Portugal 2014 ~ Lisbon

On Wednesday morning, we left the Algarve for the three hour trek back up to Lisbon.  For the next three nights, we stayed at The House in Lisbon.  This boutique B&B had very large accommodations for us with two separate bedrooms.  The owner and his assistant were extremely helpful offering us places to eat and how to navigate the city.  And best of all, look at the view from the terrace!

The House terrace in Lisbon, Portugal

Buildings are covered in azulejos, or tiles. This is one of my favorites.

More beautiful tiles.

We took many trams (we call them trolleys, but in Lisbon they are trams) to get around the city.  They were terribly crowded and apparently a hot spot for pick pockets. In spite of that, we enjoyed them.  We did find that stops are not well marked and often hard to see when you are actually on the tram.  This may lead to "hangry" parents only becoming more cranky. You've been warned.

Neither of the kids sat for long.  It was time to learn that if adult women are standing, kids need to give up their seat.  Thomas gave up a seat for an elderly woman, and I thought she was going to kiss him.  She was so surprised and impressed.  He just blushed.  I gave him the look that said…See! I told you so!

One of my favorite pics of the trip!

The staff at The House recommended we find the shop that sold "The Best Chocolate Cake in the World".  It was properly named as it was the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted!!  We ordered two slices and went back for two more. What were we thinking only getting two? We should have taken   a whole cake to go.
Check it out here: The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

This guy just smiled when we ordered two more pieces. It probably happens a lot.

In chocolate heaven!

The Castle of São Jorge overlooks the historical centre of Lisbon.

We had some time to kill before dinner.  I really wanted to go inside the castle.  The rest of the family did not.  They are castled out.  After a significant amount of pouting…I won.  

This is the view of Lisbon from the castle.  We would have missed out on this spectacular view if we had skipped the castle.

We enjoyed our walk around the castle at night.  It was a little creepy navigating it in the dark.  In several areas, we had to use the lights on our iPhones because the staircases were not lit at all.  Remember when I mentioned safety standards in Europe…

Shooting arrows from the castle.  Love his imagination.

Another view from the castle.

Our dinner spot was recommended by our B&B and located in the Alfama neighborhood. There are actually two restaurants by this name. We could not get seated at the one with the Fado music (the traditional music of Portugal) as they were booked for the rest of the week.  So, we ate at the one without music.

I loved the authenticity of this restaurant and eating outside on a beautiful night. Chris, on the other hand, was not impressed. He didn't like the food and thought it more like eating in a back alley.

Riding the trams back to the B&B.

The Christ the King statue that overlooks Lisbon as seen from our rooftop terrace.

Our last afternoon in the Algarve, the kids' shoes were taken by the waves.  We were able to grab them pretty quickly, but you would not believe how wet they were.  So, I spent quite a bit of time drying their only sneakers with the blow dryer.  I'm sure rotting corpses smell better than this did.

 Scenes from Lisbon

I found another pic on Pinterest, and I was hoping to find this spot in Lisbon. 

 Found it!  Here is Thomas's version. :)

Everywhere you walk, the cobblestones are beautiful!

EEK!!  They get so close!

 We didn't hire a guide in Lisbon.  Instead, we did the walking tours Rick Steeves provides in his travel guide.

On November 1, 1755, an 8.7 (actually between 8.6 and 9 on the Richter scale) earthquake killed 60,000 people in Portugal.  The earthquake triggered tsunamis that destroyed the coast along Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.  

"You may judge of the force of this shock, when I inform you it was so violent that I could scarce keep on my knees; but it was attended with some circumstances still more dreadful than the former. On a sudden I heard a general outcry, "The sea is coming in, we shall be all lost." - Small excerpt from the eye-witness account of the Rev. Charles Davy - a survivor of the disaster.

Praça do Comércio
This is the square where the former palace was located but was destroyed by the earthquake.

This statue of King Joseph I was erected after the earthquake.

Thomas looking out over the Tagus River.

More patterned cobblestones.

I love all the color!  Such a difference from the gray of Belgium.

We were visiting a market and found this yummy goodness!

Our view from the market.

Praça do Rossio

The heart of Lisbon

The wave patterns in the cobblestones actually made me a little dizzy.

  This cathedral lost its roof the day of the earthquake, but the pillars along the side still stand. 

Near Rossio, we found two of our favorites...Hard Rock and Starbucks.  It was Halloween, so we stopped in since they were so festive. ;)

We bought three mugs that day.  Two were for friends who visited here and Starbucks was out of the mugs! Good thing that didn't happen to me.

 More sights along the walking tour.

I'm pretty sure we look this lost and crazy on most of our trips.  :) 

My favorite pastries in Portugal!

 And, that's a wrap for Lisbon.  Check back for our visit to Sintra, Portugal.

Until next time,

Wendy