Our main reason for coming to Portugal was to connect with good Portuguese friends from NYC, the Teles family. They very graciously offered us their Lisbon apartment as a crash pad while they were on holiday with family in other parts of Portugal. It meant that we were on our own for about a week in Lisbon before we’d get to hang out together!
Doug & I had been to Lisbon briefly in the Spring of 2010 (pics from that trip here). I had a work conference, so Doug flew out to meet me and we extended our stay a few days in Lisbon, Sintra & Cascais. We loved all of it & vowed to get back to Portugal!
Stoked to Be Back Exploring Lisbon
We landed in Lisbon with no concrete plans in mind. Sure, we’d read a few recent blog posts online for ideas, and we had some spots we wanted to repeat with the girls, but we were largely flexible and ready to go with the flow. Having a home base for the week was lovely. We ate breakfast virtually every morning at the cafe directly downstairs from our friends’ flat. We took alternating runs almost daily in nearby Parque Eduardo VII. We cooked dinner at home, which made for a very relaxing week.
Of course we also hit up mainstay Lisbon spots/experiences like:
Funicular Lavra: Oldest cable car in Lisbon. We opted for this one instead of the infamous 28 tram. Glad that we did. This one was FAR less crowded. It was a shorter line/ride, but we got the jist and it satisfied our tram fix.
Alfama Neighborhood: We were on our way to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, but ended up having to abandon that plan. We got to the top - along with hordes of other people. The line to get tickets, the heat, the crowds; all signs pointed to turning the other direction, so we did. Doug & I had actually already seen the castle in 2010, and as castles go, our priority was getting the girls to Sintra. So we enjoyed our leisurely walk through the Alfama neighborhood instead. Oh, and Doug got to relieve himself in a unique public urinal (see below) :)
Miradouros: We hit up several miradors (viewpoints) throughout Lisbon. Some had more scenic views than others. Some were more crowded than others. Some had exercise equipment :) But they were all worth it. We’d make them a destination and enjoy walking through different neighborhoods to get there. We even found a cool print of a globe at one viewpoint that we purchased.
Praça do Comércio: Beautiful plaza located on the banks of the Tejo River
Ginja: One of Portugal's customary drinks is a sweet cherry liqueur. A Ginjinha bar is a popular spot to partake. Check out our side-by-side pictures below . . . this trip and us solo in 2010!
Pastel de Nata: Amazing Portuguese custard tarts. A must-eat!
Museu da Marioneta: This Puppet Museum is probably not on most tourists’ agenda, but it was on ours! Admittedly, I dragged Doug there already in 2010, but it was super fun to experience the museum again with the girls. They were totally into it, thanks to a kids scavenger hunt of sorts. Always love me a good marionette :)
Coffee al fresco: We plopped down at many a cafes al fresco to enjoy an afternoon coffee, relax with the girls, and watch the world go by. Our very favorite spot was the Garden Amoreiras, a gorgeous plaza alongside the city’s aqueduct, complete with an awesome tram playground for the girls. We figured out early on our go-to coffee orders: “meia de leite escura” for me & Doug (half coffee, half milk with an extra shot to make it strong), and “um garoto” for Paige & Sadie (tiny cup 50/50/ milk to coffee ratio; “garoto” means little boy & it was traditionally given to boys to introduce them to coffee flavor back in the day).
A few more miscellaneous pictures, including Paige testing what Doug would look like without "bangs", us mistakenly eating the shells of (what we think were) fava beans with locals downstairs from the apartment, a grilled fish lunch at the docks and a replacement set of sunglasses for Paige.
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