Day 2 - Lisbon — Patti Part Two

This was a fun but busy day which means this will be a short blog post as we have another busy day planned for tomorrow, and the internet at the hotel is very slow tonight. Kind of makes me sad because I have so many pictures I love and want to post them all. But I’ll just have to be satisfied with hitting a sampling of what stood out to me most.

We headed into Lisbon to take a walking tour of the Alfama area, which is the oldest area in Lisbon. Lisbon is called the city of seven hills, and Alfama is on the highest hill, so has the best panoramic views of the city. There was a huge earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 which destroyed all except the Alfama area, so it’s the best representation of the original city. And at the top of the hill is the Sao Jorge Castle. There is not much left of the original castle but it does give you a fantastic view of the city, so that was where we headed on the walk.

It was windy on the terrace of the castle, but there were these cute cut out places to sit right on the wall and look out over the city - so of course Julie and I had to try it.

Alfama is a tangle of tiny winding streets with lots of cool little restaurants and shops. And you just keep climbing higher and higher.

Just one of many staircases we climbed to get to the castle.

I love the tile houses and all the beautiful intricate patterns. The Alfama like much of Lisbon is undergoing a major renovation, but the laws are very strict in terms of making any major changes. If a house or hotel or business has a tile facade then it must be kept even as far as color and pattern. So many great examples and this was definitely not the best example but just so sweet in terms of the detail.

On our walk through one of the shopping areas we saw a store that was very old selling salted cod. Cod is one of the main dishes in Portugal and is prepared hundreds of ways. I just assumed that it was because it was available abundantly but actually learned that it is all imported, and shipped salted and dried. When you buy it then you take it home and soak it to remove the salt and cook it. Who knew!

Salted cod sitting in huge pieces on the counter. No refrigeration necessary.

Our other event of the day was dinner and Fado music. Fado is kind of like Portuguese Blues. A singer is accompanied by one or several musicians playing a Portuguese guitar, and it’s a sad melancholy tune. Of course it’s all in Portuguese so we couldn’t understand the lyrics - but it is quite haunting. And the dinner was great!

Sea bass with mashed potatoes and carrots. Chocolate dessert with raspberry sauce and a tiny macaron!

I’ve got to get some sleep as we start early tomorrow. More to come! Thanks for checking in and sharing my day😊