Prologue
Some time ago, while dealing with burnout from work and significant medical issues, I took a month off to visit family and travel to some European countries I was yet to see. I started with a detour to Nigeria for a party and spent 2 nights there. Afterwards, I headed off to Portugal and started my Euro tour with a visit to Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel Islands of the Azores archipelago... I wrote about it here --> Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal
From there, I headed off to Portimoa for Afro Nation for a 3 day music festival. I was joined by my friend, Rossie, and we had the best time on the beach surrounded by beautiful black bodies and jamming up to Burna Boy, Meg Thee Stallion, P-Square, Chris Brown, David O, Shenseea, Wizkid and the likes... a time was had! Portimao is a super chill city in the western Algarve and on the coastline of Portugal.
Obviously use Afro Nation as an excuse to go but even if you don't care for music festivals, I think it's definitely worth the visit if you're in Portugal and have some time on your hands. Here's a photo from the Bengali Caves right there in the Algarves.
Finally, my luggage didn't make it to Nigeria so I was in Lisbon with borrowed clothes and looked a little whacky... my wardrobe on this leg of the trip is not to be judged lol. Let's ramble...
Monday
Rossie and I got into Lisbon from Portimão on a $23, 3hr Renex bus ride. Our Airbnb was in the Cais Do Sodre neighborhood which is walking distance to the Tagus river and home to Time Out Market, Pink Street, tons of restaurants and bars, Sao Paulo Square and so much more. I definitely recommend staying here over some of the more touristy neighborhoods (as in, go visit those but consider staying in neighborhoods with more locals so you'll get a deeper sense of being there).
After unpacking and taking a quick little nap, we went for dinner at Bairro Do Avillez. It is this incredibly impressive restaurant by Chef Jose Avillez that is split into 4 parts with different time schedules and menus. There's the Taberna (the tavern and terrace), Pateo (the patio), Mini Bar, and Lisbon Pizzeria.
We had dinner at Taberna, the colorful tavern indoors and had the best time taking in the sights and enjoying our delicious meal. I honestly do not remember what these were called on the menu but I do remember that they made my belly happy.
Tuesday
The next day, we headed out to Sintra, a town in greater Lisbon, on the Portuguese riviera, and spent the entire day there. We started by visiting the National Palace, which was closed but had great panoramic views.
We then walked around the beautiful, cobbled streets of Sintra's Historic Center, past artisanal stores, and shops.
We got €1 shots of Ginjinha in little chocolate cups. Ginjinha is a traditional Portuguese whiskey made by infusing ginja berries/sour cherries in alcohol. I wouldn't buy a bottle of it but I certainly loved the tasting and would recommend it.
From there, we went to Quinta da Regaleira. A palace that is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra," along with the other palaces in the area such as the Quinta do Relógio, Pena (highlighted below on the same day), Monserrate and Seteais palaces.
The palace, pictured above, is stunning and surrounded by a beautiful park and chapel.
On the grounds, you will also find the famous 27-meter Initiatic Well and the grotto that leads to it.
Afterwards, we drove to Colares for lunch (Cantaril fish) at O’croa. The restaurant is literally across the beach and they sell seafood based on their daily catch.
For instance, when we walked in, our waiter said there was no Turbot available but before we were done with lunch, the fishermen returned with their midday catch and walaa... they had turbot straight from the Atlantic Ocean available for new customers.
It was a really cool experience and while the food is a bit on the high side, fresh seafood straight from the ocean can easily be viewed as priceless. Anyway, this is the Cantaril I had. They debone the fish for all customers at the table.
In order to help our food settle in, we did the next practical thing, took a leisurely drive through the picturesque villages of Colares and Penedo for some wine tasting at Adega Regional de Colares.
It is the oldest cooperative winery in Portugal, home to the rarest type of wine, the Colares wine that's grown in sand to protect them from the elements - a process that unintentionally protected the vines from the phylloxera plague that decimated vineyards across Europe in the 1800s.
Our last stop in Sintra was at the colorful, magnificent Pena Palace. The palace used to be a monastery that King Fernando II transformed into this gargantuan, beautiful palace for his family as a summer home.
Pena Palace was classified as a National Monument in 1910 and then in 1995, it was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it ranked as "the single most important site in the Cultural Landscape of Sintra."
Finally, we headed back to Lisbon where we took the tram to Pasteis de Belem for their famous Portuguese egg custard tarts.
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| Menu the evening we were there |
Wednesday
We walked down to Time Out Market for brunch and I had me a good time with a delicious seafood dish washed down with a glass of vinho verde.
Time Out Market "is home to top-notch restaurants, bars, a cooking school and a high-end music venue. Here, you can find some of the freshest fish, meat and fruit in town, try the tastiest local wine and dine at over 40 restaurants specializing in both Portuguese cuisine and food from around the world. Sit inside to enjoy the ambience of the century-old market or outside to bask in the Lisbon sun." - Trip Advisor
As we walked out of Time Out Market, we had intended to take a taxi to Alfama neighborhood but saw a bunch of tuk tuk tour guides and let ourselves get talked into taking an impromptu tour of the city... by a Mozambique brother. He really played the Black AND African card and it worked haha!
Our first stop was to the outlook view from Miradoura da Senhora do Monte (viewpoint of Our Lady of the Mount). It is located on a church yard and considered to be the highest point in Lisbon, offering a 210-degree view of southern, western and northern Lisbon. *Like I said earlier, continue to excuse my ill fitting clothes that weren't actually mine.
Next up was Panteao Nacional (National Pantheon). The 17th-century monument used to be the Church of Santa Engrácia and was subsequently converted into the National Pantheon, in which important Portuguese personalities are buried.
We had one more stop that I don't remember and then he dropped us off at Alfama neighborhood.
From there, we took a taxi to the Immersive Gallery. Unfortunately, their equipment was down so we couldn't see the show but they let us in for free which was most appreciated.
In order to reward ourselves for being such troops, we went to get massages at The Spa at Corinthia Hotel.I got a Swedish Massage while Rossie got a Hot Stone Massage and we both really liked it. The Spa is really nice, with an Aquatic Center that has… and they have a lounge where you can unwind and drink tea or water after your massage so you didn’t feel rushed to dress up and leave the facility.
Finally, we went home, rested a bit then headed out to Gambrinus for dinner. Gambrinus is a nice Portuguese restaurant where the staff bring your delicious meals in the pans they were cooked in then plate it table side. My fish was deboned for me and her steak cut up for her.
They also make Filter Coffee in these glass flasks that look like Straus Flasks in a chemistry lab and it truly felt like chemistry because tell me why I watched them pour giant Spoonfuls of coffee in one flask, boil water in another, put the pipe of the coffee flask in the water flask from the top and then the water siphoned upwards to mix with the coffee then finally, the filtered coffee came back down to the now empty flask at the bottom that previously had water. I don’t understand what I saw but my friend said the coffee was delicious and I believe her. Again, poor upload quality but you get the gist.
We had a 3 course meal with appetizers, main, desert, coffee and wine and the cost came down to a little over a hundred euros which tbh, is pretty decent considering the service and quality of food. I highly recommend eating there.
On the way home from dinner, we went past some beautiful sights including the historical landmark of Monumento dos Restauradores (Monument to the Restorers), a monument erected to memorialize the victory of the Portuguese Restoration War.
Thursday
The next morning, I walked to the docks to watch the sunrise... I always try to catch at least one sunrise or sunset on each trip and I was grateful to be able to squeeze this in.
From there, Rossie headed off to Porto while I grabbed breakfast at a corner cafe where trams pass through. Lisbon is known for their trams, especially the iconic Tram 28 which takes a scenic journey through the city's historic neighborhoods like Alfama, Baixa, and Chiado. Definitely recommend.
Afterwards, I went to the airport to pick up my luggage that had been lost for a week, traveling without me to Mali, Nigeria, Turkey, and finally Portugal in the course of about a week and change. I'll spare the details and just say that it took all day and I got to Porto at about midnight. But hey, I had this yummy meal at the airport lounge with Priority Pass access through my Capital One Venture X travel card that gives me mad points (I cover a lot of my travel through points), reimburses me the annual fee as a travel credit for hotels and flights, and gives me a ton of perks including said Priority Pass to lounges all over the world. Here's my referral code, get is so we can both earn points to keep exploring the world by simply swiping on daily purchases---> https://i.capitalone.com/JgQcLs6fU
This and That (ft more tram photos)
If you have time while in Sintra, I recommend also checking out Moorish Castle and Monserrate Palace.
In Lisbon, try to visit Estufa Fria Botanical Garden as well as Marques de Pumbal (which is pretty close to the Monument to the Restorers mentioned above.
Tram 234 literally stops at the bottom of a slope... this partly open door is the entrance to the stop.
Given the little amount of time we had in Lisbon, I think we did a lot and saw a lot but if I go back, I'll certainly spend more time casually exploring more neighborhoods and trying more small, family owned restaurants. Overall, we both had a really good time and I was grateful for the company.
Check out my visit to Porto here ---> (to be written ;))