you off right next to the Carmo Archaeological Museum, which was our last major stop in Lisbon.

View of Museo Arqueologico do Carmo from Elevador de Santa Justa.

The Carmo Archaeological Museum is inside the ruins of the Carmo Convent, which was built in 1389 before being destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.  The ruins of the convent are beautiful, and the museum is definitely worth checking out.  They do not allow photography inside, but there are mummies and old tombs and that type of spooky stuff.

Museo Arqueologico do Carmo.

Upon leaving the museum, I tried to navigate us toward the main shopping strip, which led to us getting hopelessly lost and climbing up and down about 10,000 steps.  We finally found what we were looking for and Allison got her shiny, new purse.  We later learned that we could have taken a shortcut through the train station directly to our desired location, but where's the fun in that?

Shortcuts, who needs 'em?

"Hey, these stairs look familiar.  Kind of like the ones
that you JUST MADE ME CLIMB!"

Restaurants

Dama e Vagabundo

We stopped at Dama e Vagabundo for a quick bite while exploring the Baixa district.  It's not the best pizza in the world, but sometimes you just have a craving and this definitely hit the spot.

El Rei D'frango

El Rei D'frango is a small, hole in the wall type spot that is located near the train station.  The food was delicious and very affordable.  

IIIMPAR

IIIMPAR had only been open for a couple of months when we made our visit.  The service was excellent and the steaks were cooked perfectly.  It was a great way to finish our trip.