Lisbon, Portugal

where i shared my knowledge

A month ago my mom and I flew to Portugal to walk a section of the Camino Portugues route (another route like the Camino Frances that I hiked in 2017) finishing in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, was the initial destination.

For our time in Lisbon we stayed a little out from the city center at Hotel Ibis Lisboa Parque das Naçoes. There was a metro nearby that we took to get downtown. Our first stop after a very long nap after arriving at 6AM was the famous Café A Brasileira for the beloved Portuguese custard tarts pasteis de nata. I ordered two for us and paired it with my first café con leite of the trip. From there we walked around admiring the street cars and old buildings. We walked to the waterfront and from there to the large plaza, Praça do Comércio, then back passing the tall Elevador de Santa Justa, an elevator taking you above the buildings for a nice view of the city but one we didn’t pay to take. We occupied our time till the restaurant I had been recommended, Quermesse Restaurante, opened at 7:30. And as it was our first night in Portugal we treated ourselves to a jar of sangria made with rosé. I had a spinach and seafood lasagna while mom tried the shredded codfish.

The next day we took a tram out of the city to nearby Belém to see the famous tower, an UNESCO World Heritage site. But first we walked along the waterfront and passed a large monument, Padrão dos Descobrimentos, built to honor Portuguese naval history. Once at the tower we waited in a long line to enter and then climbed the narrow circular stairs to the top. We toured around checking out the batteries and canons. Then after a quick trip back to the city we visited the Lisbon cathedral known as Sé where we purchased our pilgrim credential for our Camino walk. (The full Camino Portugues route starts in Lisbon, but most pilgrims start in Porto.) We thought it was too late to visit the massive Castelo de São Jorge but we walked the steep streets to get there and was rewarded with it still being opened. We toured the grounds, past peacocks and ruins, and marveled at the gorgeous views of the city from its hill location. For dinner that night we stopped at a random restaurant on one of the main streets and ate outside in the middle of the street like all the other restaurants and enjoyed people-watching. I tried a Portuguese cherry liqueur, ginja, but didn’t care for it.

On the third day we bid farewell to Lisboa (the city’s name in Portuguese) and took a train north to Porto.

Next: Porto, Portugal