Touring Lisbon

Today we based ourselves in Lisbon for a tram day! Up bright and early, we boarded the famous #28 tram at the terminal Martim Moniz square. Despite the warnings that the tram is usually crammed with tourists, not surprisingly we found it was quiet at this time of the day! 

Line 28 of Lisbon's iconic trams was inaugurated in 1914, and today the 7km route goes between Martim Moniz Square to the neighbourhood of Campo de Ourique taking about 40mins. The little yellow tram rattles through the small streets of the historic districts of Alfama, Baixa, Barrio Alto, Chiado passing numerous attractions.

Disembarking, we wandered through the neighbourhood of Estrela down to the river aiming to catch the next tram #15E which would take us to the Belém district. From a colleagues recommendation we visited Pastéis de Belém, a bakery known for excellent Pastéis de nata (Portuguese Tarts). According to their website -

In 1837 we began making the original Pastéis de Belém, following an ancient recipe from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. That secret recipe is recreated every day in our bakery, by hand, using only traditional methods. Even today, the Pastéis de Belém offer the unique flavour of time-honoured Portuguese sweet making.

Anyway we could see the chefs working away in the kitchen while we ate our tarts and they were delicious. The pastry was perfectly crisp and the filling nice and sweet. Well worth the stop!

Back outside we ambled past the impressive facade of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos with hundreds of tourist waiting to enter. We were happy just to wander past before crossing the road into the Jardim da Praça do Império and down to the Tagus river to the Padrão dos Descombrimentos.

Also known as the Monument of Discoveries, it was initially erected in 1940 as a temporary monument. In 1960 it was reconstructed to celebrate 500 years since the death of the Infante Do Henrique or Henry the Navigator. The monument is in the form of a stylised caravel which seems to be setting out to sea with Henry the Navigator on its prow. On either side are significant characters from the Portuguese Age of Discovery (exploration between 15th and 17th centuries) all portrayed with symbols that allude to their identity; navigators, cartographers, warriors, colonisers, missionaries, chroniclers and artists. It is a very impressive monument!

Continuing along the foreshore, the sun was blazing and we stumbled across a fancy car show! Next stop on our itinerary was the Torre de Belém. This 16th century fortification served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. It symbolises Portugal's maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe. We took a few snaps while being hassled by locals trying to sell us bracelets or hats. 

The nearest tram stop was a short walk away. The plan was to catch the 15E tram back to town. We arrived at the empty tram stop and the monitor informed us that the next tram would be in 16mins. A few more people arrived. After counting down to about 7mins, the monitor jumped back up to 16 mins. A few more people arrived. By now we had been waiting for nearly 30mins and had realised that we hadn't seen a tram come past in the other direction. Finally we realised that there was a drivers strike and the trams had stopped. With no other option, we quickly ordered an uber to take us back to town.

The uber dropped us off on the foreshore near town.  On the small area of beach, one local was creative with sandcastle making! Across the road was the Praça do Comércio or the Square of Commerce, one of the largest plazas in Portugal. On the northern side of the plaza is the Arco da Run Augusta, the 30m tall stone arch was completed in 1875 to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the devastating earthquake, tsunami and fires of 1755. Another impressive sight. 

From there we ambled our way through the little streets and steep staircases upwards towards the Castelo de São Jorge. Perched on top of a hill, the majestic outline of the Castelo de São Jorge dominates the skyline of Lisbon. We scoot by the gate deciding not to enter the complex. Continuing our aimless wandering, we found ourselves at Miradouro was Portas do Sol with crowds of people  enjoying the view over the Alfama district. By now it was early afternoon and time for lunch so we backtracked to a small restaurant we'd eyed earlier.

The grilled salmon and salad was delicious and enormous meaning we wouldn't need any dinner! Glad to have a half hour stroll back to the apartment to burn off lunch. We had a bit of downtime in the apartment before deciding to visit a roof top bar for an aperitif while the sun set. A great way to wind down after a busy sightseeing day.