One Month in Beautiful Lisbon

Boa tarde 🌟 As I write this the sun is starting to set and a pink hue has swept over the red rooftops I can see from our window. Laundry sways on clothing lines strung from balconies, a dog is barking at the numerous cats in the courtyard, and in the distance the river Tagus gleams after a nice, sunny day here in Lisbon. Our airbnb is located atop one of Lisbon's infamous hills which makes for fabulous views but also steep hikes getting back home after a day of sight seeing.

I really can't believe we've been living in Lisbon for a month already! It seems time is still speeding by just like it was back home. Right when we got here it felt kind of strange, almost overwhelming after not having traveled for a while and being in a new place that's so different from home. We got lost several times walking through Lisbon's labyrinth of cobblestone streets, went to the grocery store every day for a while trying to figure out what stores we liked/what to get, and our legs definitely had an adjustment period (at least mine did, Justin will say otherwise haha). I don't want to paint this perfect picture, moving somewhere new can be a real challenge at first. For instance we spent two hours opening a bank account here which was our fourth time to the bank trying to have all the right paperwork. It takes a while to get into your new routine and figure out the small things, but that secretly is part of the fun too figuring out all the logistics :)

Love this shot Justin got with the bridge in the background

And then, seemingly overnight, a transition happened without us even realizing it... we began to feel at home in a different part of the world. We started to recognize streets, breeze onto the metro, become laundromat experts, and use google maps *slightly* less. We have definitely found ourselves charmed by Lisbon and it's beautiful azulejo tiled buildings 💛 I have always dreamed of Europe, so getting to experience living here is really a dream come true. I think that's the beauty of slow travel, you get to see what the actual daily life is like in a different place and take pieces of that experience back home with you.

Praça do Comércio

View from Parque Eduardo VII

Our favorite way to learn a city is to walk as much of it as possible, so in our first few weeks we did just that... tried to see all the things! We were dying to explore after months of reading about Lisbon and not travelling, so we wanted to get it out of our system and also get a jump start on figuring Lisbon out. We found we love the miradouros (view points) that seem to connect the city and remind you each time just how big (and beautiful) Lisbon is. The miradouros are scattered around the city and some of them even have cafes set up so you can enjoy a coffee or glass of wine with the view, though a lot of these cafes were close when we first arrived.

Jardim da Estrela, a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city

Our airbnb host is the one who described Lisbon as a labyrinth of streets and that really is the best word for it. It's especially true in the older neighborhoods like our current one of Penha de França, the roads were obviously not designed for modern life. I can pick out our street now on a map of Lisbon with no street names just based on the unique shape and winding sections. The cobblestone sidewalks here are barely wider than one person, but much wider in the newer parts of town. Around every corner it seems there's another beautiful azulejo (Portuguese tile) building facade, a cute cafe, an old piece of the city, or a newly painted mural (or graffiti). Lisbon is a fascinating mix of old and new, grungy on the edges but completely charming... even more so when you see the yellow tram pop into view and hum by! I just loved riding the tram for the first time :)

A yellow tram in Alfama

I love the azulejos! These are some of my favorites

Can you see me? :) This is right near our airbnb

 

One of the best views of the city in our opinion so far is the view from Castelo de São Jorge, a castle that looks out on central Lisbon and the river Tagus. Apparently we aren't alone in that opinion as fortifications on this hilltop date back to the 1st century BC! The views of the city and river are stunning from here, and the grounds of the castle were really neat to walk around and hardly anyone was there. I especially loved getting to walk the outer castle walls and wonder what life was like for the people who once stood guard in these turrets so long ago.

Living out my medieval dreams :)

One of my favorite things about living in Europe so far is just being surrounded by so much history in a modern city. It's pretty wild (to me) to just be out running and pass by a gorgeous cathedral built in the 1100s or an aqueduct built in the 1700s just towering over you. It's amazing to me to think about all the stages of human life this city has seen, especially evident from the neighborhood of Alfama where the buildings are so close together and the sidewalk barely has enough space when the tram comes through the tight streets. Unfortunately a lot of Lisbon was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1700s, and Alfama and the castle are some of the only areas that survived. So a lot of the city was rebuilt after that but all in the traditional style.

We were really intrigued by the aqueduct so we visited and walked about 1km across the top, but I'd say the views are even more impressive from below!

View of Lisbon from the Aqueduct

Another favorite hobby has been trying all the delicious vegan restaurants Lisbon has to offer, we've been blown away by the food! We feel spoiled having so many fully vegan restaurants compared to back home having only a handful of options on a menu. There are some very creative restaurants here and just confirms I am a city girl through and through! I won't spam you with too many photos but I have to include a few, we've especially enjoyed trying traditional Portuguese dishes that have been veganized.We even found some super tasty vegan pasteis de natas, which is the pastry Portugal is known for. Yum!! Veganism is definitely a movement here as even in our more local neighborhood there are half a dozen or so fully dedicated vegan cafes.

Lagareiro - traditionally made with cod but this was tofu wrapped in nori sheets and seasoned with the same spices. So yummy!

My favorite so far, peixinho with tomato rice and salad... it was excellent!

The chef's selection from a local vegan sushi restaurant 😋

Oh and that reminds me, the coffee here is so good... I've definitely been working my way through cafes to try it all. If you just order a regular coffee here it will be an espresso, or "bica" in Lisbon. In the more traditional cafes you can ask for a double shot, a little milk added, or a galão (kind of like a latte). Other cafes also have lattes, cappucinos, etc as options. And speaking of beverages... the wine here is delicious too and super cheap! I'd say their two buck chuck wins hands down! We've mostly tried wines from the Alentejo Region which is where we are now, but can't wait to go to Porto and the Douro River Valley!

 

Delicious bica (espresso) - local price is 70 cents, touristy spots are 1 euro or more.

A super tasty pasteis de nata from VeganNata, plus espresso in an edible cup!

This is only about 1/4 of the wine aisle, huge section of wine no matter how small the store!

And last but not least, Sagres!

 

One weekend this month we met up with our friend Robbie and took the train to Cascais, and well... it was love at first sight! It's so beautiful there! Getting to Cascais from Lisbon is part of the fun too, it's a forty minute train ride that hugs the eastern coastline so you can look out at the river Tagus meeting the Atlantic pretty much the whole time. The beaches here kind of dot the rocky coastline and are relatively small but beautiful none the less. And the water... so clear and colorful 💙 We are suckers for beautiful beaches next to a big city!

This view reminds me so much of Sydney's Eastern Coastline

Brunch at House of Wonders :)

Love the wavy cobblestone pattern here

 

A true "bird's eye view" 😆

Cascais is picturesque for sure

Looking in the direction of NC from across the Atlantic 💗

We're now settling into a new rhythm here in Lisbon, next week we check out of this airbnb and into our new apartment near the center of the city. We had thought we'd move around Portugal slowly staying in different places but now we've decided to base out of Lisbon and do smaller trips from here. I knew going into this trip it would be hard to plan so trying to stay flexible and going with the flow :) We are going to miss our neighborhood kitty visits at this airbnb though! Misha the cat comes by usually in the mornings when we're having breakfast (I feel like she can hear us making food) or she comes by in the late afternoons. One rainy day she spent about five hours inside here just napping in the chair. We love animals so much it's been nice to have a part time pet! Although both of us get attached easily so will be hard to say bye 😢

Misha, the neighborhood kitty and friendliest cat we've ever met!

We really miss everyone back home too, like I said in the previous blog that's always the hardest part. I will say though skyping with my 16 month old niece was surprisingly hilarious! She's at such a fun age that she took the phone from my sister and was walking all over the playroom and babbling. I like to think she knew it was her auntie and was talking to me, but maybe it was just being able to play with the phone haha. Either way it was priceless! We also got a huge laugh out of skyping with Watson the frenchie, we like to think he also recognized our voices because he kept turning his head back and forth looking at the phone but who knows haha.

Anyway, we are so grateful to be on this adventure and getting to experience life from this part of the world. The Portuguese are so friendly, and I think their knack for slowing down and soaking in the day will be a great influence. Also cases here have been staying low so most of Portugal has reached the last stage of deconfinement, which means things are open later on weekends and later hours during the week. We are looking forward to seeing even more of Portugal and hoping borders can open safely for visitors! Obrigada for following along!

💛

Sarah

"For the traveler who comes in from the sea,
Lisbon, even from afar, rises like a fair vision in a dream,
clear-cut against a bright blue sky which the sun gladdens with its gold.
And the domes, the monuments, the old castles jut up above the mass of houses,
like far-off heralds of this delightful seat, of this blessed region.

- Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese poet