Lovely Lisbon

The beautiful xmas tree
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Mac and I spent four days in Lisbon and I spent a further three at the end of the trip.  This was plenty of time to see the city and also get out to other places such as Cascais, Estoril and Sintra - not to be missed.

My first impression of Lisbon was one of awe. Coming from a new, clean very ordely city like Adelaide, the centre of Lisbon is so very charming, quaint and old that it was breathtaking.  I couldnt stop saying "wow, look at that" and I am quite certain that Mac was tired of hearing it within a hour, but very patiently let me remain awe struck (he of course was Mr Cool, as this was nothing new to him).

The disturbing thing about these mummies......

Overlooking the river
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The centre is well laid out with wide streets, especially around the Rossario Square and it is among these streets you find the department stores and a very well hidden shopping centre, tucked away near the Metro Station. There are lovely stores like Zara, Mango, H&M and many others. It surprised me that the same stores will appear more than once in the same area, so until you get your bearings it is very easy to get lost. There are many, many shoe stores (HEAVEN) and tiny shops that only sell purses, or gloves, or even just buttons.

A curious little street in the Alfama
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Much to Mac's delight, he found a Vitaminos store, so he was able to get his fix of fresh juice. At the bottom of his receipt all their stores were listed over Portugal - well that leads to another story later on in Braga.

As it was coming up to christmas, each street was dripping in lights with its own individual design, which at night time was simply stunning, add to the atmosphere christmas music, roasting chestnuts and the cold night air and it was like being stuck in a romantic christmas carol.  The highlight would have to be the 75ft fibre optic christmas tree in the Placa de Comercio. We went down on our second night and in the freezing cold watched the tree change color and pattern until our noses were red!

View from the tower of Rossario Square
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Lisbon is surrounded by seven hills and each hill has it's own Barrio, with fernicular trams that take you to the top and save your legs the agony of a gruelling hike (although if you indulge frequently in Pastiche, as we did, its not such a bad thing to walk up!) A great way of getting a look at the city is catching the #28 tram from the Placa  de Comercio, at the end of Rue Augusta. The trip is about 45 minutes and winds its way through the narrow cobbled streets and gives you enticing glimpses of the barrios. It ends up in the Alfama Barrio and the walk back into the city is well worth it (and it is all down hill!)

Convent D'Como
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Most of the way back into town affords spectacular views over Lisbon as you are way up in the hills, with the river on the right hand side and plenty of places to stop and admire the view, look in quaint little shops or have coffee and pastiche. The cathederal St Vincente is also on the way and well worth visiting. I have to admit it is a very old, creepy cathederal  but the cloisters are pretty amazing.  There is an archeological dig in the centre and you can see the layers of use that date back to the roman times - quite fascinating.

Convent D Como
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Another great way to get a look at Lisbon is to check out the Gloria Tower. It is an 18th century (quite new by Portuguese standards) lift that takes you to an viewing platform and affords amazing views of Lisbon and the Rossario Square (good Internet Cafe on this square, up near the Town Hall), the Convent D'Como and the city streets. An interesting way to test just how scared you are of heights is to take the small spiral stair case right to the top of the tower - it will either send you into a psychotic episode or make you a stronger person!

Christmas Lights
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Speaking of psychotic episodes, the Convent D'Como is worth a visit, apart from being incredibly old, it has an impressive collection of iron age implements, mosiacs, books, oh and two Peruvian mummies.  The disturbing thing about these mummies is how close you get to them and how thin the glass is that separates you from them becomes. Guaranteed you will hear the patter of little feet when you turn you and walk away.

Now, if you want even more spekky views of Lisbon and another walk up through winding cobbled streets, check out the Casello Sao de Jorge in the Castello Barrio. It was only a 15 minute walk from the city centre but you will be so busy being nosy, looking at things along the way you wont feel it! The castle is quite large and in a truly blonde moment, I spent 1/2 hour walking around the castle and along the walls, trying to find a way 'in', until I realised that it is just the shell of the castle doh!

The Gloria Tower
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There are some great little shops along the way that sell all of those tacky souvenirs you simply must have and some really lovely pottery, shawls, mosiac tiles and jewllery. Its a very pleasant stroll back from the castle into town for more shopping. If you are after the big designer shops, then amble up the Avenida de Liberade. This is a very wide main road, in the middle a park that runs the entire length up to the Marque du Pombal, at night the trees are strung with fairy lights and it is very pretty. Everything you want is here from Longchamps to Gucci, but I strongly recommend a trip into Mossimo Dutti - gorgeous, gorgeous clothes and surprisingly affordable.