VACATION POST: LISBON
LISBOA (LISBON)
This has to be one of my favourite cities ever. (Not that I've seen that many or anything.) Flying in, you see it very suddenly because you've just had five hours of only ocean. The first impression is of colour--the red terracotta roofs on top of brilliant white stucco buildings. Everything lumped together, not sprawled out in neat rows like the buildings are laid out in Toronto when you see them from an airplane. Lisbon has seven hills, like Rome, but is much smaller, its population only about half a million, yet it is the biggest city in Portugal. It is clean and perfect, yet full of and surrounded by ancient castles and ruins. There are no bugs here, and no screens on the windows. You open them up to the fresh, beautiful air. The food is exquisite, as fresh as a spring flower. There is no humidity. The people are friendly, affectionate, kind, sweet and the best-looking people I've ever seen. The young men, especially, are gorgeous, with their luxurious dark hair and smooth, tanned bodies. Their smiles are genuine, their eyes all huge and liquid brown, with extraordinarily thick lashes. I would happy to live there forever. We did not meet one nasty, ill-tempered individual the entire time we spent in Portugal.
We spent our first two days there before driving all over Portugal and into southwestern Spain. We spent four more days in Lisbon when we returned there before flying home. We toured some ancient places: the Alfama district, Sintra and others. We went to a Benfica game and had our pictures taken with Vitoria, the eagle. We went to a Fado bar to listen to this unique Portuguese folky-bluesy music, invented by college students in Coimbra. We shopped in the very modern Freeport Designer Outlet Mall in Albachete, the largest of its kind in Europe. We hung out with some awesome employees of the Holiday Inn Lisbon hotel, who happily entertained us and helped us out, even though they are underpaid. But they are content and laid-back with their typical Portuguese good spirits.
Alright then. Here we go:
The first pic is of the Lisbon airport.
This photo is of the front of our hotel in Lisbon: the Holiday Inn.
The next is of the shopping plaza across the street from the hotel. It was quaint and delightful, full of interesting little shops and tons of cafes. We nicknamed it the "Stripper Mall" because there was a strip club right next door! LOL.
This statue was right outside my window during our first stay in Lisbon. I never did get the name of the guy it portrays.
On our second stay we were on the 9th floor, much higher up. This is a view out my window. The big white house directly below is a day-care centre.
This is of my brother-in-law Michael with Pablo, one of the hotel bar staff who were wonderful to us. The bar was so comfortable--a great place to hang out and unwind.
On the wall next to the bar were several flat-screen TVs. This shows my sister Linda watching the US Open tennis.
This was the buffet table in the dining room. Marble is used extensively in Portuguese decor.
This is the rooftop pool at the hotel.
One of the first places we visited was the Alfama district, a very old section of Lisbon. This is a typical street in that area.
We had lunch in the "O Conquistador" restaurant and sat ouside in their outdoor cafe.
This is the cafe. You can see Linda & Michael sitting at the back table with Rufena, our taxi driver and tour guide.
Another street in the Alfama district:
This is Michael in front of the first souvenir shop where we loaded up with goodies.
We visited this old castle called the "Castelo da Sao Jorge".
From the castle turrets you look down onto the typical houses of Lisbon below.
There was a musician playing within the walls.
I will end this post on that note, with the musician. I don't want my posts to be too long. Next time I will concentrate on the entertainment we experienced in Lisbon. The football game and the fado music.
This has to be one of my favourite cities ever. (Not that I've seen that many or anything.) Flying in, you see it very suddenly because you've just had five hours of only ocean. The first impression is of colour--the red terracotta roofs on top of brilliant white stucco buildings. Everything lumped together, not sprawled out in neat rows like the buildings are laid out in Toronto when you see them from an airplane. Lisbon has seven hills, like Rome, but is much smaller, its population only about half a million, yet it is the biggest city in Portugal. It is clean and perfect, yet full of and surrounded by ancient castles and ruins. There are no bugs here, and no screens on the windows. You open them up to the fresh, beautiful air. The food is exquisite, as fresh as a spring flower. There is no humidity. The people are friendly, affectionate, kind, sweet and the best-looking people I've ever seen. The young men, especially, are gorgeous, with their luxurious dark hair and smooth, tanned bodies. Their smiles are genuine, their eyes all huge and liquid brown, with extraordinarily thick lashes. I would happy to live there forever. We did not meet one nasty, ill-tempered individual the entire time we spent in Portugal.
We spent our first two days there before driving all over Portugal and into southwestern Spain. We spent four more days in Lisbon when we returned there before flying home. We toured some ancient places: the Alfama district, Sintra and others. We went to a Benfica game and had our pictures taken with Vitoria, the eagle. We went to a Fado bar to listen to this unique Portuguese folky-bluesy music, invented by college students in Coimbra. We shopped in the very modern Freeport Designer Outlet Mall in Albachete, the largest of its kind in Europe. We hung out with some awesome employees of the Holiday Inn Lisbon hotel, who happily entertained us and helped us out, even though they are underpaid. But they are content and laid-back with their typical Portuguese good spirits.
Alright then. Here we go:
The first pic is of the Lisbon airport.
This photo is of the front of our hotel in Lisbon: the Holiday Inn.
The next is of the shopping plaza across the street from the hotel. It was quaint and delightful, full of interesting little shops and tons of cafes. We nicknamed it the "Stripper Mall" because there was a strip club right next door! LOL.
This statue was right outside my window during our first stay in Lisbon. I never did get the name of the guy it portrays.
On our second stay we were on the 9th floor, much higher up. This is a view out my window. The big white house directly below is a day-care centre.
This is of my brother-in-law Michael with Pablo, one of the hotel bar staff who were wonderful to us. The bar was so comfortable--a great place to hang out and unwind.
On the wall next to the bar were several flat-screen TVs. This shows my sister Linda watching the US Open tennis.
This was the buffet table in the dining room. Marble is used extensively in Portuguese decor.
This is the rooftop pool at the hotel.
One of the first places we visited was the Alfama district, a very old section of Lisbon. This is a typical street in that area.
We had lunch in the "O Conquistador" restaurant and sat ouside in their outdoor cafe.
This is the cafe. You can see Linda & Michael sitting at the back table with Rufena, our taxi driver and tour guide.
Another street in the Alfama district:
This is Michael in front of the first souvenir shop where we loaded up with goodies.
We visited this old castle called the "Castelo da Sao Jorge".
From the castle turrets you look down onto the typical houses of Lisbon below.
There was a musician playing within the walls.
I will end this post on that note, with the musician. I don't want my posts to be too long. Next time I will concentrate on the entertainment we experienced in Lisbon. The football game and the fado music.