Ahhhh, Portugal
Day 1: We arrived in Lisbon, checked into our palatial AirBnB, and then conveniently walked down the hill to Mercado da Ribeira Market for all the foods. We hit up Sea Me for cod cakes and skrimps. Jan procured beef three ways from Chef Henrique Sa Pessoa, and finally we tried our first pastéis de nata at Manteigaria. We were not disappointed. After securing reinforcements at the nearby Super Meow, we rested for a big and then took a nighttime stroll along the waterfront to Praca do Comercio, complete with walking-around drinks (Oh, Lisbon!), before settling in for the evening and resting up for our adventures.
Day 2. We checked out Sao Jorge Castle – the first of MANY castles. It was a great way to start the trip, giving us an awesome view of the city from the terraces surrounding the castle. We climbed all over that castle, Jan ate a pigeon, you know, the usual. Fun times. The structure itself dates back to the 1st century BC. The hill it was built on plays an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before its conquest by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Since the 12th century, the castle has variously served as a royal palace, a military barracks, and now as a national monument. They had a great museum at the end that we nearly missed, but so glad we popped in. And not just for the A/C. It was HOT in Lisbon the first couple days, y’all. Anyway, they had great artifacts they’d unearthed from nearby archeological sites, including pottery, coins, tools and TILE. From there, we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch and then did a self-guided walking tour all through the Alfama district. We saw some great street art, and amazing tiles, and some more great views of the city.
That evening, we headed to Chef Jose Avillez’ flagship restaurant, Belcanto, for an AMAZING dinner. It was a PRODUCTION. We lost count of how many courses actually came out as our impish waiter surprised us with treat after treat between dishes. The presentation was so creative, and every bite was more delicious than the last. This is where Jan ACTUALLY ate a pigeon, thus #SQUABGOALS was born. (She had a lovely roasted squab, and she’ll never hear the end of it.) I tried to write down everything we ate when we got home, and here’s what we could remember: We started with cava, of course. But then they brought out these amazing elderflower martinis with exploding olives, followed by baccalau pastry balls with edible flowers served in ceramic hands. The next surprise was an Alice in Wonderland theme, complete with foie gras bites shaped into clubs and aces, served on a ceramic house of cards. There was also a gorgeous shiny cherry that looked like a dessert that was actually the smoothest pate, served on a wooden stump. We all went big and had the lobster with caviar to start (#fancy), and I chose sea bass with avocado, prawns and razor clams for my main. Shannon had suckling pig, Jan the infamous squab roasted in hay with a foie gras stuffed zucchini blossom, and Dan had a gorgeous seared beef with marrow sauce. We ordered two desserts – the mandarin, because you have to, and the chocolate, and both were delicious, but the mandarin took the cake. But we weren’t done yet, there were more sweets to be had (another surprise!), in a variety of flavors and textures, and somehow we found room. Everything, form the décor, the ambiance, the expert service, the food, the presentation, it was just a terrific experience and I can’t recommend it enough.
Day 3. We spent most of the day at the National Tile Museum… Literally. It is HUGE and there’s so much tile, and Jan and I wanted to see ALL of it, and the guys were good sports, plus it was laid out in such a way that it was broken up by other spaces and rooms, indoor and outdoor, that it wasn’t just tile on tile on tile. Museu Nacional do Azulejo is one of the most important of the national museums by the singularity of its collection, Azulejo (tile), an artistic expression that differentiates Portuguese culture, and by the uniqueness of the building in which the Museum is set, former Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509 by Queen D. Leonor. Its collections allow a journey through the history of tile, from 15th century till present days. There’s an amazing church on the grounds, which belonged to the convent, the Madre de Deus, which is decorated in full Portuguese baroque splendour, with gilded and carved wood, paintings and tile panels. In addition to all the, well, tile, there were great displays on the various ways to make tile, and the trends over time, etc. But the artistry and craftsmanship were just unreal. We must’ve taken hundreds of photos. It was just gorgeous. The building itself seemed to be crumbling and unkempt, but the collection was astounding. Afterward, we strolled through the flea market at Santa Clara, and walked around the Alfama, through Bairro Alto, and back ‘home.’
Day 4. We ventured a little further out, and toured Jerónimos Monastery, which is where the monks of the military-religious Order of Christ provided assistance to seafarers in transit. The harbour of Praia do Restelo was an advantageous spot for mariners, with a safe anchorage and protection from the winds, sought after by ships entering the mouth of the Tagus River. The existing structure was inaugurated on the orders of Manuel I. The construction of the monastery and church began on 6 January 1501, and was completed 100 years later. King Manuel originally funded the project with moneys obtained from the Vintena da Pimenta, a 5 percent tax on commerce from Africa and the Orient, equivalent to 150 lb of gold per year, with the exception of those taxes collected on the importation of pepper, cinnamon and cloves, which went directly to the Crown.
Manuel I selected the religious order of Hieronymite monks to occupy the monastery, whose role it was to pray for the King's eternal soul and to provide spiritual assistance to navigators and sailors who departed from the port of Restelo to discover lands around the world. This the monks did for over four centuries until 1833, when the religious orders were dissolved and the monastery was abandoned. The monastery was designed in a manner that later became known as Manueline: a richly ornate architectural style with complex sculptural themes incorporating maritime elements and objects discovered during naval expeditions, carved in limestone. Within the church, in the lower choir, are the stone tombs of Vasco da Gama (1468–1523), and of the great poet and chronicler of the Age of Discoveries, Luís de Camões (1527–1580). Both tombs were sculpted by the 19th-century sculptor Costa Mota in a harmonious neo-Manueline style. The mortal remains of both were transferred to these tombs in 1880.
Afterward, we walked the waterfront in Belem for a bit, and saw the Monument to the Discoveries, and the tower. We came back into town and skipped the line for the lift, opting instead to walk up the not-so-secret ramp behind it to the same scenic view on the back side of the monastery ruins. We got our walking around drinks (did I mention we loved Lisbon?) and strolled around a bit before heading back to the loft to get a game plan together for dinner. Ramires had come highly recommended, and the reviews were amazing, so we ubered over, took a number and waited. And WAITED. We got there early (6-ish) and there were maybe 20 people waiting. By the time our number was FINALLY called (2 hours later), there were 50 people waiting, and long story short, our consensus was NOT WORTH IT. The food was good, but it was basically a glorified crab shack. Tiny on the inside, the service was just OK, and the menu was 99% shellfish. We stuffed our faces with shrimp, crab and lobster and got the heck OUT. Dan is still working on his epic yelp review to end all yelp reviews.
Day 5. Jan arranged a food tour for us, which was our first time, and we had such a great time! It was part walking tour, part tasting tour, and just the perfect way to get the city in a nutshell. We saw parts of Lisbon we wouldn’t otherwise have seen, and tasted foods we definitely wouldn’t have known about. Our guide gave us a great list of recommendations afterward. Looking back, it would have been great to do this the first day! We’ll definitely do this again. That evening we went to a restaurant our guide had recommended, and it was lovely.
Day 6. We took the early train to Sintra and stormed ALL the castles. Okay, THREE castles. That’s a lot of castles. Would you believe that’s not all the castles? Oy. We started with Palazzo Pena, probably the most well-known, which proved to be a wise choice, as we observed the line was about five times longer when we left than it was when we came in. It was WILD.
The palace is a Romanticist castle on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials. The castle's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
In 1493, King John II, accompanied by his wife Queen Leonor, made a pilgrimage to the site to fulfill a vow. His successor, King Manuel I, was also very fond of this sanctuary, and ordered the construction of a monastery on this site which was donated to the Order of Saint Jerome. For centuries Pena was a small, quiet place for meditation, housing a maximum of eighteen monks.
In the 18th century the monastery was severely damaged by lightning. However, it was the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, occurring shortly afterwards, that took the heaviest toll on the monastery, reducing it to ruins. Nonetheless, the chapel (and its works of marble and alabaster attributed to Nicolau Chanterene) escaped without significant damage.
For many decades the ruins remained untouched, but they still astonished young prince Ferdinand. In 1838, as King consort Ferdinand II, he decided to acquire the old monastery, all of the surrounding lands, the nearby Castle of the Moors and a few other estates in the area. King Ferdinand then set out to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family. The commission for the Romantic style rebuilding was given to Lieutenant-General and mining engineer Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege. Eschwege, a German amateur architect, was much traveled and likely had knowledge of several castles along the Rhine river. The construction took place between 1842 and 1854, although it was almost completed in 1847: King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II intervened decisively on matters of decoration and symbolism. Among others, the King suggested vault arches, Medieval and Islamic elements be included, and he also designed an ornate window for the main façade.
After the death of Ferdinand the palace passed into the possession of his second wife Elisa Hensler, Countess of Edla. The latter then sold the palace to King Luís, who wanted to retrieve it for the royal family, and thereafter the palace was frequently used by the family. In 1889 it was purchased by the Portuguese State, and after the Republican Revolution of 1910 it was classified as a national monument and transformed into a museum. The last queen of Portugal, Queen Amélia, spent her last night at the palace before leaving the country in exile.
Next, after a SMIDGEON of confusion, we hiked the Moorish Castle. And I mean, we crawled all OVER that thing. It was a SUPER windy day, and Hat Dan’s Seahawks hat got blown clear off his head. Shannon recovered it (and was delighted to, since it involved climbing over a railing). Aside from the person who scanned our ticket at the entrance, we didn’t see a single staff or security person throughout the entire grounds. Safety first. Anyhow, we hiked up and down, and took in the views, and nearly got blown away, and loved it. This ruinous castle is set amidst the lush forests of the Serra De Sintra and was established during the 9th century by the North African Moors to guard the town of Sintra, but it fell into disrepair after the Christian conquest of Portugal. The castle was restored in the 19th century by King Ferdinand II, who transformed it into a romantic ruin and a major feature of the gardens of the Pena Palace. The castle retains the charm of an ancient ruin, with dense forest surrounding the crumbling battlements that offer spectacular views over the Sintra region.
Finally, we headed back into town, and hit up castle # 3, the National Palace of Sintra. This one was the most well-preserved on the inside, and had gorgeous furnishings and tiles throughout. The minimalistic gothic exterior of the palace hides a wonder of decorative state rooms. The palace’s long history has been intertwined with the fortunes of Portugal’s ruling nobility, who resided here from the early 15th through to the late 19th century making it Portugal’s most lived in royal palace. The most notable exterior feature are the two massive chimneys, which protrude from the kitchens which have become the icon of Sintra.
Day 7. We packed up and headed the Algarves. It was just about 3 hours to Lagos from Lisbon. Our first stop was burgers at Nah Nah Bah, which we all agreed it really hit the spot. Highly recommend. We walked around Lagos proper for a bit before checking into our AirBnb, and got settled in. Then we walked down to the beach (Praia Dona Ana) for sunset.
Day 8. We spent most of the day on the beach, and then drove to Sagres for sunset. Sagres is the westernmost point of Europe, and was once believed to be the end of the world. This is the point that voyagers such as Vasco de Gama and Christopher Columbus ventured out on their explorations of the new world. With its dramatic cliffs, it certainly looked like the end of the world. It’s also known for its world-class surfing, and there were no less than 3 dozen surfers floating around waiting for the perfect wave while we were there. We brought wine and cheese, and settled in for sunset, which was absolutely breathtaking. From there, we drove to Salema for dinner at Agua na Boca, which was WONDERFUL (thanks, Bonald for the recommendation).
Day 9. Shannon took a windsurfing lesson while Mary spent a lazy day on the beach. Jan and Dan explored the town a bit and Hat Dan settled into beach life. Everyone reunited for a lazy dinner and a moonlit walk home.
Day 10. The Himeleys went sea kayaking and got to see more of the Algarves which was beautiful from the water. We went in and out of several sea caves, which was such a cool experience. At the midpoint, we all got out at a small beach for snorkeling and proceeded to get pummeled against rock after rock while laughing hysterically between winces. We decided that the tour guides picked this beach to watch us suffer, as all the other beaches seemed perfectly free of obstacles. Limping, bleeding, laughing, we stumbled ashore, a little worse for wear, and prepared for the journey back. This is where they lashed us all together and TOWED US BACK BEHIND A BOAT. Y’all. It was everything. We got to sit back and enjoy being pulled all the way back. So amazing.
Quick sidebar: I banged up my ankle pretty bad, and it wouldn’t stop bleeding (all bone, no meat, you know the drill). I was telling our guide about my injury, thinking he may have gauze or something so I didn’t get blood all over his kayak, and he said “Do you feel something inside of you?” I responded, “Like… courage?” He laughed, and said “No, like rocks!” “Oh, no,” I replied, “I think it’s fine I just didn’t want to bleed in your kayak.” He gave me a high five and walked away. It finally stopped bleeding, but I couldn’t wear real shoes for WEEKS. I definitely didn’t talk about it to anyone who would listen.
We grabbed lunch and headed home to get cleaned up for our final stretch of beaching on what was beginning to feel like our private beach. We’re fancy. I mean, there were plenty of other people there, but we owned that B.(each). We spent our last night reminiscing over wine, and port, and wine, and cheese, and meats and like a billion olives. And we packed, and begged Hat Dan to keep on hatting for ever and ever. He didn’t make any promises, but saw a glint in his eye.
Day 11. We began the journey home, with Shannon driving us from Lagos to Lisbon. Everyone made it on their flights, though we were sadly downgraded from our daily gourmet cheese plates to bags of cheez-its in coach, with one of us being wheeled to the gate at JFK in a wheelchair. Mic drop.
We had a great time exploring Lisbon, Sintra and Lagos. Lisbon has lots to see and do, and we just scratched the surface. You could probably squeeze all the highlights into 3-4 days, but we were purposeful in not cramming our days full of activities so we could have plenty of downtime to rest and visit and not come home more exhausted than we left. We all agreed ending our trip with beach time was the way to go, and helped us really unwind and relax. #noregerts
Portugal was beautiful, the people were friendly, and we had a great time. Everyone spoke English, and it’s a good thing because it turns out Portugese is hard. Sure, there were hits and misses with the restaurants and even some that came highly recommended seemed to be having off nights while we were there. It happens. We also learned we don’t love Portugese wine. That’s why there’s port.
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