Lisbon

November 5, 2021 to November 9, 2021

Four days in Lisbon ended up being enough to get a taste of the city and to start to get oriented enough to know where we were in the maze of winding streets. We relaxed, did a lot of wandering and a moderate amount of sightseeing and attended to the necessary pre-departure details.

Before leaving Canada the Google algorithm magically knew we were coming to Lisbon in November as an ad popped up for an amazing deal at an elegant, old "solar" hotel. We signed up for four nights and were delighted to end this tour in such comfortable surroundings, taking time over the tasty breakfast buffet each morning, looking forward to the museum entrances included and sipping an evening glass of the complimentary port from the decanter in our room.

Lisbon is built on multiple hills which we walked up and down and around, stopping to catch our breath, identify a landmark and gawk at the endless variety of views. The main boulevards and squares of the old centre were full of people, including lots of tourists, and lined with shops, cafes, statues and elegant old buildings. Sunsets were particularly impressive and every evening we ended up somewhere different to take in the colours changing and see the moon appear in the crisp night sky, preferably with a glass of wine in hand.

Saturday we took the tram to the western side of the city to visit the Museu del Arte Antigua, a lovingly restored palace with huge exposition rooms where the collection portrays Portugal's ups and downs as nation. The top floor -where we spent the most time- is full of truly impressive religious painting and sculpture, ever more elaborate and grandiose as Portugal became a dominant world power in the 15-16th centuries. (Incredible what was done with all that plundered wealth from the new world). The lower floor is for European painting from the 17-19th centuries when Portugal was a declining power and their art was focussed on imitating Italians and Flemish masters. Judging by the number of museums, galleries, schools of art and public displays, it seems that Portugal is working to cultivate a vibrant art scene to complement the popular and touristy market in ceramics, cork and cloth. A definite highlight of Lisbon was lunch that day. Just outside the museum is a sleek, modern restaurant, Le Chat, where we managed to get a table right on the edge of the terrace with a marvellous view. The food was delicious and the service was pleasant and incredibly slow, which was perfect as we were content to spread lunch over two hours sitting in the warm sunshine.

After lunch we continued west to the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology for an incongruous combination of stunning modern architecture, edgy avant garde art installations and a 100-year old coal-fired, generating station converted into a massive interpretation centre. We exited (through the gift shop) just as the sun was setting and found a bench to watch from right beside the river.

Readers will know how much we have loved this trip and so will not be terribly surprised to hear that we want to continue the adventure. However, this phase must end as our 3 month visa for the EU is almost up and we do want to go home to see family. But, we have decided to leave our bicycles in Lisbon and come back to continue down the coast in the spring! Leaving the bicycles is easier said than done but in the end we found a storage facility only about 40 minutes ride from downtown. It cost more than anticipated, but the savings in baggage fees helps and being rid of the hassle of packing and flying with bikes is priceless. Getting out there, the surprising amount of paperwork involved and then fitting the bikes and cycling gear in the locker all took a few hours, but the bonus was a late lunch on a quiet pedestrian lane in a decidedly non-touristy part of town that served the best fish meals of the trip.

Off to the airport with light bags and heavy hearts, we are excited to see our loved ones at home but also keen to be back in the saddle. As we stored our gear, readers can anticipate seeing photos of us wearing the same two jerseys on the next edition of Livin' the Dream.

Street art on the funicular tram; is it graffiti or commissioned by the city?

Art Deco theatre converted to apartments

Watch the tile pattern! The ground is actually flat.

Detail from a huge 16th C painting of Lisbon

Museu del Arte Antiqua with Le Chat restaurant next door

Bougainvillea in the cloister at Sao Vincete de Fora

Tight street for the tram, cars and pedestrians.

Plenty of talented buskers in Lisbon. This one had an inventive donation bucket

Today's ride: 22 km (14 miles)
Total: 2,341 km (1,454 miles)

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Suzanne GibsonWhat a brilliant idea to store your bikes in Lisbon! I'm looking forward to your next trip already.
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2 years ago

ann and steve maher-wearyHi Suzanne,
Yes we are hoping we made the right decision. I hope the covid cases are okay by April. Things are not good in Germany at the moment are they. My sister in law is there now, just south of Munich helping her father and apparently the cases are high even in his village. Stay safe looking forward to following you on your trips in the spring too.
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2 years ago