Portugal Getaway

It had been six months since we left Algiers. If we were living in the US and spent six months in one place, it wouldn’t have fazed us one bit. But living in Algiers without an escape for that length of time was becoming quite painful. We had planned a vacation to London for January this year. That trip was cancelled due to a terrorist attack in Ain Amenas, Algeria. We prayed that nothing would get in the way of our trip to Portugal. 

We departed for Lisbon on April 8^th and arrived shortly before midnight. As the wheels on the plane hit the ground, we sighed with a sense of relief that we actually made it out of Algeria without anything disrupting our trip. Douglas and I would spend the next 10 days in the beautiful country of Portugal. We planned to spend six days in Lisbon and four days in Cascais (pronounced cash kais), a quiet town outside of the city. 

We stayed at the Tiara Park Atlantic Lisboa near the city center. The hotel was very fitting of its five stars. I regret not getting pictures of the main lobby and our hotel room. That is usually the first thing I do. We had arrived so late that night, all I could think to do was get ready for bed. And over the duration of our stay, taking pictures of the room just wasn’t on my mind. We had no complaints about the room or hotel. Everything was perfect! 

       

 

If I had to pick a negative about Tiara Park it would be the midget sized ironing board they supplied us with. We couldn't stop laughing!!!

  

During the majority of our time in Lisbon, the weather was not great. It was misting, drizzling, or pouring rain. It definitely was not good camera weather. I was able to enjoy myself a little more without always stopping to take photos. Everything has it perks!

This vacation was very different than our past trips. We decided to do more everyday activities than tourist activities. Instead of dining at a restaurant for breakfast, we went to the local grocery store called El Corte Ingles and bought a few pastries, a variety pack of Greek yogurt along with fresh berries and grapes and a large bottle of water. We slept in and enjoyed these treats every morning. To many people this is uncommon to do while on vacation, but coming from Algiers this was exactly what we needed to do on our vacation. I remember going to Barcelona and waking up early every morning to maximize our day in the city. Our attitude this time was to maximize quality time and alone time in a comfortable place with each other. And that we did!

The city of Lisbon is very hilly. At times it reminded me of San Francisco. Walking those streets every day sure did give us an excellent workout. It’s a good thing I exercise on the regular. Otherwise my quads would have been screaming! As much as I wanted to wear my cute shoes that I rarely get to model in Algiers, comfort superseded that desire. My motto for clothing and footwear while exploring a new city is cute and comfy. Anything else will make for a very long day and an unhappy woman!

A few people that had recently visited Lisbon suggested we take the Hop On – Hop Off bus to tour the city. The Hop On – Hop Off bus was also recommended to us while visiting Barcelona and when planning our trip to London. But that has never appealed to us for two reasons:  1) the Hop On – Hop Off bus usually costs around $21 per person per day, and 2) this bus almost forces you to squeeze a lot of sightseeing into one day. 

Douglas and I preferred to take the city metro. It is much cheaper, it allows us to get more of the city experience, and we get to so many more places during our stay than we would on the bus. I highly recommend taking the metro, if available, when touring the city. Another pleasant thing about the metros in every city we’ve visited thus far is that they are ultra clean. I say ultra clean because compared to New York City where I grew up, it’s like a palace. From first glance you can tell the underground stations throughout Europe are very well kept.

Lisbon definitely isn’t limited on their choice of malls. There were at least five that we knew about and we went to each one. Douglas and I had no big plans to go shopping, so I’m not sure how we found ourselves at every mall in Lisbon. Probably because they were easily accessible. We figured, why not? We surely didn’t do that much shopping but we were able to find many items that aren’t available in Algiers or are difficult to purchase online. I’m very grateful that my husband is so patient. Most women I know dread going shopping with their husbands. But Douglas is so patient and keeps himself occupied quite well. As long as he has somewhere to sit down, he is good!

Aside from visiting every mall in Lisbon we also dined at quite a few restaurants. We had two favorites. One is called Eataly. This is an Italian restaurant that serves gluten free pasta in addition to their regular pastas. It’s always a treat for me to find restaurants that cater to the gluten free lifestyle. It was not only wonderful to have gluten free options, but the food was super delicious. It was so good we went back the next day for a late lunch.

Hard Rock Cafe in Portugal

Would you believe this is a Starbucks?!?!

Our other favorite is Largo do Carmo. This is a popular Portuguese restaurant in Lisbon. Tapas are a typical Portuguese food. I personally refer to them as small plates of delectable delight. This restaurant was recommended to us by a waitress at Eataly; hence, another reason why we loved Eataly so much. The customer service was outstanding! Largo do Carmo is a small restaurant that has maybe eight to ten tables. Reservations are a must because it gets crowded quickly. Our reservation was for 9:30 pm. Very late for dinner, but ideal since we had a late lunch that day. Europeans tend to dine extremely late. People were coming in to sit down and eat at nearly 11:00 pm. I couldn’t fathom sitting down to a meal that late on the regular. This food was fantastic and well worth the late night eat! We tried several different dishes and then ended our meal with an item to share from the dessert cart. I highly recommend eating at this restaurant if you ever find yourself in Lisbon. 

Street outside Largo do Carmo

We also visited the aquarium. It seems as though we find ourselves at an aquarium in every city we visit. I guess we have a hidden love for sea creatures. This aquarium was large and comparable to most others we have seen. It was raining quite a bit on the day we went so we didn’t get many pictures of the outside. I did manage to get a few of Douglas with his new found friend, Vasco. I’ll spare you, the reader, a look at several of the photos we took inside the aquarium. One picture should suffice. I’m sure you might be thinking, “Once you’ve seen one sea creature, you’ve seen them all!”  

Vasco!!!

"Cool!" A megaphone!

"Nicky, can you hear me?"

"Yes honey, I can hear you! Can we go inside the Aquarium now?"

Lisbon wasn’t the only place we got to visit. We also took the train to the beautiful coastal town of Cascais. We heard so much about this area. It’s about 45 minutes outside of Lisbon. The atmosphere is very tranquil, calm, and uber-relaxing.

Near Cascais is a town called Sintra, which is known for its romantic architecture. Apparently it’s a “must-see.” Unfortunately, we did not get to visit Sintra. Three days after arriving in Portugal we received news that Douglas’ mother was critically ill and we had to go to South Carolina. We immediately began looking for a flights going from Lisbon to Algiers. The earliest we could leave was two days after receiving the news. Instead of staying in the room worrying, we kept ourselves busy by continuing to explore parts of the city that were easily accessible.

Douglas and I do hope to return to Lisbon one day. Thankfully Tiara Park Hotel was very accommodating and did not charge us for the remaining nights that were already booked. We were also scheduled to stay at Penha Longa Golf Resort near Sintra for three nights. That hotel was also very kind not to charge us a fee for cancelling. Both hotels exhibited outstanding customer service during this time. For that reason, we would not hesitate to stay at both locations again when we return to Lisbon.