Lisbon
We had some tough decisions to make on our first full day in Lisbon. We passed on the choclolate fountain at the hotel buffet, chose Art over Cruel World (right) and heartily embraced our first pastel de nata (below).
Finally, after six years of waiting, our first Rick Steves tour begins with a meet and greet with our tourmates and leader Fatima Bugarin. We went around the room introducing ourselves and Fatima taught us a few basic, but essential Portuguese phrases (above left). We headed to dinner, walking down the beautiful tree-lined boulevard near our hotel admiring the patterned tiles of the Lisbon sidewalks and the skills of the artisans that kept them beautiful.
Our first full day in Lisbon started with a food tour of some of smaller neighborhood restaurants. We scheduled this in advance for the morning to give us time to make our late afternoon welcome meeting with the Rick Steves Tour group and our guide Fatima Bugarin. Our group of 27 hailed from 8 states and many had been on multiple Rick Steves tours, which we took as a very good sign. Fatima was funny, engaging and passionate about Portugal, but we had no idea how great a leader she would be over the course of the tour. She was patient, knowledgeable, and deftly navigated the logistics and group dynamics of each day. After the welcome meeting, we took a short walk to get familiar with the area around our hotel and had a group dinner at a lovely restaurant around the corner. We passed a makeshift memorial at the site of the tragic Glória funicular accident that had occurred just a week earlier.
The walking tour of Lisbon’s neighborhoods continued on our second day. We learned how Lisbon’s legendary stone sidewalks were created and maintained and had our first taste of Ginjinha, a popular cherry liqueur served in a chocolate cup. We passed through Rossio Square in Lisbon’s Baxia district and shot photos of the iconic Dom Pedro IV monument. Fatima took this opportunity to offer us a bit of Portuguese history and explained the wave patterns in the square were homage to voyages of Portuguese navigators, a theme that would repeat itself on the trip. We lingered at the magnificent Madre de Deus Convent to appreciate the incredible architecture and tile work. During our afternoon free time we visited the National Tile Museum and learned about the variety and historical significance of Portuguese tiles. Our first full day of the tour ended with a group dinner at Café Nicola and a soulful Fado performance featuring female Fado singers. For many in the group it was the first time hearing Fado music, and it was an amazing experience featuring love, loss, sorrow and memory of the Portuguese people.
The next day we ventured a little further from downtown Lisbon and made our way to the historic seafaring town of Belém, where we visited the stunning Jerónimos Monastery, Monument to the Discoveries, Maritime Museum, The Rosa dos Ventos and National Coach Museum. We learned about the rich history of Portugal’s explorations and discoveries. For us, perhaps the most life-changing discovery were the Pastéis de Belém which Fatima procured for our group. These amazing pastries were the best of all the Pastéis de Nata that we had during our trip, and we had a lot of them (well at least Michael did). Dinner was on our own and we chose a restaurant near the Parliament building, O Jardim Sr. Lisboa. It was delicious.
Walking back from our first group dinner, we passed the site of the tragic Gloria Funicular accident that had occurred just a week earlier (above left).
The following morning was beautiful and we spent time in Rossio Square appreciating the undulating wave patterns in the pavement and the statue of Dom Pedro IV (above right).
We visited the beautiful Madre de Deus Convent (left). Nearby, a ceremonial guard stood in front of the headquarters of the National Republican Guard (above).
The Madre de Deus Convent (above right), was filled with many examples of painted tile ranging from ancient discoveries and more modern examples (right). Michael thought that the painting on the ancient tiles (above left) bore a striking resemblance to the early work of Simpsons creator Matt Groening. We discussed whether this was a coincidence or a newly discovered revelation over our first taste of ginjinha (below), a cherry liquor served in a chocolate cup.
Our first introduction to Fado comes after a private group dinner. The singers (above), accompanied by two guitarists, take a bow following their performance.
We visited the Jerónimos Monastery in the seafaring town of Belém (right). We all enjoyed the delicious Pastéis de Belém, made at a bakery in town which is thought to use the original recipe from the Monastery (below).
The Mounument of Discoveries (left) on the banks of the Tagus River in Belém celebrates Portugal's 15th and 16th century age of discovery.
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Fatima, our Fairy Guidemother, stands at the center of the earth on a 50-meter-wide mosaic map that chronicles the voyages of Portuguese explorers (right).
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The National Coach Museum (top left) and Maritime Museum (top and right) are must-sees while in Belém.​​​
Seafood is plentiful in Belém and we stopped for lunch at a seaside cafe and tried the Bacalhau com Batatas (far left).​​
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Later in the day we explored different neighborhoods in Lisbon on the way to dinner at a restaurant (above left) near the Parliament building (above right).​​
Click the pastel de nata to continue the journey.