Lisbon

Lisbon is one of the world’s great cities and – so we were told – an overlooked gem. We were told we should visit before it became too popular. Unfortunately we got the memo too late! Lisbon is very busy with tourists. Staying for a week gave us the luxury of spending more time exploring out-of-the-way areas and avoiding the crowds. In addition, our apartment was in a local neighbourhood not frequented by tourists. That made our stay more relaxing and enjoyable.

The historic centre of Lisbon is very walkable. Though there are some obligatory tourist sites, the real charm of Lisbon comes in wandering the streets of its older neighbourhoods, admiring the architecture, stopping for coffee or wine as you go or window shopping along Avenida Liberdade.

Sintra

Sintra is a short train ride from Lisbon and is regarded as one of the “must-sees”. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former summer retreat for Portugese royalty.

The historic town is a few square blocks of twisting alleys, mostly taken over by cafes and gift shops. The primary attractions are the historic palaces and the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors). The Castle and Palaces are mostly well outside the town, up steep hills. It’s necessary to take buses from place to place so our visit to Sintra was a long day.

If you are in Portugal you should see Sintra, despite the crowds. If you go, go mid-week and get there early to minimize time spent in line-ups.

Evora

Évora was one of the highlights of our visit. It is a small walled town a couple of hours from Lisbon by train. It was a prominent Roman town. Remnants of Roman times remain, including baths and a large aquaduct. We wandered the streets for the day, soaking up the atmosphere with relatively few other tourists. A highlight, if that is the right way to put it, was the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones). It is a small 16th century chapel built for the Franciscan monks. It contains over 5,000 human bones inlaid into the walls and pillars. The inscription over the entrance reads “We, the bones that are here, await yours.”

Azulejo

Portugal is famous for its use of decorative tiles (“azueljo” in Portugese). They have been extensively used in architecture and design for over 400 years. Many are merely decorative. Others, especially in churches and state buildings, portray scenes from history or tell stories. They are not just historical artifacts, they continue to be used today. They decorate people’s houses, park seats, fountains, shops, and train stations. Below are some of the tiles we encountered, some dating back to the 1500s, others in modern buildings. (Those without a keen interest in decorative arts feel free to skip the slide show!)

Food and Drink

Our little neighbourhood was packed with small restaurants and cafes. We ate many meals at home, buying what we needed each day at a nearby supermarket, but made sure to sample the local specialities.

If you stay away from tourist areas, restaurant meals are cheap and delicious. Coffee in our local cafe was €0.90. Wine was €1.50. In Evora we had dinner al fresco in the town square. Dinner for two including 1/2 litre of wine was €18! Our final evening in Lisbon we had dinner at a seafood restaurant around the corner from our apartment. We started with a small plate of fresh cheese, then shared a platter of mussels in onion sauce (sounds odd but it was delicious). For entrees we had grilled grouper and the house specialty – cod with prawns, clams and potatoes. We had enough food for four people. Including a good bottle of vinho verde the price came to only €65, less than $100 CDN.

Next stop: Porto

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