Bom Dia from lovely Portugal 🇵🇹!  I’m currently enjoying a very warm Coimbra (95 F!!!) but spent the first part of this trip in Lisbon. Time to catch you up on Greg’s travels…

Friday May 22 – Saturday May 23: In Transit and Lisbon

Friday was departure day, and a Lyft to the tri-rail station, a 90-minute ride to Miami and a flight on Iberia to Madrid. 

Overall, a nice flight for my first Iberia experience – not quite Air France but certainly better than Lufthansa. And the lounge in Madrid Barajas T4 is FANTASTIC. 

The approach into Lisbon was beautiful, flying right over the bridge and the city. 

I headed via Lisbon’s very convenient metro to my hotel, dropped my bags and headed out to explore Baixa, Bairro Alto and Chiado. Took me a little while to find my “travel legs” but the hike up 20 flights of stairs to the miradouro viewpoint in Bairro Alto helped them click into place. I followed a Rick Steves audio guide which was very helpful in routing me and explaining the sites.

Finished up with a European staple, pasta bolognese, at a cafe in Praça do Comércio on the riverfront. 

Sunday May 24: Lisbon 

I had two goals in mind for Sunday – the Castel do Sao Jorge and the monuments of Belem. 

First up, Sao Jorge. And I mean UP! Luckily, the Rick Steves guide included a route which makes use of two elevators to climb the hill. Even still, there was a final steep ascent to reach the castle. Once there, I used my Lisboa Card to skip the line and started the very comprehensive audio tour. 

I definitely learned more about castle defense techniques than I probably cared to know lol. But it was interesting to walk the grounds and the walls. Being at the top of the hill, it was very picturesque as well. 

Next up was a 30 minute train ride to Belem, a riverside close-in suburb of Lisbon. The train was full of Sporting Lisbon fans heading to that afternoon’s Portuguese championship game a couple stops beyond Belem. I found a cafe on a park for a tasty lunch of vegetable paella and tomato soup. 

Monument time followed…first the riverside Monument to the Discoveries, a striking celebration of Portugal’s mastery of the seas centuries ago. 

Next up was the beautiful Jerónimos Monastery and its lovely cloisters. First established in 1502, it often serves to receive foreign heads of state and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

At 6pm, it was time to meet the G Adventures tour group. A very manageable group of 10, we’re all pleasant, like-minded travelers excited for this adventure. Most are actually at the start of a longer 20-day tour which extends through southern and northern Spain. I’ll be departing in Porto on Sunday while they continue on.  

We had a very nice group dinner at a traditional Portuguese restaurant. A good two days so far.