As was the case on Day One, a visit to Cafe a Brasileira (on Rua Garrett) was very much in order – both for an energizing coffee (combined with fresh Pasteis de Nata), as well as a trip back in time (do yourself a favour and actually spend some time inside this gem of a place) to view its art deco interior. A second day of adjustment to the time zone and climate proved to be a wise planning move, not to mention that this part of the world definitely needed to be explored further before we ventured forth on our cycling and hiking pilgrimage.
Given the efficient schedules (and clean trains), the metro and electrico public transit service made local travel easy and enjoyable. Using transit for trips outside of the city centre afforded us the ability to reach the beautiful historic neighbourhood of Belem. Some highlights of this region included:
– authentic pasteis (delicious custard tarts) at the world famous Pasteis de Belem (explore beyond the beautiful front counter, and reach further in to the rear of the building to see more charm and history)
– incredible architecture of the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
– Padrao dos Descobrimentos, the monument to the discoveries
– the unique Torre Belem (Belem Tower), a landmark medieval defensive tower on the Rio Tejo
Within Lisboa, there was also plenty to see and do – so much so that two full weeks of discovery may not even do such a beautiful city justice. That said, given time constraints, we found the following to be extremely enjoyable and worthwhile uses of our time:
– a highly educational audio walking tour at the Lisboa Story Centre interactive visitor attraction
– a tasty visit to the Wines of Portugal (ViniPortugal) centre on the West side of the Praca do Comercio (simply get an access card from the helpful ambassador, put 5 to 10 Euros on the card, then take your time tasting small portions of fine wines from all regions of Portugal in the comfortable lounge)
– Alfama district walking tour
– visits to many historic churches (too many to mention)
Outside of Lisboa, especially if you have a desire to get to the coast and/or love beautiful scenery, the area around Cascais is stunning. Our visit there was most enjoyable, made especially so by an amazing dinner of fresh fish (plus barnacles) and great wine, enjoyed with friends at the water’s edge Restaurante Furnas do Guincho
I brought a thought 