TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 1
Jack and I reached Lisbon from Barcelona via Vuelling airlines in approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival, we met up with Tim and Leigh, who had traveled from London.
We took an Uber to our Airbnb and true to the forecast it rained the whole day.
After putting our luggage down and wearing our raincoats, we headed out to explore and grab lunch, not minding the rain. (Linked to Jo’s Monday Walk)
(I relinquished my role as planner to my capable kids who are with me in this city. However, their brisk pace and perception of easy climbs posed a challenge for us oldies, especially for me with my trusty walking stick.)
I was filled with excitement to finally witness the charming tiled Lisbon houses that, until now, I had only seen online.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. It is built on seven hills and seeing the steep cobbled streets of Bairro Alto, where we stayed, I got a bit nervous.
Encountering trams in Lisbon for the first time filled me with excitement that surpassed even the familiar trams back home in Melbourne.
And this was lunch at the famous Time Out Market.
Time Out Market Lisbon is a food hall situated within Mercado da Ribeira, a traditional market in Lisbon’s trendy Cais do Sodre waterfront district.
Just a few minutes walk from the market is the famous Rua Nova do Carvalho better known as the Pink Street. It is approximately 250 meters long and is lined with stores, cafes, and restaurants.
It is amazing that everywhere we went, we saw tiles, different colours and designs.
What is also popular in Lisbon are its sardines which have beautiful and unique designed packaging.
Lisbon is colourful, from its tuk-tuk to its shop awnings.
This is Praça do Rossio which was a delight to see, especially its wavy pavement of Portuguese tiles. Rossio is the beating heart of Lisbon, all around it are many shops, restaurants and bars.
A Baroque fountain in the middle of the square. Here you can see the Mermaid Statue.
Modern public Art on the same square.
Walk at the back of this arch not knowing that it was the famous Rua Augusta Arch. (We just knew that it was the same one on our last day.)
Next we saw the Santa Justa Lift which was extremely busy that we decided not to go on it anymore.
More art everywhere we looked.
Some windows (Linked to Ludwig’s Monday Windows Challenge)
Some Streetart windows.
By then, we were all worn out. We grabbed dinner near our Airbnb, but I was still full from lunch, so I opted for soup. The meal was decent, but I was surprised to see steak and chips with rice on the menu—a combination I hadn’t come across before.
Had a bit of a stroll after dinner.
Photos from 17 October 2023
So that was our first day in the charming, picturesque (and did I say tremendously hilly?) Bairro Alto in Lisbon…
It looks delightful!
Thanks a lot ❤️
Beautiful Lisbon Techie.🥰
So beautiful, ang tirik lang ng mga hagdanan, Arlene.
So much colour and creativity, delightful!
Thanks so much Helen, a feast for the eyes!
I love those beautiful old tiles made of ceramics. Also there are similar tiles in the nearby where I live, in Apulia, in Southern Italy
They are so pretty aren’t they? Italy is such a lovely place as well.
Thank you. Come and visit us sometimes, you are welcome 🤗
My husband would love that. He wants to go but I don’t want to go on a long haul flight anymore so we shall see. Have a great day ❤️
Thanks and to you as well 🥰
Oh yes, Lisbon is hilly, but one of my favourite European cities nevertheless. You’ve captured its charm and reminded me why I love it!
Oh yes except for the rain… loved everything else. The neighbourhood may be hilly but it is as authentic as it can get. Such “instagram worthy”locations. Thanks Sarah.
Bairro Alto is not the best place to stay if you have mobility problems, Teresa, but I guess you managed. There are tuk-tuks everywhere now, and trams, of course 🤗🩷 A shame about the rain but your photos haven’t suffered. Pink Street looks decidedly damp 🤣🩷 It’s only a few hours from here but we seldom go. Lazy, I guess, and I don’t like queuing. Glad you enjoyed it, hon. Thanks for sharing xx
Yes I guess it wasn’t the best decision to stay there but the view made it all worth it. And what’s important is… I survived. After a few days, when my kids left, we moved to a flatter area and that’s quite a relief. Thanks for the comment, Jo.
Sounds like a wise move, but hey, you’re a survivor, Teresa 🤣🩵
This all looks lovely!! We are traveling to Lisbon in May and can’t wait! Great post and pictures!!
Well, May seems like good weather. Enjoy your time there, I am sure you will.
fab photos – it all looks great
Thanks a lot Marie. Enjoyed every minute of it
What a beautiful city, Teresa! Thank you for taking us there through your photos. 🙂
❤️
Nice tour. Nice photos.
Thanks Ludwig.
It all looks very interesting and colourful, I love the street art, the tiles, and the pink street 🙂
There’s so many things to love in Lisbon. Thanks Eunice for the visit.