2 - Working, both our Jobs and the Hills of Lisbon - Feb 13 to 19

Our first work day in Lisbon.

We started off the day with a big hike up to the Castle. On the way we stopped into St. Anthony’s Church.

We could not get the online tickets to work. And instead of standing in line today, we will buy tickets on the computer and come back another day.

We did a bit of a church tour, Igreja de Sao Domingos, walked by a couple of churched that were closed, found a great area at the top of an elevator (not the famous one) with a beautiful view of the city and river. 

We enjoyed the cityscapes and snapped some fun photos of Lisbon neighbourhoods.

I had beefsteak and rice and Bill had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich at a small outdoor local cafe along with the construction workers.

For dinner we climbed partway up the stairs and had dinner. Bill had a delicious piri piri chicken and I had a mediocre cod dish. I enjoyed sitting beneath the heat lamp though! 

Tuesday - Happy Valentine Day! We did one of the walking tours on Map My City this morning. It was a beautiful morning and great weather for walking around. We passed by the Santa Justa lift (same architect as the Eiffel Tower) which is just up the street from our place in our Baixa neighbourhood. 

Then we climbed up to a bustling small square with one of the old public fountain, the Chafariz do Carmo outside the skeleton of the former convent (Carmo). Next door is the military museum that is guarded by an officer in full regalia including a horse tail helmet. 

We were able to enter Igreja de Sao Roque. It was the earliest Jesuit church in Portugal and was very beautiful with lots of gold, tiles and relics on display on either side of the altar. The museum is closed but looks like it may be worth going back to see. 

At the top of the hill we strolled through a sparse park to overlook the city with the castle on the hill on the other side of Baixa (downtown) and the funicular with the famous Lisbon trams. I had a short chai break before we descended the steep slope down beside the funicular track and continued our tour. 

We arrived at the beautiful tree lined boulevard, Avenida da Liberdade. It reminds me of the lavish street in Merida where all the beautiful old homes were. This one has less impressive architecture but it is a great spot for walking and window shopping (you can find some of the higher end shops like Versace here).

We headed south to Praça dos Restauradores, a large square with an obelisk that is in honour of Portugal’s independence in 1640 from the Spanish. The square is surrounded by several historic buildings, including the old theatre. 

On the next block is one of my favourite squares, Praça do Rossio, with the tiles that look like waves (Calçada Portuguesa). The square has baroque fountains on either end and a large column dedicated to Pedro IV, king of Portugal and first emperor of Brazil. 

On the next block is Praça da Figueira with an impressive status of King Joao I on a horse (let’s face it, I just like the statue because of the horse). One of the tuk tuk drivers explained to me that Bastardo, the king’s nickname given by the Spanish, not because of his reputation (other nicknames are the Great or the Good) but because he was a bastard child and should have never become a king. 

We popped into a church that was open, Paroquia de Sao Nicolau, and it was very pretty with excellent paintings and tiles on the ceiling. 

We walked up to the cathedral to check blanket prices and then wound our way up to the base of the castle to find a spot for lunch. We stopped at Miss Can but Bill did not want canned fish for lunch. So, we had a mini beer and a three finger, filled to the rim vino verde. 

The next place we selected was closed, so we ended up at the bend in the road outside a small cafe, Claras em Castelo. We had a delicious pork roast with apples that was sliced and Salmon in a port sauce.  I exchanged my blanket from the store next door and we headed back home when we spotted the Lisbon heart graffiti- how perfect for Valentines Day!   

We treated ourselves to some gelato - lemon with rosemary and vanilla with basil. The basil one was unbelievablely good. 

After our workday we had a very late and very great dinner. The staff at As Velhas was exhausted but still treated us with great care and attention. I had a grilled fish and Bill had octopus. It was a lovely way to celebrate our love!! 

Wednesday we slept in and Bill had some work to do. We did not get our 10k steps in this morning. We went to the Tme Out Market for lunch. We ordered a “meal” from one spot that included drinks and dessert. My pork dish and Bill’s pork sandwich were really tasty. We were so full that we boxed up dessert and Bill had some of the ice cream (don’t tell them that we snuck one of their dishes home) but the sticky toffee pudding ended up in the trash. Does not compare to what we had in Scotland and Ireland. 

After work we had a meal nearby at Petiscos. It has a medieval vibe to it, the staff even wears traditional dresses. I had the duck and Bill had the octopus. 

Thursday morning we did a short walk and did some shopping, as I am starting to catch Bill’s cold. We found a grocery store, Celeiro Dieta, where I was able to get some immune juice and throat spray. I also bought some Adidas socks for my outfit on Saturday night. 

We were in Praça do Carmo and had lunch with tables set up inside the square. I had a cod mash with salad and Bill had a good looking octopus salad.

We check in out Igreja Santa Maria Maior (Magdalene) with beautiful ceiling paintings, I like the Holy Spirit above the altar. 

We took a half day vacation for our dinner reservation at Belcanto. We were treated to a very special meal in Jose Avillez’s 2 Michelin start restaurant. We started with champagne and were treated to a special drink, lots of amuse bouches, dishes, wine & more.

The presentation of each dish was precisely timed and was both high-end but comfortable at the same time. The service was great and the food was amazing from beginning to end. The dishes and cutlery were a cool part of the experience too. The wine cork rested on a stone that looks like the cobblestone sidewalks and streets.  At the end of the meal we received a wax sealed envelope with our menus printed (even my own special meal)! 

Friday morning we finally make it back to the castle, Castelo de Sao Jorge. As we strolled through the spacious but sparse garden or courtyard we were treated to a great view of the Baixa and River Tagus. 

The castle has been rebuilt several times, has been renamed, and repurposed many times since it was first erected in the first century BC. Currently it it devoted to St George, a patron saint of the knights and crusades.  We read and read and read about the history of the site but please don’t quiz me on any of it! 

We were able to wander in and out of the castle, surrounding buildings, and along the top of the walls. We could hear the squawking peacocks and then saw more than a dozen of them huddled in the bushes. Saw a couple of new birds. Not sure we captured a good enough photo to identify them. Maybe a Hermit Thrush?

The small museum had some good artifacts and did a good job of sharing some of the history. 

Restaurants Conqvistador was open today and we had a great meal - beef and sausage with a rich sauce, carrot and shredded rabbit salad, and croquettes. Delicious! 

For dinner and some fun we headed to the Biarro Alto area. We had dinner and our first Fado (traditional folk songs) at Misericórdia. I had chicken and Bill had octopus. This was after we consumed 17 euros worth of bread and olives… It’s not complimentary folks! We had our first Ginja, it’s a traditional cherry liquor and tastes better than expected. It was a good first experience (the music) and we will definitely catch some more over the next few weeks. 

We strolled through the very lively bar scene and picked up a beer along the way. We think more people may drink on the street outside the bars than actually inside the bars! 

We called it a night as it was around midnight and I had a bit of a tummy ache.