Leisurely Walk Around Lisbon
I chose to include Portugal in my
EU II itinerary because of Ferdinand Magellan. No kidding. I don’t admire,
idolize nor pay any sort of tribute to him. But he is somewhat related to
Philippine history so I thought I’d give my time and money visiting his home
country.
The bus landed in Lisboa Siete Rios, Estacion de
Autobuses. The station is a couple of minutes of walk away from Sete Rios
station. The bus arrived shortly past 5 AM, earlier than scheduled. I was tired
and groggy from the bus trip (and the whole trip at this point). I asked around
and followed a couple of people on their way to the subway as well.
It was freezing cold in the subway. I had to wait for 30 more minutes before the subway opened. I kinda understand now why homeless people stay at the subway station for warmth. It was easy to find my last hostel for this trip: Good Morning Hostel in Lisbon.
Since check-in was still at 3PM, I dumped myself and
my stuff in the cushy cushions of the dorm and snuck in an hour’s worth of nap
while waiting for 10AM. The morning tour started in Rossio Square.
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| Rossio Square |
For the
first time, I met some travelers from Thailand and Malaysia. They are all
students who just finished their graduate program. They were taking advantage
of their remaining time in Europe – so they’ve been backpacking cheaply all
over the place. Ah, to be young and 22 in Europe. When I was 22, I was working at an auditing firm for minimum wage.
The neighborhood in Lisbon is clean, and modern,
compared to the past two cities I’ve explored: Granada and Seville. It doesn’t
have a lot of neighborhood charm. Nice and clean it is. Like Madrid. But not
appealing.
The neighborhood of Barrio Alto present some charm, but it didn't leave any distinct impression.
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| The trees are blooming |
I was lucky there was a street concert (of sorts) going on. I paused and listened to the Portuguese songs they were singing. I couldn't understand a thing but they have amazing harmony.
I got the metro pass valid for 3 days. I like getting passes because it allows me to make mistakes without an additional cost. Since I was travelling alone, getting lost everyday is the norm. And changing plans as well.
Alfama is an old district in Lisbon which has narrow and winding streets. They had a festival when I was there so I was able to somewhat partake in the activities - by taking photos of the place.
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| At day |
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| At night |
In the other side of town: Monastery de Jeronimo reminded is one of the tourist
destinations in Lisbon. I spent a lot of time outside, trying to pick a nice
passer-by who would take my photo. See, it is quite difficult to politely
instruct strangers from taking your photo.
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| This is not the angle that I wanted but I can't really complain |
It costs nothing to enter the church - if you are not viewing the special exhibit. The church reminded me lot of Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in Paris.
Torre de Belem is a couple of minutes worth of walk
from Monastery de Jeronimo. This is a tower served as the fortress to protect the river. Costs 5 euros to go inside.
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| Reminds me of Moat Caitlin in Game of Thrones |
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| Canon down there. |
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| A dent in the bars |
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| The nice tourist got the angle right |
The highlight of my day: I found the famous custards
sold near Torre de Belem. I knew there was one but I forgot to ask the hostel
staff how to find it. When I was waiting for the tram to arrive, my eyes
wandered to a bunch of teenage-looking kids flocking around a shop, which
already had a long line outside. I left the line to follow them, I had time
anyway. Voila! Custard cakes! I two for €2,40.
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