Hello Lisbon, June 28, 2024

on Thursday, June 27, 2024, we boarded American Airlines 9:15pm flight #258 for Lisbon. We were on our way to pick up a Seabourn cruise that would take us around the Iberian peninsula, up the West Coast of France and into the UK with a brief stop in Belgium for a visit to Ghent. We booked a room for one night in the boutique Hotel Bairro Alto on Praça Luis de Camões. Our room was on a corner and looked out on the praca and a side street. The room was comfortable and nicely appointed.

A view from our room, beyond the Praça.

Once settled in, we were off to explore the area around us. Our first stop, which was just across the street from our hotel, was the “Church of Our Lady of the Loreto of the Italians” where I managed a couple of photos of the attractive interior. The first photo is of a devoted in contemplation and second is of the lovely ceiling. By now you know I’m a sucker for churches.

From there we headed down Rue Garrett with no specific destination in mind. As we went, I took a few photos, beginning with a tram packed with people.

We were in the Praça Dom Pedro IV and I captured a photo of the “South Fountain of Rossi” and a general photo of the people milling around.

We liked the exterior of this house and could only imagine the work that went into painting it.

Around the borders of the Praça were kiosks that resembled a Christmas village in Germany. I don’t know what they were celebrating. The closest I can come to is Portugal day, June 10th, which commemorates the national day (Camões e das Comunidades Portuguese’s) and Corpus Christi. Go figure.

The following photograph is of the Elevador de Santa Justa, a 19th century industrial-era elevator which lifts people up 45 meters from the Baixa district to the Largo do Carma. It’s not only a functional, working elevator, but also a cast iron piece of art. Today, it is a highly sought after tourist attraction which only costs 5.30 Euro from bottom to top or vice versa.

To say Lisbon is hilly is an understatement. We walked up and down quite a bit and then stumbled upon this staircase. And, it does not cost a Euro from top to bottom or vice versa.

From up high, after conquering the stairs, I managed to capture this photo. Sorry I cannot tell you what the monument represents, but I still like the photo with the orange roof tops in the distance.

Then another photo looking down toward the harbor.

We came across this artist as he was setting up.

The day was getting overcast with hints of rain. Back to the hotel and a visit to the rooftop cocktail lounge seemed a prudent option. During our visit I managed to grab this picture of some rooftops of Lisbon.

We tried to make dinner reservations in the hotel dining room, but it was booked. The concierge recommended a little place not far away, Lisboa a Noite on Rua Das Gaveas 69, and made a reservation for us at 7:00pm. Our dinner was outstanding, and I would recommend this restaurant. If it all possible, however, you want to be in the main dining room and not one of the two ancillary dining rooms. Here is a photo of JoAnn and another of the room. Arches separated the venue and provided a sense of intimacy. We each had a traditional cod dinner and both were excellent.

We tended to linger, enjoying how wine and a wonderful dessert. When we arrived, only a couple of tables were occupied, but by the time we left the place was packed.

Back to the room for a good night’s sleep, and in anticipation of boarding the Seabourn Sojourn tomorrow. Good night, Lisbon.