Day 4: Final tour of Lisbon

As our last day in Lisbon, we planned to do all the tourist things that most people probably start with – and a few that I suspect no one else does. Another yummy breakfast of fried egg sandwiches on the balcony and we were ready to tackle the day. And it started with a visit to Castelo de São Jorge – the castle of St George. We had walked past this imposing ediface several times but the queue for tickets was insane. So we bought ours online before we left the flat and breezed right in.

We’ve been to many castles before but this was the first one with such pronounced crenellations. It really looks like what a castle looks like in cartoons and children’s books. And the view of the city is outstanding. Unlike many of the castles we have at home, it didn’t seem to be used as a residence but strictly as a fortification against invasion.

The history itch scratched, we wandered toward the water in search of a gluten free bakery where I could get my own pastel de nata. While I happily helped bake them in our cooking class, actually tasting them was out of the question. Luckily there is a place that makes them gluten free and I happily consumed 2. 🙂 Along the way we found the Banco de Portugal – yes, I still am enough of a central bank nerd to take my picture at each one when I find them.

A lovely wander along the riverside and the decision was made: we would make another attempt at being “typical tourists” and board the hop on/hop off bus. We knew there were many parts of the city we would never find on foot – and we had already ruled out driving in town! – so off we went to allow someone else to drive for us while we listened to some commentary to learn more about the city around us. One route happened to stop quite close to our flat so we hopped off to drop things off and have lunch at another creperie nearby that makes buckwheat crepes. Frank continued with his fish-at-every-meal-but-breakfast pattern and I opted for one with ham, two kinds of cheese, potatoes and creme. Yummmy.

Then we hopped back on the tourbus and spent the rest of the incredibly warm afternoon seeing lots of sights around town and in Belem. Then another walk back up the multiple hills to our neighborhood (which funnily enough Google maps describes as “mostly flat”!!!) to a lovely bistro with no English menu or menu with photographs of the food. In fact, there wasn’t really a menu but a list of dishes listed on a trash can lid. Our adorably camp waiter – think Serge in “Beverly Hills Cop” – explained that the restaurant was grandma’s house and grandma doesn’t speak English so there isn’t an English menu. But he was happy to translate and another lovely meal was enjoyed. I had a different cod dish than what we cooked (obviously ours was better!) and Frank was disappointed to learn that they were out of stuffed squid. The other fish options weren’t as appealing as the goat option so he broke his seafood quest to have a goat dish that he described as “insane.” Then it was back to the flat to pack and prepare for new adventures.

Data for today: