Lisbon Portugal

Lisbon Portugal

We caught the bus from Merida to Lisbon, it is a pretty trip which takes about 4 hours. We arrived mid afternoon and jumped on the very efficient metro to take us to a stop close to the apartment we had rented.

We stayed in a (very) old quarter not far from the castle and the metro stop of Martim Moniz in a delightful apartment which was perfect for us. The streets are winding, cobble stoned and steep.

Lisbon is quite compact so most mornings we would explore on foot a part of the town, have a large lunch and return to our apt for an afternoon siesta. Perfect really.

Lisbon has a strong Moorish history which can be seen all over the town in its architecture with many of the grand building tiled in beautiful mosaic tiles. 

The Castel de St Jorge sits high above the town and river and was originally built as a garrison by the Moores in the 11th century. In the 12th century it became a christian castle and home to the Kings of the time. It is interesting to visit and commands stunning views across Lisbon.

We ate some beautiful fresh cod baked very simply with garlic and olive oil in a restaurant in Graca called A Mourisca, some great sardines at a wee restaurant near the Castle but our absolute favorite food experience was at a tiny Angolan restaurant across the road from our apartment. With no common language we were in the hands of the chef/waitress and she did not disappoint! We had baked fish served with white beans in an amazing sauce and Calulu a kind of chicken stew with okra served with various condiments. Fantastic food and the people there were delightful, they kept breaking into song and dance and it seemed everyone was having a grand time..staff and guests alike.

We enjoyed Lisbon very much and hope to explore the rest of Portugal very soon.