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After two days in Porto , I flew to Lisbon for three full days.
This trip to Lisbon is special to me because I visited an art museum on my birthday which makes me really excited.
I reached Lisbon in the noon, almost evening. After I got everything settled down, we just chilled around the town - decided to walk around till we reach the look out point.
#1 Walk around Alfama Town
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The Alfama is the oldest district in this city , where the streets are in slopes. This area contains of a lot of important historical attractions and also, Fado Bars and restaurants.
Walking around this area burn a lot of calories since there is alot of inclined steps.
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Beautiful streets.
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Instead of ice cream , I try to defeat the hot weather with froyo however, the weather still wins.
#2 Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
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This is the highest lookout point ( or Miradouro) in Lisbon, located upon the hillside in the Grace neighbourhood. The lookout point enables us have a panaromic views across Lisbon - from old quarters and castle to the downtown district. It's perfect how we can take pictures of Tagus River and the Castle of Saint George.
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There is a bazaar right beside the lookout point, which is very lively. People are singing and dancing with alcohol in a hand in a circle. I do not understand their language but I like how they are having fun together.
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Yummy churros.
#3 Tram 28 in Lisbon
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The trams is an icon of this city. However, Tram number 28 is the star where it connects main districts and passes through popular tourist districts including Grace and Alfama. It's pretty classic to ride in the yellow tram while it rattles through the narrow streets.
#4 Praca dos Restauradores
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Praca dos Restauradores is located in the Baixa district , where it towers over the centre of plaza. It is built to commemorate those who fought in War of Restoration.
At the first glance, I thought that it reminds me of Egypt. But based on what I've read about it, it is only built in the 19th century. In a closer look, it is a male figure holding a flag where it symbolizes Independence and on the other side, it is a female holding laurel wreath symbolizes Victory.
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There is no way, I am leaving this place without a decent picture.
I think that this place is so beautiful that, I came back at night where the lights are shining. It's even more beautiful at night.
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Just look ; oh god.
#5 Market in Praça da Figueira
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We didn't planned to have lunch around the street stalls in this square, in Baixa area. There are so many kinds of stalls in the open market square that we could not resist but to stop by here for lunch. Well, I think this is the closest we can get to their 'street food'.
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Started with caramel and peppermint ice cream , even before the main.
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Settled down with some pork rolls and sangria. The pork rolls are really good , and their sausages have a very different kind of texture.
I am a 200% asian so I didn't opt for the seats under the sun. I don't think I can ever eat comfortably under the blazing hot sun so I rather stand close to the counter under the shades.
#6 Confeitaria Nacional
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This place is known as the OG of Portuguese pastry , where they serves traditional Portuguese Pastry since 1829. They have variety of choices of pastry which I wanna try, but I didn't stop by to do so. I didn't even get to enjoy the interior because we are rushing to somewhere else.
I didn't want to leave any regrets so I opt for a take away, needing to try how it is like.
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#7 Belem
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Belem is the highlight of my trip. This district is located at the west from the central of Lisbon where it is perfect for a half day trip. They have many iconic tourist attractions where it combines historical monuments, amazing art museums and beautiful parks.
So even if you have minimal time in Lisbon, please give it half a day to visit this district to make the trip worthwhile
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Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
This is the most popular tourist attraction in Belem , and also one of the most ornate religious buildings of Portugal. India. This church is where the sailors wife's would come to pray for their husband's safe return from the sea. Being able to witness this building itself is just fascinating.
However, the down side of this place is the long queue - but really, it's worth the wait.
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Lunch at a little restaurant on Belem Streets. I didn't think where I have lunch is worthy to post until I tried this place with super good seafood, especially their huge octopus legs.
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Lunch was so fulfilling cos of this.
#8 Museum Berardo
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This is one of reasons I NEEDED to visit Belem district - and I chose to visit on my birthday. It was really overwhelming for me because I got to see all the art pieces I yearned to see on my birthday. I have blogged about them here .
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This is the perfect shot of Warhol's work.
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I actually prefer modern art compared to contemporary as I love looking at oil and watercolour paintings. However, Warhol's work is always fascinating. Ten foot flowers is my favourite - compared to his classic Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Can prints.
I am really glad that I have this opportunity to see his work in real life because in Malaysia, we do not have the luxury to be able to witness any international recognized artist work.
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After walking through the gallery , I spent sometime walking around the building. It's a beautiful place.
#9 Pasteis de Belém
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No trip to Lisbon is complete if you never try Portuguese Custard Tarts from Pasteis de Belém !
The queue is really long - and you have to wait up for at least half an hour to get a seat so many opt for take away. As for us, we opt for takeaway and decided to seat by the garden outside. They really have beautiful parks around so I don't think there is a need to wait for a seat inside.
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Happy me with Portuguese custard tarts.
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Bought iced black from the cafe nearby and off we go, to find a nice places with shade at the park. It was really nice to being able to sit under a tree with flowers blooming.
The tarts were so good , I finished three in one go.
It's really crispy on the outside. The top of the custard tart is a little hard but once you bite from the top, the custard is soft on the inside. It's amazing how the get the egg flavour right - and the right texture too.
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heat flush from summer.
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lovin' this picture.
#10 Rua Augusta Arch
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The Rua Augusta Arch located on Praça do Comércio , is a triumphal arch-like stone which stands out in one of the Lisbon's busiest streets. The streets behind this arch , is where everyone does their shoppings. As for me, I did bought a few good buys.
Based on the history, this arch is built after the earthquake to commemorate the city's reconstruction. The top of this structure is open for visits, to view Baixa and the river.
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#11 Praça do Comércio
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This is one of the symbolic squares in Lisbon - and is one of the largest squares in Europe. This square provides access to a few attractions.
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It was really windy since it's located by the side Tagus River.
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There is me , photobombing the sweet old couples.
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We were lucky because we were there when they are holding a festival. They were having an open air concert by various of Portuguese artists.
#12 Dine in Poe-te Na Bicha
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This is a hidden gem located Bairro Alto, which serves a combination of Mediterranean and Portuguese food.
This is not listed as one of the most recommended restaurant online. We only managed to came across this restaurant because it is highly recommended by the locals. We want to try on restaurants where the locals have and I believe that only the locals know where the good food is. It took us a while to find this place since the neighborhood is pretty complicated.
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The fish is legit.
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The guys from next table was celebrating something which a huge ass wine , which they came over to offer us. Please look at the picture of how huge the bottle was. I was told that he kept the wine for over ten years with his name on the bottle.
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His name is Miguel - and he was really high that night. He was mumbling between Portuguese and English , and all we did was to nod our heads.
Miguel and his friends are really friendly. They were the highlight of the dinner.
Despite the good food they serve in this restaurants, the people there isn't honest. We checked our bill and they charged us a lot of other things that we didn't order just because the words are in Portuguese. We checked the bill because there were too many words , with google translator and found out. We confronted them and the girl said sorry about the mistake but we all know that they were trying to tourist trap us since we are not from the local.
#13 Taking overnight train from Portugal to Spain.
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This is one of the most daring decisions I have ever made in my life because I never thought that I would take an overnight train, and my family will definitely not allow me to do so. My friends convinced me into this plan where it saves up a night and we could experience the overnight train.
We booked the ticket from trainline.com where they will compare the prices for us, and will show us which train we should take.
Our journey was from Lisbon to Barcelona. And we only paid around €30 or less for a night where we have bunk beds for four. They have rooms which are better but costs more. It was only a night so we opt for the cheapest.
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This is how small the place are , and is only for us to sleep.
I am glad that our ride starts from 10pm and reaches the next day , enabling us to just sleep it through.
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I guess this train ride is one of the most precious experience of my life. I think the ride is only okay a night. Personally, I would prefer to take the plane to save time especially if I were to travel during the day.
I think this is one of things that you should try in a lifetime.
I heard that the trains around France, Switzerland and Norway is better - unfortunately, I didn't make any plans for the train ride.
Lisbon is a city with a very different culture - and it's a place where you should drop by to know enough, before heading to another city in Portugal.
xx.
Poe-te Na Bicha - Travessa da Água-da-Flor 36, 1200 Lisboa, Portugal
Pasteis de Belem - R. de Belém 84-92, 1300-085 Lisboa, Portugal