The last leg of this journey. Lisbon is a large city, with lots of one way streets. It was time to take back the car and use public transport. The bus system is really easy to use. Go to the tourist information office located in the Praça do Comércio square and get yourself a transit map. We stayed at the Altis Avenida Hotel. This hotel is on a major transit line and is walking distance to the square.
Beer, Fish Cakes, Buses and Cathedrals
Finally I am not driving, time to drink. Down at Praça do Comércio square there are a few bars and restaurants. We chose Museu da Cerveja (beer museum) what better place to enjoy a cold one. I felt a little underdressed inside, so outdoor it was. We went to this place twice, first time just to relax and have a beer. The second we went for food and beer. This is a great place to sit back and people watch.
After a few drinks we decided to go explore. Just downtown alone has so much to see so we decided to leave that for last and head up to Castelo de S. Jorge. People must have been short as someone that is 5’3 I felt very tall walking around this place. Also please note if you are unable to do stairs this is probably not the place for you.
The one thing that really caught my attention was the amount of Churches or Cathedrals that were in Lisbon. I am not a religious person but I do have a large respect for it as well as architecture. Lisbon Cathedral was by far my favorite. Not only was it well designed it also made it through the massive earthquake of 1755.
When I entered this holy place it was the High ceilings with beautiful carvings that made my jaw drop. For a few Euro you can go throughout the building and see also the dressings of past Priests. You are not allowed to take photos in these areas and I will say it is worth it.
It was time for food and I was starving. We made our way back and stopped at Peixaria Do Rossio. This place had great food and great service, we came back the next night. I had the Piri Piri Chicken, with the Piri on the side as it is too spicy for me. We met a group of guys from England on a business trip. After a little while of chatting I found out they played rugby in the same town that I went to to play. Small world.
Last Day
Today I decided to venture out on my own. After 9 days of rain, one more wasn’t going to make me melt. Although, I was not expecting it to get so bad. I took the bus to Belém Tower but got off at the wrong stop and had to walk. This would have been ok but it was so windy and the rain was coming down in buckets. So I decided to do what any normal Canadian would, DANCE!! I skipped the rest of the way, laughing to myself, what people must have thought.
The sad part was the place was closed, oh well, it was as just beautiful to see from outside. So with soaking wet clothing and shriveled toes I flagged down a taxi and made my way back to the hotel. On the way I asked him about the amount of graffiti that was everywhere. I mean really, all over Portugal. He explained that when tourists come to Portugal they think its locals. Turns out at the time tourists were doing it and putting it on Instagram as a travel tag. Maybe one day we will learn to respect.
Last Meal and Some Take Out
We packed our things and headed across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe for some lunch. But before we got on the train to the airport I had to make one more stop. Fábrica da Nata. There was no way I was leaving without a dozen. My family would have disowned me if I didn’t bring them back.
