I came to Lisbon with neither high nor low expectations. More than anything else, it was going to be an excellent chance to recharge the batteries a little after a hectic finish to London, without the stress and hassle of a completely foreign culture (we're quite used to European ways now...).
I think it's probably been one of the biggest surprises of all European cities we've been to - a bit of a dark horse, if you will. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Lisbon, seize it with both hands! What a fabulous place it is. From the stunning tiles that adorn swathes of buildings throughout the city, to the intricate cobblestone designs that festoon the countless plazas in Lisbon, it is a city that always has something to offer. Even though we've visited in the extreme depths of Winter, we were welcomed by a magical Winter sun for most of the day today after the ridiculous storm of last evening!
Tiled exterior of the buildings
After waking up quite late, we meandered downstairs for a nosh-up of scrambled eggs on toast, and chocolate crepes, washed down with pretty good coffee. The hostel we are staying in, Hostel Rossio, won hostel of the year in 2012 or something, and is beautiful. We've got a private double room, and it's bigger and a fair bit nicer than many hotel rooms we've stayed in previously.
We headed out into the Lisbon squares to see what we could find, and after a short while we concluded that we had been in Portugal for way too long without having sampled the Pasteis de Nata (Portugese Egg Custard tart), so we headed on to try some. They were absolutely delicious, if not a little on the sweet side.
Kristina - we looked for the place you suggested, but we think it might now be a small bar. The ones we found were delicious anyway! :-) Thanks for the tip though!!!!
Being a little on the exhausted side after an emotional departure from London, we thought it would be a good idea to take it a little easy today, and in the past we have found that the sightseeing bus tours are a good way to get your bearings on a city (while also being quite chilled out giving us a good chance to sit back and relax). We went down to Belem in the old town on the bus tour, and jumped off there and decided to have a bit of a walk around. What a beautiful area this was.
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
Padrao dos Descobrimentos
Small square with beautiful tile decorations
Museu de Arqueologia
After wandering around for a while (and getting quite lost), we ended up finding another bus stop near Alcantara-Mar, which was a very cool train station that had some of the most amazing street art in it.
Street Art in Alcantara-Mar
Back home for the evening, and after consuming a bottle of wine that we bought for €0.99 (it kinda tasted like it was worth that much too...), we've concluded that Lisbon is treating us very well so far.
Dinner! (Thank you Lidl - dining like Kings and Queens...)
The view from our window
We are very much looking forward to the remainder of our time here (and a few more Pasteis de Nata!!!)
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