Love for Lisbon

I had never really thought about traveling to Portugal so I didn't really have many expectations for the port. When we got off the ship in Lisbon, I was very pleasantly surprised. Since the city sits on a hill, we could see it all from where our ship was docked - and it was beautiful.

  

We spent the first morning wandering around the center of town. I swear it just kept getting more beautiful. Eventually we stopped for coffee and a snack. Cappuccino, custard pies, and a ham and cheese sandwich...YUM. Also, SO CHEAP compared to the other European cities we've been in.

After walking around for a while longer, we decided to buy some Portuguese port wine and climb up to the castle. We climbed multiple sets of stairs before finding a terrace with a view of the city, where we sat down to drink. Except here's the thing...port is gross. None of us liked it. But the view was gorgeous, so that made up for it.
    

On our way back down the hill we went into the old cathedral. Compared to some of the other churches we've seen on this trip, it was relatively simplistic. Still gorgeous, though.

      

Before going back to the ship for dinner we found a restaurant for a snack and sangria. That definitely made up for the port wine. Sangria gets an A+ in my book.

That night, a group of us decided to use our one night in the city to find a good dinner. We walked around the Alfama area for a while before deciding to go in a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant, owned by an old couple who spoke absolutely no English. Trying to order our food was a game of charades, but it was so worth it. The Portuguese steak I ordered is one of the best meals I've ever had. After dinner we spent a couple hours just walking around Lisbon until heading back to the ship.

The next day, Jordan and I got some coffee and pastries at a cafe and then went to Lisbon's Thieves Market. It was raining so most of the tables were covered, but there was a strange assortment of stuff for sale. Lots of shampoo, clothes, and electronics. Very interesting.

         

We then took a bus to an area of the city right on the water called Belem. While there we saw the Jeronimos Monastery and the Belem Tower. It had been rainy all day, but all of a sudden it started pouring. Jordan and I took cover under a tree for a while before deciding to make a run for it. We got soaking wet and ended up at an Italian restaurant to wait out the storm. While drying off, we enjoyed an incredibly delicious pizza with pesto and Italian ham...another YUM.

      

Once the rain finally calmed down, Jordan and I took the bus back to the ship.

Lisbon is now tied with St. Petersburg as my second favorite port so far. I loved how beautiful everything was and the people were so friendly. Even though the weather was less than perfect, I thought the city was absolutely incredible.