Category: Lisbon

Lisbon and Sintra : Our Spanish Tour’s Memorable Extension

Ah, Portugal. In 2012, we decided to include Lisbon in our Spain tour. It was a spontaneous decision, but it turned out to be the best choice we made. Lisbon was amazing—the food, the atmosphere, the attractions. Then there’s Sintra, a place with a unique history that dates back to the 9th century when it was occupied by the Moors, and it continued to thrive until the late 19th century. It’s a National monument and has been partially restored to its former grandeur. It’s a fascinating place and definitely worth a side trip to experience it.

Our Memoriam to Dale Rempel – Lisbon, Portugal

On our arrival in Lisbon. Portugal, we were saddened to be informed that my cousin Lynn’s husband Dale had succumbed to cancer.  This put a damper on an otherwise exuberant day, and we would think of him and his family often during the trip.  We had last seen Dale in a set of unusual circumstances in October of 2011.  Lori and I had hopped a plane in Winnipeg on our way to Ottawa, where we were heading out on a fall road trip though Quebec.  Amazingly, Dale and Lynn walked past us on the plane and sat directly behind us.  An absolutely amazing coincidence.  We spent a bit of time chatting on the plane and a bit of time in the Ottawa airport before we went our separate ways.  He was a great person and will be missed terribly by all in his circles.

Keeping in mind that we are not Catholic, and neither are Dale and Lynn, we decided on an appropriate tribute ( we think) in that we were in Spain and Portugal, both of which have a multitude of beautiful cathedrals.  we decided we would light a candle in remembrance in each cathedral we visited.

Our first candle was lit in the famous Sao Domingo cathedral in Lisbon, just off Rossio Square.

 

 

A Second Day In Lisbon

We awoke early on the second day, feeling the worse for wear from the dual effects of jet lag and my jet lag cure.  What is my jet lag cure you ask.  Well, it is simple.  Get where you are going, then find a nice place to sit and drink.  Drink copious amounts of alcohol, while fighting off sleep as long as possible.  In this case, I must have got some good sleep on the plane cause I pressed my theory until at least 1:00 AM.  The result, I definitely slept, but am thinking the jet lag would have been better than the hangover.

Up and ready, this was to be our only full day in Lisbon.  We left the B&B and headed out.  First, a couple of pictures of the place.  This first one is the entrance.  It was kind of cool as the restaurant had seats right in front of the door.  Whenever we entered or exited, we felt like we were using a secret entrance to somewhere special.

Our room was a terrace, which is in the top left of this picture.

We carried on down the hill and ran into the old city, very heavy on the shopping.

Rossio Square
Santa Justa Elevator

 

 

Canada even has its own stores in other countries

More than a few explorers left this harbour.

We then headed towards the castle on the hill and quickly learned that the city of Lisbon has some spectacular views.

I was pretty happy with this shot
Lori and I with the city spread out behind us

The city has lots of windy streets, built into the hillside.  Other than along the shore, there were very few areas that one could call flat.  Our day in Lisbon was coming to an end. We headed back to Zuza Bed and the headed out for dinner.  Another terrific meal.  Still a bit tired and as big trip to Sintra in the morning, we decided to call it a night.  We did have a terrific sight awaiting us when we hit the terrace though.  The moon had risen behind the castle hill and looked terrific.  This shot doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea.

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A Few Days In Lisbon

We landed in beautiful Lisbon, Portugal after our standard 14 hour flight from Calgary to pretty much anywhere.  As usual British Airways provided a great experience, a great airline.

Landing in Lisbon

Grabbed a cab at the Lisbon Portela Airport and headed to our B&B, Zuza B&B.  We booked this B&B back in March of 2012 and were very lucky to get a booking.  The place is a very highly rated place on Trip Advisor and well worth it.  The views off our balcony were spectacular, by day..

Lisbon by Day

or by night..

Lisbon by night

As usual on our arrival, we were pretty much exhausted.  We asked Luis (a terrific host) to point us in the direction of a close by restaurant where we could have some good food and settle in.  It wasn’t far.  We could see it off the balcony as a matter of fact.

The Buenos Aires Restaurant

The place is called Buenos Aires and it had some crazy salads.

And, as always, some liquid refreshments…

Just a quick post to prove we did get there.  Lots more to come over the next few weeks as we continue in Lisbon, set off to Sintra, then away to Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, Barcelona, Malaga and many other places.  Until next post, CHEERS.

 

Good Morning From Lisbon

Enjoying the view over a morning coffee. This is taken from the terrace of our b&b, Zuzabed. Luis is the owner and runs an excellent place. Highly recommended.

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Wandering Wednesday – Thanks For The Help

Just a short note to thank the people who responded to my post on suggestions and advice for our trip this fall.  We valued the comments, and a few email conversations and have an itinerary set (sort of).  We will be heading off to Lisbon, Portugal for 3 days and nights.  From there, we are doing Madrid and area, then Cordoba and area.  In the middle, we will be doing a 7 day cruise to the Canary Islands and to Madeira.  From there it is off to Barcelona and area, then home.

This trip is going to be spectacular (to us).  The more we investigate, the more anticipation takes hold.   From a camel ride in the Canary’s, to ice skating on a cruise ship to staying in a Paladore, the new experiences will abound.

This will be the view from our Bed and Breakfast in Lisbon.
Photos of ZUZABED & Breakfast B&B, Suites and Apartments, Lisbon
This photo of ZUZABED & Breakfast B&B, Suites and Apartments is courtesy of TripAdvisor