Lisbon
13th July 2016
A few weeks ago my friend and I were lamenting over the lack of sunshine and summer vibes in England so we decided to book a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. I’d never been to Portugal before and had heard some great things about the capital city so I couldn’t wait to explore! Walking out of the airport into blazing sun felt amazing and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
With brilliant public transport links we were able to make the most of our long weekend in Lisbon and we stayed in a fantastic Air BnB studio in the Alfama district, down the hill from the historic Castelo de S. Jorge. The winding, narrow lanes and cobbled streets of Lisbon are great to explore; at every turn there is something to discover and enjoy. On our first reconnoitre we stumbled across a doorway which led to a spiral staircase and when we arrived at the top we were blown away. We walked out onto a little terrace which had a spectacular view of the city and the castle was only metres away.
Lisbon is a brilliant city to visit if you want the best of both worlds, a cultural city break and a beach holiday, as there are many lovely beaches along the coast only a train or bus ride away. The first beach we visited was in Ericeira which is renowned for its great surf and fishing community. With great surf comes lots of wind so we battled against the elements to get down to the quiet beach. We spent the whole day sunbathing and drinking Sangria – the perfect way to unwind!
That evening we ventured into the famous Bairro Alto district for a night out. The small clubs and bars were heaving with people so the party spilled out into the narrow, cobbled streets. We met a group of Americans and a guy from Leicestershire (small world!) and dipped in and out of all the cool bars playing funk, soul, and popular Reggaetón music.
The next day, feeling a little worse for wear, we headed to another beach destination closer to the city. Estoril is a stylish beach resort with great restaurants and bars, and is very popular with the locals. The beach was packed with families, large groups of friends, and holidaymakers – there was a real party atmosphere with music pumping out of various speakers along the beach. After another day of sun, sea and sangria we headed back to city and stopped off along the way to see the Torre de Belém. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and was completed in 1519 to act as part of a defence system and ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. We then watched the sunset and ate dinner by the water – what a lovely way to end the day!
On the last day we had another day of sightseeing and we were natural tour leaders! We didn’t look at a map or plan our route, we just walked around and happened to find the tourist highlights of the city. We even hopped on a tram, which Lisbon is famous for, and had a great chance to see even more of the city.
I also noticed that on many of the buildings there were ceramic tiles on the exterior which looked stunning! These tiles are called Azulejos and are painted tin glazed ceramic tiles which are used on many buildings as a method of temperature control and are also used to create artwork. Of course I couldn’t visit a city without noticing their tiles! These are especially of interest as they reminded me of Hannah’s handmade ceramic tiles, albeit a more vibrant and less bespoke version.
I absolutely loved my time in Lisbon – I keep harping on about it to everyone! I can’t wait to visit the city again and share this beautiful place with even more people.
