Day 2 Friday - Belem and LX Factory
Friday
Breakfast consisted of coffee on the balcony with a pastel de nata and another pastry. With this balcony, we could see no point in wasting time and money to find cafes for breakfast!
Then we headed downhill, walking down the Bica funicular track, to get a bus to Belem, a pretty and seemingly affluent suburb a bit further down the river.
a steep descent!
arriving at grand old Belem
First stop was Jeronimoes monastery. Going on a Friday, and early, meant we missed the massive queues to get in. The former monastery is a stunning, slightly crumbling ostentatious affair, a stunning example of the Manueline architectural style, which seems to be the Portuguese equivalent of gothic/gothic revival. This place should be a set on Game of Thrones! We spent a fair bit of time there, taking way too many photos, just in love with the place and the glowing morning sun filtering through the stone arches.
seriously, we took so many photos of this beautiful building it was difficult to choose a selection for this post, so please go to this link for some more!
the majestic chapel adjoining the monastery
Vasco da Gama's grave
We took an early lunch at the infamous Pasteis de Belem Cafe, a cavernous place allegedly selling the best pastel de nata in the world. They were not wrong! Gorgeous, warm and crispy with gooey custard instead. I ordered a few savoury snacks to try too, cod fritters and a meat croquette, then when getting the bill we ordered another box of nata to take away.
Headed towards the river front and sat by the Monument to the Discoveries for a while, enjoying the sun and the smell of the sea.
Eventually dragged ourselves back to our feet to continue on to the Belem Tower, a cute gothic/Manueline fortification in the water, reminiscent of Eilan Donan castle in Scotland. This one however was not a domestic residence, purely a defence fort. Quite small but fun to clamber around and take in the views from the top.
Had an obligatory paddle in the water around the castle, a pastel de nata and sangria sitting by the water then went to find a tram to take us to LX Factory.
The LX Factory is a former industrial area located under the beautiful 5 April suspension bridge now housing trendy bars restaurants and shops. Like the RAW complex in Berlin but a tad more sanitised. We stopped at a cafe which only sold a single type of chocolate cake, claiming it the best in the world (although there are at least two other cafes in Lisbon with the same claim!).
believe it or not, this is a shop selling only tinned sardines - such a shame we weren't checking in luggage as they couldn't go in my carry-on
nearby Village Underground, a cafe located at the end of the public transport museum (aka the tram terminus!)
Got a busy tram back to Cais do Sodre and it was getting closer to sunset, so we headed up the steep steps along the Bica funicular to a viewpoint, Miradouro de Santa Catarina. This offered a view over the river but unfortunately not quite a clear enough view westward for the sunset. It was very busy though, but we managed to get a small table in the cafe area for a beer as the sun went down.
(impressive acheivement in graffiti!)
(and a cute graffiti'd funicular)
this was quite a climb!
the view
the crowd of onlookers
We had booked a restaurant for that evening, so we went back to our hotel to freshen up and then out for dinner. The restaurant Momento HB was a bit more formal than I was expecting but the food was amazing and very well priced (approx €25 for 3 courses and wine). Not usually a wine drinker, I tried the local Vino Verdhe and quite liked it - as I was trying to to explain to Rob, I don't like tea because the tannin leaves an aftertaste at the back of my jaws and wine tends to do the same. This being a younger, fresh wine, doesn't give me that heavy jowl feeling!
For food I had sardines to start and a gorgeous squid stew for mains, served with lovely crispy potato slices on top. Rob had duck cooked in ham with port sauce which was also yum. For dessert I had an creme brulee with rosemary and ginger, and Rob had the best chocolate and nougat mousse in the world, served in a jam jar and tasting like cake mix!
We manage to drag our full bellies out for a drink and headed back to the Bica elevator where people just bought drinks from the surrounding bars and cafes and sat out on the steps around the funicular. This explains why one tram is covered in graffiti - the poor thing is left exposed!
The full gallery link is here: pics!