Lisbon On Foot

September 6, 2022

Day One

We had quite the start to the day. I was sound asleep when Keith woke me up to say it was just after 10 AM! He had just woken up himself. Thank goodness, or who knows how long we would have slept on. Our hotel is very quiet, and has those exterior rolling metal shades, so it was also very dark. We both leapt out of bed because we are lovers of breakfast and we certainly didn’t want to miss ours.

The great thing about the long sleep is we both feel completely adjusted to our new time zone. We headed out for a day of exploring with no goals or particular famous sites or museums in mind. We enjoy acquainting ourselves with a new city this way. Tomorrow we may be a bit more organized about it, but today was for serendipitous discoveries.

Our hotel. The Olissippo Saldanna. We are very happy with it. Great people, good breakfast, they are storing our boxes for two months and the bicycles are securely stored as well.

First stop was a giant mall around the corner from the hotel. Seems I forgot my Apple Watch charger. Keith is convinced it is going to turn up eventually in a pannier, and he may be right, but I am not so sure. I remember putting it with the electronics days before we left, since I don’t use it at home (I have a charging stand), but it is not there. All I can think of is that while checking the electronics it fell out of the bag and I didn’t notice. Keith wasn’t all that happy that our first experience in Lisbon would be a gigantic mall, probably his least favourite of places, but he gamely came in with me and I found what I needed. I love my Apple Watch…I use it to pay for things, I have time and temperature on the watch face, I use it with Strava, I could go on and on. I really missed it today, but it is back on my wrist and I am happy.

Scooters and bikes in the foreground, giant North America style mall in the background. Most of the sidewalks in Lisbon are these cobbles, and they should come with a slippery when wet warning.

We walked to the Barrio Alto, a picturesque neighborhood dating from the 15th century to explore. Our first historical stop was São Domingos (St. Dominic’s Church) and that was the extent of our culture for the day. We were too busy exploring all the alleys and pedestrian areas and the waterfront.

One of the unique things about this church was that it was built starting 1241, then it was battered by the 1755 earthquake and suffered a substantial fire in 1955. You could see the evidence of both those events in the interior.

The alleys in the pedestrian areas were so much fun. Lots of people watching to be done, old buildings to be admired and so many places to enjoy a break for coffee.

This square had the cobbles arranged uniquely. It created an optical illusion that the surface you were walking on was wavy rather than flat. It was quite interesting.

We liked looking up at (and walking up and down) the hills of Lisbon. It really is a terrific place to explore on foot. As for biking out of town in a few days, we shall see. At least the route from the hotel to the ferry is primarily downhill. Lot of cobbles though, and LOTS of traffic. From my current perspective as a pedestrian the drivers didn’t win any awards for patience or predictability either. Keith is reassuring me I will be just fine.

Always look up when you travel is my motto.

The funicular coming up a very steep hill.

We wandered along the waterfront and found the ferry terminal for when we leave Lisbon, if we start by going south. That is still to be determined, if you can believe it. We stopped along the water for a bit of rehydration in the shade.

Keith getting creative with mirrored glass on the windows.

This area along the water was absolutely gorgeous.

The Arco Rua Augusta. It symbolises the rebirth of a new Lisbon after the tragedy of the earthquake, fire and tsunami in 1755 that razed what stood before.

More walking and exploring and we decided to have a snack to hold us until dinner hour in Portugal. There is a big football match tonight in Lisbon and it was fun to see the supporters of the two teams walking about in footie regalia.

Snack time! I wasn’t expecting my picture to be taken, but it does give you an idea of how awesome pedestrian streets are when done well. People flock to them, which is great for the businesses.

Right after our snack we came across cod cakes, immediately regretting that we hadn’t seen them before we stopped. We can try them tomorrow.

Cod cakes being made. Ingredients in the foreground. It is a very old recipe, but I forget how old.

Elavador Sta. Justa. We saw it from above and below. We saw no reason to stand in line to go up though.

Then it was back up to the hotel for a little relaxing before we venture out for dinner and time to do some dinner research. Which was a fail on my part. After looking for best tapas near me and coming up with nothing appealing I decided to ask the bartender downstairs. He took us to the door of the hotel, pointed us towards some lovely lights about 100 meters away and said tapas, Portuguese and delicious. He was spot on. We had an amazing dinner, wine, experience and conversation about north or south. We kept forgetting to take pictures though.

Our starter. There was lots of garlic in this, and the most delicious bread. We had already begun when I halted the proceedings for a picture.

Next up was brie, honey, figs, walnuts and other deliciousness. By the time the prawns, pasta, tomatoes and other tasty things had arrived we were too far into the wine to remember to take a picture.

It has been an absolutely fabulous day.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	10
Comment on this entry	Comment	7

Valerie BakerJust catching up on your first few days; never a dull moment!! Good to hear everything fell into place and your bikes both arrived together and you are finally ready to roll. Looks like you are off to a great start.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesSitting here at home with all our chores done and just waiting for tomorrow dawn to pedal away, a coffee and your story of today was really pleasant!
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

David MathersAren't holidays great! Looks like Keith is enjoying his camera. Looking forward to seeing which direction you decide to ride. Enjoy!
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Valerie BakerWe are loving Lisbon. We are still somewhat undecided about which direction to go…and we leave tomorrow. We are watching the weather in Porto and that may be the deciding factor.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesWe are really looking forward to following along.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Keith ClassenTo Steve Miller/GrampiesHope your departure goes smoothly. The does finally arrive.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Keith ClassenTo David MathersAfter much consideration south it is! Seriously considered a couple options going north…. take train to Porto spend a couple days there then head south. Neither one of us wanted to start out with a train ride after a few days here in Lisbon. We also considered riding north to Porto but the latest weather forecast indicated rain each day and wind direction was a consideration.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago