We made it to Lisbon! We were all mostly healthy by Saturday morning – a Christmas miracle. We are staying at the Intercontinental Lisbon and found a restaurant nearby to eat lunch.
My chair at lunch was facing a Himalayan Massage shop, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. 90 minutes of one of the best massages of my life.
I dare you to say this out loud without singing the “Ricola” song
We stopped at a little Supermercado and picked up some Jesus Port to celebrate his birthday.
Zoom in on this. Many of the buildings are covered in tile. That is not blue paint. B-e-a-utiful!!
The building farther away is the Central Train Station. It is one of the prettiest I have seen in Europe – and Europeans take pride in their train station architecture.
Church of Saint Dominic – built in 1241. It partially survived a major earthquake in 1755 which wiped out most of the central Lisbon city. It was rebuilt only to be damaged again by a major fire in 1959.
We were able to go inside the church during Mass. The church is not flashy – shows its age and has many battle wounds – but it is a symbol of resilience.
We went to the top of the Central Rossio train station to get a higher perspective of the city. Far off on that hill is the Castle of St George. Humans having been living there since 800 years BC. Lots of battles have taken place on that hillside.
This building was formerly the Convent of Our Lady Mount Carmel. It was also severely damaged during the earthquake of 1755. See the giant crack above the door? The roof remains missing, as a reminder of the quake. 30-40,000 people died on one day, either from the toppling buildings, the fires caused by candles, or the tsunami that followed the quake.
Lisbon is called The City of Seven Hills. When walking around it seems like the City of 7 Million Hills. There are several elevators throughout the city. This one – Santa Justa Lift – is the prettiest. It was built in 1899 by a student of the guy that built the Eiffel Tower.
Views from the top of the elevator
No roof…
Main shopping street
The Custard Tarts are a very popular breakfast food in Lisbon. Delicious!
Lily was hungry for some protein so we grabbed her a Bifana – not beef, not banana. It’s a slow cooked pork sandwich. Yummy!!
We walked up to the Alfama neighborhood- one of the oldest in Lisbon. This home had a gorgeous tile.
The pole is funny. 🙂
This tile art shows a battle against the Moors
Most of the doors in the Alfama neighborhood were super short. Historically the Portuguese people were very short.
There were tiles like this all around the neighborhood to remind people what the community would lose if it didn’t remain. As the older generation ages, the homes are not being bought and restored by the younger generation. Many of the homes were built before there was running water, and some older people still use the community shower houses. There are no roads throughout – only walking paths with lots of steps.
We were able to have a glass of wine and some meat and cheese at one of the community centers.
Filipe was a great tour guide! Very knowledgeable and easy to spend a few hours with. Highly recommend!
Our tour ended at Praca do Comércio. We wandered our way back up the hills through the shopping district.
Lily and I officially toured and shopped till we dropped. We hired a Tuk-tuk driver to take us back up the LONG hill to our hotel.

I did not know much about Portugal before arriving. I know a lot more now. So much history, changes in power, catastrophic damage and rebuilding. The city has a great vibe. It feels very safe, the people are happy and vibrant, the sun is shining. So far, I am a fan of Lisbon.