Portugal
Lisbon, August 2013
Accommodations
- Hotel Avenida Palace: 5-star hotel located between Pombaline Downtown and the Avenida da Liberdade. This hotel's grandeur was impressive. Everything has an old world feeling inside, do not expect modern decor. I had a double bed room and above each bed was a crystal chandelier. There were life size statues in the business center that had me do a double take each time I walked by thinking someone was standing there. It's probably the only place I've stayed where the fleeting thought of "hmm....I could totally see this be haunted" came into mind. I would stay here again.
Sites/Tours
- Trams and Funiculars: The best way to get around and see the city. The Glória Funicular is just a straight shot up and down between Pombaline downtown and Bairro Alto. The street art on the funicular is always interesting to peek at as well. Tram 28 is a main drag tram that hits many of the popular sites. The cars on both are not modern, nor air conditioned but that's what adds to the charm. I also love looking at all the tram wires criscrossing above at major junctions, when I look up at the sky, it's like a giant spiderweb.
- Alfama:
- St. George's Castle: Come here for the views.
- Fado: Get lost in the crazy narrow and winding streets and listen out for a good fado singer to stop and pop in for. The streets were purposefully built to be confusing to keep out intruders, so seriously just enjoy roaming around.
- Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: In my opinion, the most beautiful spot in Lisbon. These are ruins of an old convent and walking in, all you see are the old architecture bones and sky. You just have to see it yourself.
- Sintra: Take the train from Rossio station out to Sintra to see some fun castles. To get to the castles, it's best to grab a bus once in Sintra as it's a winding incline up to the castles.
- Pena Palace: The most colorful castle I've ever seen, it feels like something from a kids book.
- The Moors Castle: The stretch of walls you can walk here is quite good, it gives you some wonderful views.
- Cabo da Roca: Not a castle but the most western point in mainland Europe. It's pretty awesome to come here, look out from the cliffs and feel how you are literally are at the edge of Europe. There isn't much else to do here so it's just about doing something a little different and taking in the moment.