Travelogue: Lisbon 2017 - a brief visit made shorter by travel delays

Last October, my wife and I spent nearly a month visiting several countries. As our itinerary came together, we had to give Lisbon the short shrift. We'd only have 3 nights there. But by prioritizing the sights we wanted to see, we felt that would be all right. We expected to have a half day when we arrived and then 2 full days, one of which would be a day trip to Sintra.

Alas, when we arrived at the Bordeaux airport for our flight to Lisbon, it was fogged in. Our flight was delayed and delayed again. We finally took off 4 hours late. By the time we got to Lisbon, we only had time to get settled in to our hotel and explore our immediate neighborhood. But that was alright because we picked a great neighborhood.

Our hotel was located right at the Miradouro de Santa Catarina. This is a popular plaza high above the Tagus River. In the evening, crowds gather there to watch the spectacular sunset, to drink wine or beer, to socialize and to listen to the street musicians who perform there. In the spirit of the location, we bought a bottle of wine and joined in the festivities each night of our stay. 

Cool jazz bar in the Bairro Alto

Our hotel also was close to the Bairro Alto. We strolled through the neighborhood and picked a place for dinner. We also looked at several possible fado bars for later in the evening. (Rick Steves has a very helpful blog post about enjoying fado music in Lisbon.)  But after dinner, we stumbled upon a jazz club, Paginas Tantas in the Bairro Alto. The music emanating from the doors was so inviting that we decided to postpone fado and enjoyed the jazz instead. 

The next day, we set out to do some power sightseeing. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful. Bright and sunny, but not too hot. We did not go to any museums. But we did take a whirlwind tour of the major plazas and monuments and neighborhoods. We discovered how compact and accessible things are in Lisbon. We were able to see everything on foot, though there were convenient and affordable public transportation options available as well. 

Here's what we saw: We walked along Rua Augusta to the grand arch leading into the Praca do Comercio. In the plaza, we saw the statue of Dom Jose I. Next we walked up winding streets to Castelo de Sao Jorge, and then back down the streets and wound our way up another hill to see the Carmo Convent and the ruins of the Gothic church, destroyed by an earthquake. Then we walked down into the Rossio Square with its hypnotic sidewalk mozaic and the Column of Petro IV. Next we went into the nearby Praca da Figueira (fig tree plaza) where we did a little shopping in the market near the plaza and saw the statue of King John I. 

Praca do Comercio, Lisbon

In the evening, we visited a fado bar recommended by a server at one of the restaurants we ate at. Tasca do Chico was great! Many of the fado joints we walked by offered dinner along with the singers. Tasca does have food, but it's mainly a bar. We listened to a couple of different singers before we called it an evening. 

The next day we took a day trip to the nearby town of Sintra. It was a short train ride leaving from the Rossio station. The town in pretty and quaint. We walked up the hill to the Pena Palace and Gardens. It was a long walk and fairly strenuous. The alternative would be to take a bus or a taxi or a tuk-tuk. But we enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of the walk. I would say, however, it was a bit much to also walk back down. We should have taken some form of transportation. The Palace was beautiful and interesting. I would have liked to also see the Moorish Castle. But sadly, we didn't have enough time.

At the Pena Palace in Sintra

And that was it for our visit to Portugal. The next morning we got an early taxi to the airport and on to our next destination. We definitely didn't allow enough time in Lisbon, even if we hadn't lost a half day due to travel delays. So I guess this goes on the list of places to visit again someday.

Hotel: In Lisbon, we stayed at the Monte Belvedere. It was located right at the scenic overview where we relaxed every evening before dinner. We liked everything about it. The staff was friendly and accommodating. The provided great advice and suggestions for our stay. Breakfast was included with our room rate. We enjoyed the daily buffet on the rooftop cafe overlooking the river. The room was comfortable and quiet. The hotel is part of a local group called Shiadu, with hotels and guest houses in Lisbon and Porto. For a return visit to Lisbon, I'd definitely choose the Belvedere again.

Restaurants: 
On our first night, we at at Floresta da Cidade in the Bairro Alto. It was very casual and funky. We had a sidewalk table. Our server was great. Besides giving us good tips about the menu, she also made a suggestion for a nearby fado bar. I had a great octopus dish. It was a wonderful introduction to Lisbon's diverse dining scene. 

Day 2 we ate at Populi in the Praca do Comercio. We had delicious seafood at a table on the plaza and an excellent bottle of Portuguese wine.

After dinner at the rooftop bar of our hotel

For dinner on Day 3, we wanted to go back to Floresta. Alas, it was closed that evening. So we wanted the Bairro Alto until we came across Stasha. We picked it because on a night when most restaurants had walk-in availability, Stasha had a waiting list. In about 15 minutes, we were lead to a cozy table inside the crowded restaurant. I finally had the Portuguese specialty - bacalhao (cod). Excellent. It was a great way to end our stay in Lisbon.