Day 33 - Thusday 9 November - Lisbon, Portugal
This morning we left Porto and travelled by train to Lisbon which took about three hours. After arriving in Lisbon, catching two metro trains, hoisting our baggage up and down stairs because either the escalators and/or the lifts weren’t working, we eventually arrived at the Rossio Plaza Hotel where we plan to stay for the final two days of our trip. The weather is much more pleasant in the south of Portugal - it has less rain and the days are a little bit warmer, which was a nice relief.
Aerial photo of Lisbon showing the "Commercial Plaza" - photo by Lumares
In the late afternoon, after having a short rest, we headed out to explore around our hotel which is near the central part of the city. It was only a short walk, through basically a shopping district, to reach the shore. There were still many tourists around, but also lots of local people, out in the afternoon enjoying the sun and foreshore.
After returning to the hotel to put on some warmer clothes, we went out again and found a cosy local restaurant which served a very good paella and a nice red wine from the Douro region.
John, Carole and Frances In the huge open “Commercial Plaza” at the shorefront
At the shore looking back at the plaza
Sand sculptures of animals on the shore
Electric “vintage” vehicles for sightseeing tours
Some vintage tiles on the side of a building
The ubiquitous Portuguese tart shops - there are lots of them
Painted ceramic sardines by Bordallo Pinheiroa. They are popular tourist souvenir, but some of the cheaper ones are quite roughly painted
Painted ceramic sardines in a box by Bordallo Pinheiro - the most impressive I've seen
The no-name restaurant where we had dinner. They had an ATM machine, but their credit card device was not working!
The seafood paella
Day 34 - Friday 10 November - Lisbon, Portugal
This is the last day of our holiday in Europe before we leave to return to Sydney. In the morning we had small breakfast in a nearby local café, Bolos Regionais Pastelaria Tentação Padaria in Figuerira Plaza, then we took another “free” guided tour, this time of Lisbon.
I know that I am stating the bleeding obvious when I say that the culture of a country is determined by its people, climate and geography, and I think this is particularly true of Portugal which has a long history of invasions, a dictatorship and a peaceful transition to democracy. Francisco, or guide, emphasised this in his long introduction to the history of Portugal and Lisbon, with dramatic gestures and sound effects. I made a slight faux pas when he asked what the statue atop the Column of Pedro IV was holding when I said “bacalhau” ( dried cod) - it was in fact the Portuguese constitution - but the statue was very high up. He did however have a good laugh and threatened to use the comment in future tours.
Francisco telling us about the history of Lisbon
A painted metal sculpture attached to a building, in a similar style to the “rabbit” in Porto
A curious cafe with an international collection of cereal boxes
He was an excellent guide, emphasising the particular characteristics of the Portuguese people and their culture, but at over 3.5 hours of listening, standing and walking, we were a bit relieved when it was over. Fortunately, the tour ended near one of the tram stops so we caught one back to near Figuerira Plaza and then went back to Tentação Padaria for a light lunch.
We spent the afternoon resting and repackaged our bags so they would close again. It is surprising how much clothes expand when you are travelling. We have almost exhausted our clean clothes, even with washing and drying along our route, so we have just enough for the flight home - don’t really want the smell too much on the plane.
The four of us went out for a light dinner, again to Tentação Padaria, they are getting to know us now. Tomorrow we fly British Airways from Lisbon to London where we catch a flight to Sydney via Singapore.
A restaurant specialising in “fado” music
Detail of tiles on the facade of the restaurant specialising in “fado” music
Humorous tiles - Snail looking for a home.
The Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Largo do Carmo (Carmo Plaza) which was damaged during the 1755 earthquake and also the location of the military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974.
Sign and balcony in Largo do Carmo
Scene on Lisbon looking towards the castle
View over Lisbon suburbs
A couple of tourists in Lisbon
Walking tour where we stopped to sample genuine Pastéis de Bacalhau (bacalhau and potato fritters)
Travelling in one of the historic trams
One of the trams in Lisbon which have been in operation since 1873. This is not a tourist concoction, it’s also what locals use to travel around the city.
Day 35 - Saturday 11 November - Lisbon, Portugal
Our last day in Portugal, so we had a farewell breakfast at Bolos Regionais Pastelaria Tentação Padaria in Figuerira Plaza, Lisbon.
Bolos Regionais Pastelaria Tentação Padaria in Figuerira Plaza, Lisbon.
Day 37 - Monday 13 November - Sydney
We arrived back in Sydney on Monday 13 November after about a 26 hour journey on British airways from Lisbon to London, then London to Sydney via Singapore. The flight seemed interminable and sleep almost impossible, but like good things, it eventually came to and end.
The food on the flight was OK and the service generally good. We had two excellent friendly cabin staff, one on the way there and another on the way back who made a huge difference to our experience on board.
Metro in Lisbon to the airport, €1.40 ($2.30) each - Taxi in Sydney from the airport to Darlington $55!
High points and low points:
The low point was definitely the rainy weather, which made touring difficult, and impacted on our river cruise.
There were actually many high points: catching up with Frances’ relatives in Holland, some of the places in Italy, particularly Pompeii, and just enjoying the experience of being in Portugal. It was also really great travelling with our friends Carole and John from Kiama who made great travelling companions.
We also learned a couple of things for example; if you’re travelling by air or water during the rainy weather, it’s really good idea to have a waterproof suitcase; Take your own headphones with a mini-jack connection on airplanes so you don’t have to use the crappy earbuds you are given by the airline.
Also take a spare phone in which you can insert a chip for the countries you are visiting, which means you don’t have to change your own phone number (Essential for a two factor authentication), and it can work independently for useful GPS and messaging.
