VACATION IN LISBON PORTUGAL

Are you in the planning stages of your next vacation? Summer is quickly approaching......

It can be a daunting experience, at least for me! I'm not the greatest planner, but hey everyone has their strengths. I'm OK with my hubby planning everything!  He always asks me to weigh in with my thoughts, and this time I kind of surprised him with my desire to go to Portugal. He wanted to take me to Paris for a belated anniversary gift.....so we ended up tacking Portugal on at the beginning of the trip. And what a lovely surprise it was for both of us!

Lisbon is Portugal's capital. It's full of hilly streets, quaint cafes and lovely Fado music. Fado is traditional folk music very popular in Lisbon, stemming back to the 1800's. The artists play guitars and mandolins and the music is very lyrical. We always chose a cafe with an interesting menu with dishes indigenous to Lisbon or Portugal in general.

I captured my hubby searching for a cafe for lunch in the photo below.

The Barirro Alto is a hip area full of restaurants and bars. I love the way the alleys are full of dining tables with the view of historic architecture surrounding you. Many times the balcony's are full of beautiful draping flowers and vines.....simply lovely! 

One evening for dinner we ordered a Seafood Paella.......which was outstanding! Since we have returned from our trip, many people have told us that this dish is considered one of the finest in the world when prepared in Lisbon. We also fell in love with the Sangria. The pitchers when delivered to our table were full of fruit and beautifully dark red wine....it was so tasty, some evenings we finished dinner, and ordered another pitcher while listening to the Fado music. Now that's a great vacation!

Hubby and I walked everywhere. It is definitely a city where you need comfy walking shoes.
There's so much to see, experience, and accomplish and a lot of it will be uphill.

We love getting away from the touristy places and experiencing the local flair. We walked many an alley and saw some of the most beautiful architecture, and ate at some of the most delicious foods native to Lisbon.

The streets are lined with buildings with beautiful tile and mural displays. Words cannot explain just how lovely they are. Here is a sampling of what we saw......

As we walked we also saw some whimsy.........how unique and what a great way to be able to grow plants....even if your front door is in an alley. Gotta love the innovation!

We also toured the Castle of S. Jorge---an 11th Century hilltop Moorish Castle that overlooks the historic city of Lisbon.This building holds significant history for the Portuguese city.


This was our view from the Castle--

And this is one view of the exterior of the castle. The walk was well worth it......

 Another beautiful area on the Tagus River was the Praca do Comercio or Commerce Square.

 

This is just a few of the stops on our vacation in Lisbon. I could write several blogs on the areas we traveled to and what we experienced.

Lisbon or in Portuguese Lisboa..........is an amazing city that hubby and I just can't stop talking about!  I'm sure you'll enjoy the culture, history, architecture, and food as much as we did. Now get planning your next vacation!

                                                      

                      Kathleen