The first time we came to Lisbon, we stayed in Estoril along the coast. Rog was working in the city and I spent my days visiting Cascais, Sintra, and the neighborhoods of Lisbon. I would jump on the train and find myself in wonderfully charming communities, shopping in the local markets and discovering interesting foods, fruits, cheeses and wines. It was in Cascais that we learned Ferreira Port was our all-time favorite! It was in Estoril that Rog bought a pair of leather shoes–which he wore for the next 20 years before they wore out—in a store very much like our WalMart of today!!!! Twenty years!! Talk about quality and value!! Can you tell, we have a nostalgic fondness for Lisbon?!? We visit often and you will find more info on Lisbon in the “Archives” section. But this time, we came to Lisbon on Easter Sunday and anticipated that most everything would be closed. We made no major plans. Our intent was to walk the Alfama district (the old town) and take photos. To our surprise, many places were open for business! Here are the photos:
We docked at the Santa Apolonia Cruise Terminal in Lisbon about 9:00am Easter Sunday. There were 4 other cruise ships in port with us. This was going to be a very crowded day!We feared that nothing would be open, but when we went out on the Lido deck to take our “on the dock” photos we did see some cafes serving.We set our sights on the pizza parlor across the way!!!The Tapas do Atlantico was open and doing a brisk business. This is a tiny place with an extensive menu!!They even serve the puppy dogs!We ordered the Caaprese Salad to share.And a Pizza Marguerita for Sandy/ a Ham & Onion for Rog. After adding in the afternoon libations, we had a very satisfying lunch for less that 20 Euros!As usual, we sarted eating before we remembered to take a photo!The afternoon libation is Super Bock.We had not seen these tuk-tuks in Lisbon before. Seems to be something new that popped up with entrepreneurial spirit! We eagerly hopped on board!The photos from the tuk-tuk did not come out well!! This is the Pantheon, taken on the fly!We stopped at a Lisbon viewpoint. This is a little park area adjacent to the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Monte (called St. Anne’s on the Hill by our guide.)Saint Anne’s on the Hill.As we headed to our next stop, we passed one of the famous trams of Lisbon. I remember the wonderful old trams I so happily rode all over Lisbon those many years ago.This is an old poster for sale in the market where we next stopped. I should have bought it!!! A special piece of nostalgia.The Mercado do Baixo is large and OPEN on Easter Sunday! Obviously, shopping was required!And so, shop is what we did!!!Many tempting arrays!Fabulous aromas!As we tuk-tuked back to the ship, we took a photo of the 25th of April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) with the Christ Statue (Cruz Alta), copied from the famous Christ the Redeemer in Brazil in the background.Once we reached the Military Museum…..…..and the Santa Apolonia Train Station across the street, we were back to the ship!We took a quick photo of the old city wall…..…..paid our tuk-tuk driver…..…..made our way into the Santa Apolonia Cruise Terminal to board the ship…..…..and said goodbye to Lisbon.
Our next port is Porto, Portugal where we plan to tour the “Lodges” and compare tawny vs. ruby ports.
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