Days 30-31 (March 10-11, 2024, 2024): PORTUGAL

Portugal is our favourite Western European country.  With the Azores archipelago (which we visited in 2014 and 2021) and the island of Madeira (which we visited in 2014), Portugal provides incredible variety.  We last visited mainland Portugal in 2012, taking in Porto, Lisbon, Coimbra and Evora.  

They say, “Portugal is Europe at 30% less cost” and, according to our experience, that is true.  However, it certainly does not come at a cost of inferior natural or man-made sights or inferior infrastructure.  

The RTW plan was to visit two sites in Europe.  Rome was a must-see for us, as our only stop there in 1999 was brief;  and Portugal made sense, not only because we love the country, but also because of the ease of connection to Brazil.  Given the strong historical and language bond between the two countries, there are numerous flights back and forth each day.

Before getting into our Lisbon highlights, I’d like to mention one of the most tragic events in Portuguese history:  the earthquake of 1755.  On All Saints Day (November 1st) of that year, at 9:40AM, when most residents of Lisbon were at church celebrating the feast day, the quake hit.  90,000 of the 270,000 residents died from the quake, and the city was laid to waste.  It happened during a heyday in Lisbon’s history, as gold had been discovered in Brazil, and the money was flowing into Lisbon, with a population and building boom resulting.  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, however, a new, more practical, better-planned Lisbon was born, laying the foundation for what exists today.

The flight from Rome landed at 8:20AM.  By the time we took care of a few administrative items at the airport and got to the Holiday Inn Express via a Bolt ride, it was 10AM.  We had been up since 1AM Portugal time and were really feeling it, but we went forward with a sense of urgency right away, wanting to take in as much as we could in one full day.  Portugal received a heavy rain and windstorm the previous day, but our Sunday visit promised to be sunny and 16C.  We did get both the sun and the 16C, but a few showers blew through throughout the day.

The best place to start to explore Lisbon in Praca do Comecio, the large 18th century square that is Lisbon’s ‘ground zero’.  The Praca, or square, was historically where everyone arrived in Lisbon by boat, and it still has that busy, exciting, “everyone’s here!” feel.  There is a huge archway, an equestrian statue, and cafes in great number.  It’s located on the Rio Teja (river), so it also provides the typical waterfront activity.  

The Paca was the jumping-off point for an afternoon spent exploring various neighbourhoods such as Baixa, Bairro Alto, Chanel, Alfama, etc., in the heart of Lisbon, all paved with cobblestones.  The historical Tram #28 loop, that passes a sampling of daily life in old-town urban Lisbon, is a tourist highlight in these parts.  It was late afternoon when this neighbourhood exploration ended, so we decided it was time for one of Portugal’s most revered daily rituals:  espresso and a pastei de nata at a Lisbon cafe.  All over Portugal, the people run into cafes (which feel like they are located every few feet) and order an espresso and one of the famous carmalized custard tarts that crumble just so!  It’s not a long-drawn out affair:  standing at a high table, they down the espresso quickly, scarf down their pastei de nata, leave a couple of Euros and then they’re off!  Nothing is more Portuguese than this ritual.  

After our exploration of the neighbourhoods, we took a long tram ride east to Belem, where the highlights are the Tower of Belem and the Mosterios (monastery) dos Jeronimos.  When we visited Lisbon at the end of a three-week European vacation in 2012, we both recall vividly being in Belem on the last day of our holiday.  We went into the monastery and were looking at exquisite works that simply were not sinking it, such was our saturation point!  We didn’t have time to tour the monastery on this visit, unfortunately, but we had much more capacity to take in the sheer beauty of both the tower and the monastery than we did in 2012.  It is a wonderful part of Lisbon, along the Rio Teja.

By the time we made it back to the hotel to check in at 6PM, we could hardly see straight, such was our exhaustion.  We ordered piri piri chicken (a chili-based sauce originating in Portugal’s Algarve region) via Uber Eats and enjoyed it in our room before falling asleep.

This concludes our fifth continent on the RTW and country #13.  Up next:  South America.