Three Days in Lisbon

I eat lunch with my sisters, Jesse and Abby, along the Guadalquivir.

Exploring Europe (and northern Africa) has been unforgettable, but I received a welcome taste of home this past week when my dad and my sisters, Abby, 11, and Jesse, 17, arrived in Seville.  I spent the week prior to their arrival neglecting my meager workload and meticulously planning their stay in Seville.  My family was only in Seville from Saturday morning to early Wednesday morning, yet we had ample time to schedule all of the important cultural activities I wanted to include.  In four short days, we went on a stroll through the Universidad de Sevilla over to the Plaza de España, where the girls and my dad would return later in the week for a paddle boat ride.  Next, we toured the Catedral and Alcázar, exploring the finest architecture and history Seville has to offer.  We also went all the way to the Guadalquivir River for a long stroll past the Torre del Oro, a 13th century watchtower, and the Plaza de Toros, the main bullfighting ring.  Finally, we caught a cultural flamenco show at the Casa de la Memoria, where we saw a brilliant dancing duo, a female and male flamenco dancer.  Though the two danced separately, they both fed flawlessly off of the energy and passion of the backing flamenco singer and flamenco guitarist.  As for the Sevillano fare, in the mornings, we snacked on flaky croissants with cups of savory café con leche at the Horno San Buenaventura--the same place we  returned each afternoon for fresh gelato--and we went to three of my favorite, traditional Spanish restaurants for dinner (Mesón Serranito, T de Triana and Las Coloniales), even stumbling upon a fourth place (El 3 de Oro) that has surely become a new favorite of mine for its mouthwatering paella.  Yet, I have covered Seville ad nauseam and would like to turn my attention to Portugal.

DAY ONE

Lisbon's Santa Justa Lift.

My sisters, my dad and I all arrived in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday morning.  The flight was but an hour long, on a small plane only three seats wide.  We checked into our hotel, the Lisboa Plaza, with little guidance besides the Lisbon travel guide my dad had purchased a week earlier on his Kindle.  Yet, with a good travel map, an adept concierge staff at the Lisboa Plaza and four adventurous spirits,

Carmo Convent ruins.

we were able to explore the overwhelming majority of Lisbon in three days.  Our first day, we ventured up the Santa Justa Lift, a tall, viewing structure in the heart of Lisbon's Baixa area built by Raul Ponsard, the student of Gustave Eiffel.  At the top, we settled at a little Italian restaurant, enjoying our great view of the city and our backdrop of the Carmo Convent.  The Carmo Convent is now in ruins, with only the skeletal structure intact.  The disastrous Lisbon earthquake of 1755--an earthquake so massive and deadly that it actually caused severe structural damage in Seville!--caused the destruction of the Convent.

The Castle of São Jorge sits atop a hill overlooking Lisbon.

After our lunch and sightseeing atop the Santa Justa Lift, we ventured up the inclined, hilly streets of Lisbon towards the next important  monument on our list: The Castle of São Jorge.  The Castle of São Jorge is on a large hill above Lisbon, making it another premium spot for some fantastic views of the city.  The heavily fortified castle dates back to the Middle Ages, as the Christian reconquistadores won the Castle from the occupying Moors and used it as a military base in the 12th century.  Today, the Castle is simply a tourist attraction known for its fantastic views.  Gazing out at the city and the adjacent Tagus River, we scaled the castle towers and marched along the walls like medieval guards.  At the end of our tour, we caught a periscope show that gave us some crystal clear vantage points of the city.  Finally, we retreated back down the massive hill to the lower area, and back to our hotel.  The night was capped off with a Portuguese dinner of seafood, including everyone's first taste of stingray, which tasted similar to most white meat fish.

The National Coach Museum.

DAY TWO
On Thursday, we took the tram all the way to Belém, a riverside stretch of Lisbon, for a day filled with culture and learning.  We stopped first at the National Coach Museum, a seemingly small venue that holds one of the largest and finest collections of royal carriages in the world.  My family and I strolled down the aisles of the museum, transfixed on coaches dating as far back as the 16th century to one coach used by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 upon her visit to Portugal.  The variety, rich detail and uniqueness of each coach made the museum a worthwhile spot to visit.  We continued along past the Belém Palace, the residence of the President of Portugal, though we could not enter past two sword-wielding, unflinching guards.  We were, however, able to enter the Jerónimos Monastery, an enormous, Gothic monastery that once housed the Hieronymite monks.  We entered the main church and saw the Tomb of Vasco da Gama, the celebrated Portuguese explorer and contemporary of Christopher Columbus.  Later, we walked out to the serene cloister, an outdoor courtyard with a peaceful fountain and beautiful arches.  The beautiful architecture of the Monastery was accentuated by the beautiful weather and the tranquil bubbling of the outdoor fountain.

Jesse, Abby and I pose in front of the Jerónimos Monastery.

Monument of the Discoveries and the 25th of April Bridge.

After the Monastery, we headed towards the water's edge to the Padrão dos Descobrimientos, or the Monument to the Discoveries.  This towering, concrete monument commemorates the voyages of the Portuguese explorers into uncharted territories.  At the bottom of the monument, there is a large protrusion made to look like the bow of a ship, with the depictions of many famous Portuguese explorers sailing onwards.  We took an elevator to the top of the monument and posed in front of the 25th of April Bridge, the mimicking, sister bridge to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.  When we reached ground once again, we wandered alongside the river to the Belém Tower, a limestone fortress that protected the Tagus.  The Tower was used originally as a military base, but has been converted into a political prison and a customs house for passing ships through its longevity.

The Belém Tower.

At the end of our journey through Belém, we had to stop at Pastéis de Belém, a nationally renowned pastry shop known for--what else?--the pastéis de Belém.  These pastéis are small, egg tart pastries filled with a warm custard.  The recipe is said to have been passed down from the monks who sold them out of the Jerónimos Monastery since the early 19th century.  The sweet treats capped off a truly rich day of culture and architectural grandeur.

I stop in front of the Vasco da Gama Tower.

DAY THREE
Our last full day in Lisbon started with a trip to the modern art exhibit at the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian.  We browsed many sculptures and paintings by famous Portuguese artists like Ana Vieira.  Overall, the museum was a welcome change of pace and was very interesting.  After a light lunch, we split up as the girls went shopping and my dad and I went to Oriente, another neighborhood of Lisbon, via the metro.  In Oriente, we saw the concert pavilion where all the main concerts are held as well as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition, an expo that commemorated the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's landing in India.  Speaking of Vasco da Gama, my dad and I ambled riverside towards the Vasco da Gama Tower to take a ride on the suspended aerial tram.  As we drifted over the Tagus, we gawked at the picturesque Vasco da Gama bridge, Europe's longest bridge at about 10.7 miles long!  The tram let us off at our final destination in Oriente: The Lisbon Oceanarium.  My dad and I snaked through the exhibit, catching glimpses of sharks, manta rays, giant groupers, adorable sea otters, gregarious penguins and even some colorful poison dart frogs.  The Oceanarium had a great mix of wildlife and was a much more appealing option than shopping for the boys of the family.

My dad and I meet our first Portuguese friend, the Lisbon Oceanarium mascot.

Our last night in Portugal was spent at Faia, a traditional Portuguese restaurant with a trio of fado performers.  Fado is the signature, customary Portuguese style of music that features loud, crooning singers with string accompaniment.  We were fortunate enough to see three different singers, a young woman, an older gentleman and an older woman, thus experiencing a scope of fado performers.  The music, coupled with a fresh bottle of Portuguese vinho verde, or green wine, was the cherry on top of a sickly sweet trip.