Lisboa

I started the day at 0500 and walked to the airport, which is just at the far end of Promenade des Anglais. A couple in front of me with too much baggage made me concerned I would not board in time, but I made it. At Amsterdam I transited to a Lisboa flight. My neighbour was a Portuguese woman married to an Englishman. She was taking bags of presents home to see family. Said she wasn't used to the excitable Portuguese temperament anymore. She gave me useful tips for Portugal.

I got some cash from an ATM and hopped onto the shuttle bus to (Praça do) Restauradores. Got some information at the tourist office and bought a map. I had omitted a guide book for Portugal to save weight for a long trip so I had only notes. I started matching postcodes of the hotels I had listed against the map. Ended up in a place in Travesa de Gloria, not far from the Praça. It was clean but the room was stuffy. Later I felt that I could have picked better accommodation.

After napping through the afternoon to catch up on sleep after a late night and early start, I went for a walk in the evening. It was rush hour when I emerged. I walked to the ferry landing on the bank of the Tejo, then back along Rua Augusta, which is a pedestrian precinct in the middle of downtown with outdoor cafes.

I rode to the top of the Santa Justa elevator where there is a platform with views to the hills surrounding Lisboa, on both sides of the Baixa district. The elevators are a handy way to ascend the steep hills.

At the platform topping the elevator is a vantage point and a cafe serving drinks. I took a table and sipped a strong beer in the balmy evening breeze.

There are views to the river Tejo and the hills surrounding Lisboa.


Time to get dinner. This time I took the funicular tram to Bairro Alto where there are many restaurants and fado venues. I picked the Cocheira Alentejana which was a touch expensive, but what the heck, I wanted the Alentejo food experience. I had escalopes de vitela ao Madeira (veal cutlets Madeira style) accompanied by a red wine and a bica (Portuguese expresso).

Then it was downhill by the funicular again. I was amused by a notice from 1927 affixed to the tram with a list of prohibitions: No drunks (i.e. me, hahaha), repulsive or contagious people. No insufficiently dressed people. No dogs or other animals. No bulky goods. No firearms.

At the Praça de Dom Pedro IV aka Rossio, I came across music and dancing. There was a lot of construction in Lisboa for the 1998 Expo. The wine and coffee were a potent combination so I fell asleep as soon as I reached the room, and only showered when I woke up around 0230.