This whole time of our vacation, all the festivities seem to be leading up to the 12th of June – St. Anthony’s day of honor. I have been reading up on this since we came here not knowing about it. St. Anthony of Padua (12 th Century) is the patron saint of Lisbon. He was originally from Portugal but spent most of his life in Italy. However, the Portuguese are proud of his heritage.
A weekend in Lisboa
We decided to stay in town and eat at our favorite Tapas restaurant. The festival would go on until the wee hours of Sunday morning though it would not bother us. We could hear it and feel the thump of the music in our apartment, but when we close our windows they are very tight against sound.
Tram #28, the Lisboa experience
Saturday we queued up for Remodelado Tram #28 at Martim Moniz to Campo Ourique (Prazeres). The route goes through Graca and Alfama, as well as connects Baixa to the Estrela District. We took it both ways. Fortunately there are trams every 15 minutes and sometimes more frequently. Seating will accommodate about 30 people, but there are people constantly getting on and off, so at times the tram probably held twice that many people standing as well as sitting. We timed our entry into a tram to be one of the first 12 people on so we got great seats.
11 Tips for travel to Portugal (in particular, Lisbon)
I have learned a lot in just a few days. Well, actually over several weeks as we grew closer to the event and our planning of the trip. We really left the lodging arrangements to within 2 weeks of light off. We had also decided to travel with only carry-ons for 2 weeks. This one is a mixed bag, so to speak. It was really good because we did not book through a consolidator or agency. We booked Norwegian Air from Seattle to London Gatwick. Then we booked TAP (Air Portugal) from London to Lisbon. Not having to pickup bags and clear any official lines made our transition between airlines at Gatwick easier. (There is a whole other story about that later.) The down side is a backpack and a 21 inch spinner can be a lot of weight to maneuver, especially if you have to go up or down rickety stairs to and from the plane. (We had to several times.)
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Bits and Bites
It is Thursday, June 6.
While it would seem that everyday we are out tasting the bits of Lisboa and Portugal in restaurants and bars, but frankly, just like at home, it gets a little old for us to constantly be out eating and drinking.
Zenith – Brunch and Cocktails
Directly downstairs of our accommodations is a lovely little restaurant called Zenith. We went there out of convenience the first night we were in town.
The next morning we were going back but we got there right at 1100 and the place was mobbed, with a line out the door.
Visiting the A. Liberdade for an afternoon
Ave Liberdade is like walking down Kalakaua in Honolulu. All the high end shops, expensive hotels, expensive condos and apartments….set with old time (hundreds year old) cobblestone streets that will take one down in a flash.
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Jet lag and living in Lisboa
We took a leisurely afternoon and explored the immediate area around our apartment. The cobblestones are something else. I saw people slipping and catching themselves everywhere, so it isn’t just me and my propensity to fall on my face! Continue reading “Jet lag and living in Lisboa”
Lisbon, at last!
We made it through Passport Control and the airport. If you have nothing to declare, you can stroll right on out. It is an option to declare whatever, or just exit.
Heading for Portugal!
So as much as I can hardly believe it, we are on a plane to London Gatwick to pickup a flight from there to Lisbon, Portugal. It seems like a dream.