Portugal: Lisbon Explorers, Part One
Our trip to Lisbon got off to a rocky start. Around 10 pm, the night before our scheduled departure, I received a text that our flight had been cancelled and we were booked on a flight later in the same day. That, we decided, was not ideal, but not so bad.
But, about ten minutes later, I received a second text with two additional flight numbers and it suddenly dawned on me that we had been rebooked not as a family, but as three separate bookings on three separate flights.
What followed was a call with the airline in which the customer service agent apologized profusely and told me it was the best they could do. And I – not feeling particularly understanding at that moment – sarcastically asked her advice as to whether she would send the kids alone to Lisbon to await our arrival, seven hours later, or leave them behind in Seville, and hope they made their way later on, on their own, on two different flights.
This plan, clearly, was not going to work.
So, the next morning, I googled the distance from Seville to Lisbon (only 4.5 hours by car), walked outside of our hotel and over to a cab driver, and asked him what he’d charge to drive us all the way to our next destination. An hour later, we were on our way. Problem solved.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and the next day getting to know the city of Lisbon.
Wow – what a wonderful city! It combines so many of the things I have loved about other cities we’ve visited – beautiful architecture, funky little cafes, great public transit. Plus, it still has a sort of old world feel with tiny shops that sell only one specific item like buttons or soap or candles. And, there were many places to explore and activities to pursue that were interesting to the whole family.
Walking the Rua Plata towards the Price do Comercio.
Enjoying the first (of several) pasteis de natas.
A quick look at the Convento do Carmo which lost its roof in the historic 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Our exploring took us to the Santa Justa lookout. This is a platform from which you can have a panoramic view across the city. Normally you access it by taking the Santa Justa elevator from a lower part of the city to a higher part. But, the lines were long and the attraction was crowded. Thanks to google and a willingness from the kids to walk uphill, we were able to access the platform from the top. Hooray! All of the fun with none of the wait.
The Santa Justa walkway, as seen from below.
Making our way to the top of the platform.
We also walked all the way up to the Castle of St. George, a huge fortress complex dating back several hundred years, where we spent a few hours walking on the ramparts and admiring the views.
For lunch that day, we ambled through the tiny streets just outside the castle walls and found a little spot to eat. The food wasn’t that memorable, but the sun was shining and we were all in fine moods.
That afternoon, the kids and I also jumped in a tuk tuk to drive around the city. Our guide took us through several Lisbon neighborhoods as we bumped and thumped around in the back of his carriage. It was clear that the kids were enjoying the drive itself and not the stops along the way, and we kept surprising the driver as he’d let us off for a look at something and we’d ask him to resume the ride about ninety seconds later.
Ice cream with a tuk tuk driver.
We didn’t eat a ton of Portuguese seafood, as Ben almost always is angling for pizza margarita, regardless of what country we’re visiting. We did manage to try salted cod in a few of its famous forms and make a stop at the Time Out market.
Our visit to the market gave us an excuse to take the Elevador da Bica, a small cable car that runs up a particularly steep hill in the neighborhood where we stayed. Most of the day, there were long lines that made it more desirable to just walk up the hill. But, in the evening, we walked right on and enjoyed the ride.
