After a good night’s rest, we were eager to head into Lisbon City Centre to see the sights.
We took the Metro to a popular area of Lisbon known as Baixa which is a busy commercial centre with plenty of interesting shops, eateries and charming cobbly streets that rambled uphill and down.
There were so many wonderful shops to explore, such as this inviting bakery:
And this very quirky shop that sold nothing but tinned sardines!
Rossio Square
The elegant streets and city Squares, adorned with fountains and moasics, oozed history and charm. And in the midday heat, it was difficult to resist the urge to stop for an iced coffee or a beer in the shade.
Praca Do Commercio
Many of the busy streets meandered down towards the Praco Do Commercio, which means Commerce/Royal Square.
This impressive, historic gateway into the City, with it’s smart yellow facade, is situated near the River Tagus and would have once been a place of bustling trade and industry. Sadly, much of this area was destroyed in a great Earthquake in 1755, but was later rebuilt.
Tram 28
And of course, no trip to Lisbon would be complete without a ride on the iconic Tram 28.
Even if it was a bit hairy at times!
And Relax…
As it was Nathan’s birthday week, we ended our grand day out with a glass of wine (actually one of us had two! ) in a lovely bar that had tables outside.
Nathan couldn’t believe his luck when he got the bill – 11 Euros for 3 glasses of wine and an apple juice! Not bad at all!
All in all, we had a fabulous and very memorable day in Lisbon. For a country-loving girl, I was surprised at just how taken I was with this beguiling, old City. Elegant, charming, and even a little bit romantic, in the evening sun. Lisbon – we hope to visit again some day!
