Despite our exhaustion from Fasnacht, we ventured to Lisbon, Portugal (known locally as Lisboa) on Thursday for a long weekend celebrating our buddy Mike’s birthday.
Of all the places we have visited so far, Lisbon is arguably our favorite. For starters, the weather was wonderful. Each day gifted us 70-degree weather and sunshine – both of which were a lovely break from the 50-degree rain which has pestered us in Switzerland lately. We enjoyed rooftop bars, outside lunches, and even a two-hour sailboat tour. Having spent as much time as possible outside, we left a little sunburned and wind-whipped (see Chris’s crazy hair below), but a little burn and a few tangles of the hair were well-worth the needed dose of vitamin D.
The food and drink scene was also spectacular in Lisbon. Despite a terribly unimaginative name, one of our favorites was a place called Wine Bar. There was obviously lots of yummy Portuguese wine, and after a small tasting in which we learned about the various regions from the house sommelier, we selected a bottle to share over a fancy snack plate of local meats and cheeses. One of our other favorites was found while exploring the Belém neighborhood after our sailboat tour on Saturday. We made a stop at Pasteis de Belém for their famous custard tarts. We had to wait in line for about ten minutes, but the delicious sweets were totally worth it! We could go on about the amazing food (seafood, coffee, sandwiches, etc.) but the food is only a sliver of what makes this city great.
When we traveled to Budapest, we found ourselves craving more information about the history of the city. As a result, Chris read the entire Wikipedia page on the history of Lisbon in preparation for this trip, and was, therefore, able to serve as our personal tour guide throughout the weekend. He taught us about the Moorish occupation in the 800s, the explorers who helped grow Lisbon as a trade-mecca in the 1600s (the most famous of which is Vasco da Gama who is buried in Jeronimo Monastery), the longest-lived dictatorship in Western Europe which lasted until 1974, and the general peaks and valleys of this historically rich city. Having the background of the city truly helped us to better appreciate the city’s architecture, culture, and people.
Our absolute favorite part of this trip was just getting lost and roaming the streets, particularly in the Bohemian neighborhood of Barrio Alto. We had plans to visit highly rated lunch spots and cocktail bars, but after falling in love with the winding streets, we went for a more organic approach. We popped in and out of bars, lunch spots, and cafes to our hearts’ desires. On Thursday, we found a swanky rooftop lounge with views of the city, on Friday, a hole-in-the-wall bar with live music, on Saturday, a sleepy little pub, and on Sunday, a unique lunch spot on the water. As Type A people, we usually do tons of research before leaving and generally over-plan for travel. The planning of this trip was no different but the throwing of the plans to the wind (again, see C’s hair above) certainly was. We are starting to find a balance between planning/preparation and authentic travel experiences.
SASgoesSwiss 