Once Upon a Time in Lisbon

Our favorites
1. Riding the trams and funiculars around town.
2. Fado music
3. Sangres Beer Festival in Lisbon's very own historic castle
4. The stone paved pedestrian walkways in Lisbon's commercial district. You eventually reach a grand arch that was used in the TV version of Gulliver's travels.

Quick Tips:

SIGHTS tips Plan your time around the opening and closing times of the sights you most want to see. We were disappointed that the Torre de Belem, one of the most famous sights in Lisbon, closed just as we got there at around 5:00/5:30 pm.

Best Way To Get Around:

The hotel itself had a quaint and friendly atmosphere. The bellhop carried our heavy bags up the first long flight of stairs (an outdoor flight of stone steps softened by a layer of carpet, with high stone walls draped in greenery, ivy and blooming vines). We surfaced in a small stone courtyard in front of the entrance of the former convent. Elegant tables were set up outside by the well-regarded hotel restaurant. (In the mornings, hotel guests ate their complimentary buffet breakfast at these tables)

After more stairs, this time wooden and covered by a plush blue patterned rug, we walked into our room. It was a standard size room and the walls of the room hugged around the bed. There was a little space in front of the bed for a rug and then a table with a tv. Directly across from the door, there was a windowseat with an old fashioned pair of wooden doors and a metal window latch. The floor was marble and well carpeted. The bathroom also had a marble floor, came with all the essential toiletries, towels, and a hairdyer.

Service, however, was not always the best. We asked for a fado recommendation, and were sent to a tourist trap (although the music was still very enjoyable). When we called them for assistance when my husband was pickpocketed, they did the bare minimum by giving us the international numbers for credit cards.

We were happily surpised that the castle was so lively (also there was no price to pay for wandering). A huge beer festival had taken over the old walls. The outer courtyard was lined with booths selling Sagres Beer, several types (at least light & regular). Benches and tables filled up the interior. For about 1 USD, you got your very own plastic beer mug full of yummy rich malty grainy Spanish beer. The tapas they sold to accompany the beer was appalling overpriced. I think it was maybe 900 escudos for a plate of fatty sausage. They also had curried meat pies, and fish, and shish-kebabs. As you ventured further into the castle, you could gawk at the whimsical statues by a famous local artist. The interior courtyard of the castle was also full of beer festivities and as you wandered around, there were several displays set up showing how beer was made, and how popular Sagres beer was, and also about the origin of beer and some of the first beer drinkers -- monks.

After wandering around the castle's ruins (all its walls seem to be pretty much intact), we stood by the wall looking down in the harbor and watching the sun set. This was truly one of the most enjoyable experiences that we had in Lisbon.