ay 2: Lisbon

Up round 6.30 having slept a full 12 hours and down at breaky within the hour.  Standard (yum) European breakfast – boiled egg, deli meats tomato & fruit for me and cereal/fruit for David. And of course pastries…… 

Started the day with  a 3 hour guided walking tour of the historical quarters of Lisbon. Our guide Maggie was incredibly knowledgeable  and mapped out an interesting and diverse route starting at the Fort of Lisbon and weaving our way through the winding, narrow medieval cobblestone streets of Alfama. – the oldest and arguably the most picturesque part of Lisbon.  The multi-story terracotta roofed building layer upon each other down the slopes creating a labyrinth of small streets, with loads of dead ends. Many elderly owners live in the homes they were born in and their connection with each other was evident from the lively banter. Sadly the AirBnb boom means that the area is going through rapid gentrification – so we feel lucky to have seen it  while it still has the buzz of a vibrant, traditional community.

We continued our walk through central Lisbon – called the ‘New’ area – having been fully rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake- featuring beautiful tiled buildings and broad ornately cobbled avenues. Ended our walk  in the chic Chardo neighbourhood- home to the oldest bookshop in the world, numerous cafes and stylish people of all ages. Break neck heels were standard wear in Chardo – goodness knows how many ankles get broken on the cobblestones. 

Finished our day in Belem , launching point of early Portuguese maritime explorers and home to the famous Pasteis de Belum- the 19th century bakery responsible for the invention of – you guessed it- the Portuguese tart.  Apparently tarts are so yellow as they only use egg yolks- back in the day, the nuns used to use the egg whites to starch their whimples- and the tarts were invented as a way of using up the egg yolks.

‘arrived back at our hotel 16,000 steps plu under our belts and exhausted. Dinner at a tiny cafe round the corner ‘Embers’ which the lovely young man told us he and his wife opened one month ago. Tasty simple fare – just what we needed.