![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-street1.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tiles1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tiles2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tiles3.jpg\")
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After a devastating earthquake in 1755, that ravaged Lisbon and surrounding areas by fire and tsunami, the city was quickly rebuilt using military-style architecture which left the outside of buildings looking very much the same and very austere, despite the infamous tile work introduced by the Moors. The insides, however, were personalized and, over the years, modernized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our apartment was lovely with 2 bedrooms at one end and another (ours) at the other. We had all the amenities we needed and a fabulous outdoor, private patio area where we engaged in some storytelling, some music, some beverages, some chatting, and some relaxing. The only downside \u2014 and it was a big one \u2014 was the remodeling taking place directly over our heads every day and half a day on Saturday. And, as some of us didn\u2019t always head out for a full day, that was disappointing. Otherwise, no complaints and we would recommend it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt1.jpg\")
Street door<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt2.jpg\")
Apartment door – serious locks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt3.jpg\")
Hallway<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt4.jpg\")
Teeny kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt5.jpg\")
Looking out to patio<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt-Patio3.jpg\")
Waiting patiently for Amma<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt-Patio4.jpg\")
Story time<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt-Patio-1.jpeg\")
First night…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt-Patio-2.jpeg\")
First night…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lisbon-Apt-Patio5.jpg\")
Music time<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Overnight flights are tough so it basically took Steve and I the whole time in Lisbon to get over our jet lag. Might also have something to do with the colds that first Steve, then I, caught. Regardless, we soldiered on. The first day, while Yelena was at her conference, Steph took Odin to the zoo and Steve and I toured the Castelo de San Jorge, a national monument built by the Moors in the mid-11th century. The castle is structure only as the buildings have long since disappeared. Regardless, the ruins and grounds were impressive, as was the view as it is situated quite high up in the city, and the peahens\/peacocks were a surprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge2.jpg\")
Entrance<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge3.jpg\")
Courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge4.jpg\")
Passageway<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge5.jpg\")
Passageway<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge6.jpg\")
Ramparts<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge7.jpg\")
Solid door<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge8.jpg\")
Part of ramparts<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge9.jpg\")
Passageway<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge10.jpg\")
Excavation site<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge11.jpg\")
Fountain<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge12.jpg\")
Lots of walking<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge13.jpg\")
Courtyarad<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge14.jpg\")
More resting (with friend)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge15.jpg\")
View from castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge16.jpg\")
View from castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge17.jpg\")
View from castle (same architect as Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge18.jpg\")
View from castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge20.jpg\")
One of many peahens\/peacocks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Jorge19.jpg\")
One of many peahens\/peacocks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Speaking of high up, Lisbon is a city of 7 hills so everywhere you want to go is either uphill or downhill, and almost all the roads (except main thoroughfares) are made of cobblestones which makes walking an adventure. Sometimes, though, you turn a corner and are rewarded by enterprising musicians. Or, sometimes people try to sell you drugs if you\u2019re out later in the evening (Yelena and Steph). And thank goodness for Uber, that\u2019s all I will say, even though it was challenging for drivers to find us to take us home and we had to trudge downhill a little further a couple of times to be more accessible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Hills1.jpg\")
Random hill<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Hills2.jpg\")
Random hill<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Hills3.jpg\")
Random hill<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Hills4.jpg\")
Random hill<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Musicians3.jpg\")
These guys were channeling Dire Straits!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Musicians2.jpg\")
She played something classical<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Musicians1.jpg\")
These guys played good Portuguese music<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n There were several conveniences located within a 2-minute walk from our apartment \u2014 the local grocer and patisserie which provided for all our breakfasts, and a teeny, tiny family run restaurant, Casa do Miguel, (dad Miguel and daughter Elena in the front, and mom in the kitchen) where the food was excellent, even though the menu was in Portuguese and Elena\u2019s English was very basic, but the service was charming and our dinners even better. That\u2019s also where we had our first, but not last, taste of Vinho Verde, a local specialty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little further from home, and another Uber ride later to the Beer Museum in old town, we met up with Yelena\u2019s colleague Heather, her sister Lauren, and their mom Bev, for dinner. We were definitely in tourist country but enjoyed lots of laughs with good company, good food, in a grand environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Beer1-1024x768.jpg\")
Beer Museum with great company…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Beer2.jpg\")
…in a pretty location in old town<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n There were a couple of days when Steve chose to stay back either because he was tired from his cold and\/or couldn\u2019t walk as far as the intent those days. One day, Steph and I took Odin to the Marionette Museum, but not before an unusual experience on public transportation. We walked, uphill of course, for about 10 minutes and caught the 706 bus which, within 20 minutes, would have taken us very close to our destination. Everything was going according to plan until we were all told to leave the bus a few stops later. Drivers changed and the bus went from the 706 to \u201cReservida\u201d. WTF? We had to wait another 20 minutes for the next bus to come along so we could continue. Other passengers got on other buses, presumably because they knew where they were going; as we didn\u2019t, we waited. Meanwhile, Yelena had some time off from the conference and was already there. We eventually found her relaxing with a coffee at a nearby cafe. I don\u2019t think she was the least bit put out by the wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Bus-Ride1-768x1024.jpg\")
Riding the bus like a local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The Marionette Museum was fascinating, not to mention a little bit freaky. It was also quite dark inside so difficult to get good pictures with our without my flash. That sure is a lost art. I\u2019ll let some of the puppets speak for themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-3-1.jpg\")
Marionette Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-5-1.jpg\")
Marionette Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-2-1.jpg\")
Marionette Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-1-1.jpg\")
Marionette Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-6-1.jpg\")
Leaving the Marionette Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Instead of taking our chances with the bus again, we walked a bit, found a park for Odin to run off some energy, found someplace to eat gelato, located the Time Out Market for potential future visits, and ended up at the metro. Not that many stops later, and we were home \u2014 about 2 blocks from home and a 3-minute walk. The metro rules! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Puppets-7.jpg\")
Burning off some energy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Another day, Yelena, Steph, Odin, and I took more public transportation \u2014 metro, train, bus \u2014 out to Belem to check out the cathedral, the monastery, and the castle. The cathedral was stunning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-1.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-2.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-3.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-4.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-6.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-7.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-5.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-8.jpg\")
Belem Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Taking Odin into consideration, we chose to skip the monastery in favour of a rest and ice cream, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-10.jpg\")
Ice Cream in Belem<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-12.jpg\")
In Belem<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-13.jpg\")
Resting in Belem<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-11.jpg\")
Resting in Belem<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n then walked FOREVER to the Belem castle, passing right by the infamous Pasteis de Belem where you can experience the best pasteis de nata ever (although we had already gorged on so many by then, and the lineup was ridiculous, we kept going, thankful that Odin can\u2019t read yet). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-9.jpg\")
Home of the infamous natas<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n Thank goodness we got there too late to tour the inside because we were tired and still had to get back. But not before there was time for some water play. I was amazed at how far that little 3-year-old walked that day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-17.jpg\")
Belem Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-18.jpg\")
Belem Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Belem-15.jpg\")
Belem Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n On the day that Yelena, Steph, and Odin chose to go to Sintra, Steve and I stayed home and read, played music, and packed up in preparation for our departure the next day. For dinner, we Ubered out to the Time Out Market as it\u2019s on the list of things to do in Lisbon. There are many food stalls to choose from and, frankly, I found it overwhelming, too crowded, and expensive. It took a little while to find a place to sit, and we had to eat separately so one of us could save our seats. We can now say we shared in the experience but we wouldn\u2019t do it again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Time-Out-Market-1.jpg\")
Time Out Market<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n According to what we read and heard while in Lisbon, graffiti seems to be an important part of their culture. Here are a few examples of some of the works of art we saw while touring around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Graffiti-1.jpg\")
Graffiti in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Graffiti-2.jpg\")
Graffiti in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Graffiti-5.jpg\")
Graffiti in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Graffiti-4.jpg\")
Graffiti in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Graffiti-3.jpg\")
Graffiti in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n At the end of our 5 warm and sunny days (October 22 – 27), we returned to the Lisbon airport where each family picked up a rental car for the next leg of our holiday up north, near Porto. More to come…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thanks to a medical conference that Yelena, our daughter, attended in \u201cLisboa\u201d, as the locals call it, and an invitation to join her, Stephan, and Odin, we spent 5 days in Lisbon seeing some sites and trying to orient ourselves\ud83e\udd14 Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,93],"tags":[95,96],"class_list":["post-2770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lisbon","category-portugal","tag-lisbon","tag-portugal"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2770"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2926,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2770\/revisions\/2926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maureensmusings.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}