We were quite sad to leave the Algarve after having such an amazing,
relaxing and rejuvenating time on the beach, but, as they say, all good things
must come to an end.
Not to worry though…our next stop was Lisbon. We had heard fantastic
things about Lisbon, so we were quite excited to be checking it out.
We ended up losing half a day in Lisbon due to some logical issues
with our car hire, so we wasted no time in hitting the streets when we arrived.
A few thoughts, reflections, and highlights…
> Lisbon is a super hilly town. The town square is basically in a
small valley, and then all around on each side the buildings are perched up on the
seven surrounding hills. It certainly creates a dramatic cityscape with some
really beautiful views.
> It is obvious that back in it’s heyday, Lisbon would have been
an incredibly wealthy, economically vibrant hub of activity. The architecture
was quite elaborate in places, almost giving it a Prague-esque feel at times.
Today, however, it’s fairly obvious that the economy is struggling, and many of
the once grand buildings have been left standing empty, unused, and generally
looking tired and run down. On the one hand, this added to the city’s vibe and
created quite a unique atmosphere. On the other, it was sad to see a once
wealthy city struggling because of the economy.
> One small highlight was heading 20 minutes out of Lisbon to a
small town called Belam where we sampled the world famous ‘Pasteis de Belem’ –
a Portuguese pasty. This particular recipe was created in 1834 by a group of
nuns after they had been expelled from their monastery following a liberal
revolution. They originally started selling them as a means of survival, but
before long word got out, and people started flocking from far and wide to
sample these tasty little gems.
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