Lisbon Love

After a jam-packed Friday exploring gorgeous palaces, magical gardens, and the westernmost point in continental Europe, we decided to spend Saturday exploring the beautiful, meandering, and incredible charming city of Lisbon.

just after arriving in lisbon. our hostel was on this street. 

Highlights:

• Some pretty spectacular food and drink. My favorites: travesseiros, or "pillows"- a fluffy, flakey pastry filled with almond and egg, and vinho verde, or "green wine"- a young white wine with a light, citrusy flavor and a faint sparkle. Mmm...
  

  

  unfortunately, I didn't manage to snap a picture of my favorite pastry,
  the "pillow". this little guy, pasteis de nata, was a close second
  however.
  
  
  

  

  so many orange trees! I really wanted to pick one, but I restrained myself...

• Tiles, tiles, and more tiles. Portuguese tiles, or azulejo, have been produced without interruption for the past five centuries, and the city of Lisbon is covered in them. The bright, geometric designs covered everything from buildings to metro stations to street signs and I simply could not get enough of them.
  
  

  

  tiles for sell at the city market. I was tempted to bring a few home with me,
  but seeing as my suitcase will already be stuffed to the gills when  I
  return to the states, I decided to simply take a photo instead.

  

  one of many, many building facades covered in the
  lovely tiles. 

• Exploring the market. On Saturday morning, we caught a tram to Lisbon's outdoor flea market, and spent an hour or so soaking up the sunshine, admiring work by local artists, and laughing at all the strange things people were trying to sell.
  
  

  

  there were trinkets and souvenirs...

  

  paintings and drawings of the city...

  

  some pretty snazzy yellow sunglasses....

  

  lovely linens and lace...

  

  ....and a bathroom sink. that would make a unique souvenir, don't you
  think?

• Castle exploration! Saturday afternoon, we toured the Castelo de São Jorge (St. George's Castle), and enjoyed walking along medieval walkways, marveling at ruins dating from the sixth century BC (!), and taking photographs of peacocks. 
  
  

  

  I love doorways. 

  

  beautiful castle. 

  

  more doorways...

  

  look! we found a new friend!

  

  left to right: ben, amy, and shawn (a new friend we
  met at the hostel and a fellow half-marathon-runner.)

  

  me + ben :)

  

  archeological site! supposedly, these ruins are from
  the sixth century BC. wowsers!

  

  view from the highest tower. 

• Incredible, incredible views. The Atlantic Ocean, white buildings with red roofs, palm trees, and a perfect blanket of sunshine. Did I mention Lisbon is beautiful?
  

  

  such vibrant colors!

  

  lovely terrace overlooking the sea. 

  

  out wonderful city-exploring group! left to right: mikael, me, ben, amy,
  and shawn. 

  

  I love lausanne, but it was nice to leave the cold behind for a weekend. 

  

  view across the harbor (that's the bridge we ran/darted the start of the
  half-marathon on!)

Not-so-highlights:

• An incredible confusing public transportation system. Like many larger cities, Lisbon has multiple transportation options: bus, metro, train, and tram (the trams, by the way, were absolutely adorable.) Despite having many options, the ticket system seemed a bit overly complicated, and the vehicles would often arrive up to an hour late (if at all), making planning a bit tricky.
  
  

  

  trams! I loved the cheerful yellow color. 
• Vegetarian dining options were more than a bit sparse. Local Portuguese cuisine is very meat-heavy, and while Ben, Mikael, and Amy were able to sample some local seafood stews and steaks, I spent a couple of days subsidizing on soup, pastries, and wine. Fortunately, for our pre-race dinner, we stumbled upon a lovely Italian bistro, where I proceeded to eat my weight in spinach lasagna. Yum :)
  
• This last "not-so-highlight" isn't really a downside at all, but rather something I simply always find myself thinking whenever it's time to bid a new destination goodbye: I wish we had more time. There are simply not enough hours in a day to take in all Lisbon has to offer. I loved the market, castle, and waterfront, but I would have loved to check out some of the city's museums (One of the world's largest aquariums! An electricity museum!) and monasteries as well. Oh, well. I suppose that means I'll just have to go back...

we passed by this stunning church (I snapped a photo
from the tram), but we didn't get a chance to poke inside. 

so many charming side streets to discover and explore!