This trip took me to Lisbon, Spain.
Before I left to the airport, I did a trusty google search of things to do and picturesque places around the city. Like most places in Europe, a lot of the things to do and see were churches and castles (which is fine, but how many damn churches do I need to see?). I skipped the churches and went to see what everyone goes to see. The touristy things…
My first stop was Miradouro das Portas do sol. I ubered from the hotel instead of taking the tram this entire trip because I forgot to take money out in the US. After my last trip to Venice, my card was hacked and drained and Lisbon shares many of the same outside ATM’s so I couldn’t get myself to trust them. Therefore, Uber it was. However, the tram is a very reliable source of transport in Lisbon, so research schedules and fares if you decide to go!
Most of my fares were €9-12.
I couldn’t get the right Portuguese to English translation but Miradouro das Portas is a balcony overlooking the river and port. It’s truly a beautiful view of Alfama with it’s infamous red tile roofs plastered across every building top. It’s a great spot to overlook the city and take photos for your photo catalog or Insta feed.
Spanish architecture is one of my favorites. Narrow streets and cobblestone roads make up the entire city. The cast iron balconies are very unique and stick out in Spain.
My next stop was The Memmo Alfama Hotel. The Memmo Alfama is considered one of the best hotels in Lisbon and is also the first boutique hotel in Alfama.
I went upstairs to the rooftop restaurant and bar which also offered a pool.I was lucky to get a table as it seemed they took reservations, but you might be able to walk in as I did if it’s a low peak time of the day. It’s a cute spot and the atmosphere is very relaxing for drinks and tapas. (Their menu is strictly a tapas menu from what I was told)
I ordered sauteed shrimp with lime and ginger, marinated olives and Lisboa’s traditional drink of port and tonic. The shrimp comes with the head on (for you Americans) and was great, the olives were….just olives. The port and tonic was surprisingly good as I think tonic tastes like what battery acid would if I ever had it. For the three items, I believe my bill came up to €25.
After walking around and in and out of some shops, I went to the LX factory next.
DISCLAIMER: Lisbon is the city of hills. Please bring comfortable shoes or sandals and make sure your shoes have good soles. I’m not the fittest or laziest but I did feel some strain walking up some of the incline. Motor-scooters and bicycles are available to rent for the hour or day and you’ll find many taxis for hire or Tuk Tuk’s around if you don’t plan to travel by foot.
LX factory is a collection of restaurants, stores and vendors housed in an old manufacturing complex under the Ponte de 25 April Bridge. It gave me a very touristy, hipster (Williamsburg, if you’re a New Yorker) vibe, but I appreciated that display of murals and art on almost every wall there was.
I stopped into the Livraria Ler Devagar bookstore which translates to “Read Slowly” and was named one of the 10 most beautiful libraries in the world. It houses two bars, thousands of books on its’s walls and a giant staircase to connect it all. There’s only a small section of books in English (which is to be expected) but it is a marvel for bookworms like myself.
After the bookstore I was supposed to run into Primark and head up Cascais to tan on the beach, but time was fading and the more I thought about the huge mall, it didn’t seem feasible to fit in both in the short span of time. I ubered over to Colombo Centre, Lisbon’s second biggest shopping centre. There are over 400 different shops, a cinema, bowling complex and even an amusement park housed in the centre.
I wasn’t interested in the theatrics, just that good ole EU style. I made my rounds from H&M (who I NEVER shop in the US), Primark and Forever 21. After shopping, Uber ending up restricting my card for some unknown glitchy reason and I had to take a cab back to the hotel. The fare ended up being the same as an Uber ride, so when I return I think I’ll do a combination of both can and Uber for transportation.
I planned to eat dinner at a restaurant ‘Barlotti’, but it was Sunday and everything closed early. Everyone seems to rave about this place so my next trip over, I’ll probably stop in and see what all the hype is about.
Instead, I ate at Lobby Bistro housed in the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa instead. I ordered the traditonal polvo à lagareiro and was blown away at how good it was. Hotel food is usually mediocre but this dish was phenomenal . I’m not sure if octopus is always good but it was amazingly flavorful and the texture of the octopus was just right.
After dinner, I drank myself to sleep with homemade mimosas.
I ate breakfast at the same hotel and they boasted a good English breakfast style spread. For some reason, they were hiding the smoked salmon in the kitchen so ask if you want it!
At the airport I bought some of the traditional and famous creamy custard egg tart, called pastel de nata and highly recommend it to anyone who loves pastries.
That’s all for now!
❤️-Choonks