Lisbon, Portugal - September 2024
Posted November 10, 2024 - 85 photos. We traveled to Lisbon, Portugal from September 22 to October 1, 2024. We had attempted to visit Lisbon in May 2022, but had to cancel the trip when we both came down with COVID, just days before we were supposed to leave. In 2024, there were so many people in Lisbon during our visit that it was sometimes difficult to enjoy ourselves. We were packed into trams and trains with people all around us coughing and sniffling. It’s no wonder we caught COVID - at least it was at the end of the trip this time.
01 - We flew to Lisbon, Portiugal, with a 3-hour layover at London Heathrow.
02 - The Denver Airport was very busy for a Sunday in late September -- felt kind of like Thanksgiving.
03 - Most people on our jam-packed flight watched TV...
04 - ...while Rick slept like a baby -- he woke-up often and cried a lot.
05 - Waiting for a cab at the congested, chaotic, and confusing Lisbon Airport.
06 - The sign says it all -- we finally made it to Lisbon!
07 - After we got settled into our hotel the night before, Rick wasn't feeling great and went to bed. He slept for a record-breaking 14 hours! We hit the road the next day, just in time for lunch at the Time Out Market.
08 - Pizza at the Time Out Market -- mediocre, but it did hit the spot!
09 - For dessert, we had some of Lisbon's world famous "Pasteis de Nata." It's a puff pastry filled with sugary, lemony custard. Not bad, but Rick prefers chocolate.
10 - Walking along the beautiful "Avenida da Liberdade," one of Europe's most expensive shopping streets. Like this street, the sidewalks throughout central Lisbon are tiled with eye-catching patterns and designs.
11 - Repairing the walks is very labor-intensive, though, and we saw a fair number of walks that needed repairs.
12 - A cool fountain along the Avenida.
13 - We stopped by a fancy soap store on the Avenida, but even the prices there were rather intimidating.
14 - We had dinner at a cozy rotisserie chicken place. Julie was brave enough to try some sardine paste on bread.
15 - Julie opted for yummy-looking salmon, while Rick went for the rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken is quite popular (and delicious) in Lisbon.
16 - Walking back to our hotel, the rain started, which would be with us for the next couple of days.
17 - On an extremely crowded tram to Belem, on the outskirts of Lisbon. Belem is where, hundreds of years ago, Portuguese sailors embarked on perilous sea voyages into the great unknown. In 1497, Vasco da Gama left Belem on his historic expedition to India.
18 - Our first Belem stop was the Jerónimos Monastery. We had timed-entry tickets, but still had to stand in a very long line in the dismal rain. We bailed after calculating that we would likely be standing in the line for nearly an hour.
19 - Here's Rick enjoying the rain by the Monument to Discoveries, a 170-foot monolith.
20 - Beautiful tile at the monument's base.
21 - More amazing tile work.
22 - Not much to see from the top of the monolith...
23 - ...regardless of the direction. And, at the monastery, you can see there was still a ridiculously long line for timed admissions.
24 - The monolith had a cool exhibit honoring the last 50 years of immigrants from Africa to Portugal. Can you imagine that? Honoring immigrants instead of demonizing them; what a novel idea.
25 - Tired of dealing with rain and people, we took a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel. This was the first of several Tuk Tuks we rode during the week.
26 - A fairly typical central Lisbon street scene.
27 - Perhaps an even more typical central Lisbon street scene.
28 - Riding the rather stuffy subway back to the hotel, Rick looks ready for bed -- he slept another 12 hours that night!
29 - A one-of-a-kind subway-platform-video-monitor-selfie.
30 - The next day, Rick looks surprisingly chipper for such a crappy weather day -- must have been his 12 hours of sleep the night before.
31 - We saw this cool door while traipsing in the rain.
32 - "Enough traipsing," Julie said, so we stopped at Portugal's Royal Treasure Museum. The museum displays a collection of more than 1,000 items that makeup the Crown Jewels.
33 - The museum is basically a giant 3-level safe built inside the west wing of the Ajuda National Palace.
34 - A gold "nugget" the size of one of LeBron James' feet.
35 - One of four silver table settings used for banquets, which were served "à la française" -- in four "stages." This is the fourth-course setting, which was the occasion for creative compositions to glorify the monarch.
36 - Turning our attention to more mundane things, we actually found an empty tram to ride!!
37 - There are a lot of tourists visiting Lisbon each year who never see an empty tram!
38 - The LX Factory -- a dining, shopping, and entertainment venue that's probably a lot more exciting at night, but it was still a neat place to roam around during the day.
39 - There was some pretty cool graffiti.
40 - You can get your hamburger any way you want it, as long as it's raw. Yes, the Portuguese seem to enjoy very rare beef. We just ate around the edges of our burger, since the prospect of picking-up E. coli didn't sound fun.
41 - The satisfied expression of a man who has just eaten some Landeau flourless chocolate cake -- perhaps the best darn cake you will find anywhere!
42 - An amazing office window selfie with the "25 de Abril Bridge" in the background. April 25, 1974 is the day the Portuguese people got rid of a fascist dictator and put a democracy in-place.
43 - Rick looks refreshed and 20 years younger after Julie and he had 90-minute facials at Terra Heal Spa.
44 - Time for a snack and drinks in a very relaxing atmosphere, just around the corner from the spa.
45 - This is the "Elevador de Santa Justa" street lift, placed in a rather precarious-looking location. You can ride it to the top for good views, but we weren't able to ride it because the lines were too long every time we walked by.
46 - The Praça Dom Pedro IV (plaza) used to be the place for executions, bullfights, and demonstrations. Fortunately, none of that was going on when we passed through.
47 - The National Shrine of Christ the King is on the left -- inspired by Christ the Redeemer in Rio, but not as cool). The "25 de Abril Bridge" is to the right.
48 - On the very crowded 40-minute train ride to Sintra. Glad we got there soon enough to grab a seat! (BTW, that's not RBG in the photo -- the guy looked like he didn't want his pic taken, so we covered him up.)
49 - In Sintra, we arrived at the base of a large hill (small mountain?) and all the stuff everyone wanted to see was at the top.
50 - There's only one way up and down by vehicle, and walking is really out of the question due to the narrow roads. The residents are none too happy about the traffic and crowds of people. We were there during the shoulder season and the traffic was insane.
51 - The first stop on our whirlwind tour of Sintra was the Castle of the Moors. North African Moors built the castle in the 9th century to defend Sintra.
52 - Such a cool place, it was reminiscent of the Great Wall of China.
53 - We definitely got a work-out climbing the serpentine maze of stairs, but the views were wonderful.
54 - This wasn't as precarious as it might look from your vantage point.
55 - That's the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
56 - The next stop on our adventure -- Pena Palace. Built in 1838 upon the ruins of an old monastery, the architecture is a mix of many styles, including Renaissance and Moorish.
57 - Pena Palace, the star attraction of Sintra. In 1838, King Ferdinand had an old monastery at this site remodeled into a summer retreat.
58 - Lots of interesting details all over the palace's exterior.
59 - And lots of people looking at all of those details.
60 - Yeah, there were A LOT of people!
61 - Sneaking a peek at one of the palace's inner courtyards.
62 - The inner courtyard - we're not posting any photos of the palace interior because it wasn't all that special, compared to the exterior.
63 - Cool patio with stellar views of the surrounding countryside and the Atlantic.
64 - Another shot of the Atlantic from the patio.
65 - A pretty neat parting shot, as we leave Pena Palace to take the train back to Lisbon.
66 - Back in Lisbon, Julie hugs the wall as a Bica Funicular barges on through.
67 - Making our way along Pink Street, looking for a place to have a drink.
68 - Ordering at Lisbon's smallest bar -- it might even be a contender for smallest bar in the world.
69 - Sampling some Ginja -- a Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja berries (sour cherry) in alcohol and adding sugar -- served in a solid chocolate shot glass. Yummy!
70 - For breakfast the next day, Rick had some very tough, but still tasty, steak.
71 - The city's iconic Lisbon Cathedral (Santa Maria Maior), constructed in the 12th century.
72 - An iconic view from an iconic cathedral.
73 - Inside the cathedral.
74 - Julie set-up this very cool shot!
75 - We finally got on the Bica Funicular, near our hotel. And, unfortunately, we also realized that we were getting ill.
76 - Making our way up Lisbon's highest hill in order to see Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle).
77 - Must be laundry day.
78 - A small chunk of the immense Castelo de São Jorge.
79 - Obligatory sitting-on-a-cannon shot.
80 - Spectacular views from the castle walls.
81 - You can see the Carmo Convent ruins in the foreground. Construction at that site dates back to 1389. And in front of the Convent is another view of the Santa Justa Lift. We skipped both sites, as our sickness was starting to bring us down.
82 - So we had some ice cream on the castle grounds...
83 - ...and then went shopping for drugs. Other than Julie leaving to get us food, we stayed in our hotel for the rest of the day and all of the next day. (Note: The COVID test is Julie's result after we got back to Colorado.)
84 - Masking-it on the flight from Lisbon to London Heathrow.
85 - Having porridge (basically oatmeal) for breakfast on our flight from London to Denver. We learned the Brits use the word "stodgy" to describe thicker porridge. Rick prefers his less stodgy.