Lisboa
Since Matt was going to be in Lisbon for work for a week, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity for the both of us to go (Matt’s travel paid for by work!) and see a city we had heard wonderful things about. Not to mention, it was a great chance to get away from the winter weather in the Hague and go to much more “spring-like” climate!
We arrived Friday night and took a taxi to our B&B where we were met by the best host we could have ever had in Lisbon - Luis of Zuza Bed and Breakfast. He showed us our room (which had snacks and port for us to try!) and sat down with us to talk about our plans. He also gave us a cell phone so we could call him in case we had any questions while in Lisbon (he was true to his word- I can’t rave enough about this place). It was relatively early (around 9pm) and he recommended a place to try Portuguese cheese and port in Barrio Alto - it was SO good! After that we ran into Luis and he treated us to a drink at a bar outside the B&B. It was a great first night in the city!
The next morning we ate breakfast and ventured into the city. We walked through Baixa and Alfama (the historic area - all of the streets are tiny and the houses are lined with tiles - very cool) and went to a flea market where we picked up some pottery at a great price. We then walked to the Castle St. George which sits on top of the highest hill in Lisbon.
One of the many tiled houses in Alfama...
...and very narrow streets!
The views from the castle were great and we could see many things that we couldn’t while walking through the city, including the Cristo Rei - its a big statue of Jesus (looks like the famous one in Brazil) and overlooks the city of Lisbon from across the river. It was pretty foggy on the river the day we went to the Castle so we got some interesting shots of it.
View from the top of Castle St. George
Cristo Rei over Matt's left shoulder
Inside the Castle - so pretty
After the Castle, we grabbed lunch at a great spot in Chiado (A Brasileira - apparently a gathering for Portuguese literati) where we got salted cod (a Lisbon specialty) and another fish dish. We then decided it would be a great time to do some port tasting- we went to the Instituto Do Vinho Do Porto - or the Port Wine Institute - to taste all sorts of different ports for 1-5 euro per tasting. It was a great way to figure out what we liked - we even picked up a delicious 10 year tawny. This is the port we realized we really like and was in our price range - we may be new port drinkers!
We rested a bit at the B&B after the tasting and then had a great dinner at a restaurant at Barrio Alto recommended by Luis. We filled up on great portuguese dishes and then made our way back to the B&B to get some well needed rest.
Sunday was rainy, but we decided to go to Sintra which was about a 45 minute train ride outside of Lisbon. Then entire town is a UNESCO Historic Site so we knew we would have a lot to see. We got there late morning and hiked up to the highest point in the town to see Pena Palace. This is apparently one of the most beautiful castles in the world, with an amazing view - unfortunately we could not even see the outside of the castle because it was so foggy!!! Nonetheless, the inside of the castle was extremely pretty and very interesting - we thought it was a better interior than any of the castles we saw in France. After viewing the castle, we took a bus down as the rain had really picked up.
View during the hike up to Pena Palace
Lots of fog at Pena Palace
Our next stop was Quinta da Regaleira - a very neat Harry Potter-esque castle just outside the center of the town. There were mystical gardens and hidden caves (which you needed a flashlight to traverse) all throughout the grounds of the castle - we had a great time exploring!
Quinta da Regaleira
Hopping stones to get into one of the caves!
A small church on the grounds of Quinta - there were caves underneath!
After feeling like wizards at Hogwarts (well at least Lindsey did :)), we went back to Lisbon and settled in for a quiet night of portuguese sausage, wine, and cheese. It was raining REALLY hard and although we felt bad about not going out, we were not motivated enough to brave the weather.
Monday morning we slept in and I had to go back to Den Haag, while Matt got to stay in Lisbon for the rest of the week for work. I was extremely jealous as Lisbon was such an awesome city - we would both go back in a heartbeat. Check out our pics here!