Road Trip: Day 16-19: Lisbon, Portugal

Me and my Mozart mime…holding hands…being silly…

Lisbon. What a destination. Great city, with wonderful ambience, and lots and lots to see and do. Crowded even in February, we were relieved to be there in the off-season.

One of many vintage trams in Lisbon.

Yum, yum, and more yum.

We were so fortunate to be referred to a great driver and tour guide. Long story, but Ron and Diana, our house/dog sitters from Australia have good friends, Richard and Jo, who now live in Lisbon, that happened upon Mr. Ricardo a few years ago. We were fortunate enough to squeeze in dinner with Richard and Jo, and hope to stay in touch for many years, as Jo is planning a little trip to our home in France in a couple of weeks. Sometimes, it’s such a small world!

Ricardo was truly the smartest and most entertaining guide we could have hoped for. One of the places he took us was to the Pena Palace in Sintra. In 1838, Ferdinand II set out to transform the remains of an old monastery into a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family, seemingly to escape the putrid smells of the city in summer.

Here are some shots from our day with him.

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Theo, my little clothes whore, getting some new pants hemmed.

A bridge very similar to the Golden Gate, as well as a Jesus statue inspired by Rio De Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer.

An old storefront in Lisbon.

Sidewalk designs.

Our favorite €5 cocktail hangout, the ‘Can the Can.’ Loved their chandelier made from sardine cans. Genius!

Monument in memory of the thousands of Jews who were victimized by intolerance and religious fanaticism during the Spanish Inquisition, and were killed in 1506 in this square.

Mustache menu at Barbearia Oliveira. Hilarious!

My squid kabob hung from a chain over the table after the first serving. Delicious!!! (I know it looks a little empty, but we were the first to spill into this annex room.)

This entry was posted in American Expats in France, Expat Blog, Lisbon, Portugal, Southwest France American Expat Blog, Traveling in Europe. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Road Trip: Day 16-19: Lisbon, Portugal

  1. Stewart E Smith says:

    Globe trotting and shopping through Europe looks like fun. Miss you guys.

    • thecindy@mail.com says:

      It’s a sad scenario, Stewart. The clothes sizes are so tiny in France, Theo’s ‘forced’ to shop when we travel! And he really fights it…NOT! Miss you guys, too, but me thinks Mr. T might be in your neck of the woods for the Monterey Historics. Stay tuned!

  2. Diana Russell says:

    Great photos!
    Thrilled you had Ricardo, driver extraordinaire to show you around.
    Looking forward to the next leg and your terrific take on it all.

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