After 3 days in Oxford at our annual company meeting, Conley (a girl friend from work) and I jumped on a plane bound for Lisbon. We were both so exhausted after 3 days of endless meetings and social gatherings (the company does a great job of keeping us both busy and entertained) that we slept the entire way down to Portugal.
We arrived in the early afternoon and hopped on a bus into the city center. The weather was gorgeous and we were feeling jazzed about finally being there, so much so that we decided to walk to our hotel from the bus stop - our GPS said it would only take 10-15 minutes....it started out okay.....
but after carrying our bags up 9+ flights of stairs under the beating sun we seriously began questioning our decision to walk. We knew our hotel was up on a hill, we just underestimated the size of the hill. Big mistake hahahaLuckily the hotel was beautiful and so was the view - we made multiple stops to catch our breath on the way up so we had ample time to check out our surroundings over the course of our ONE HOUR hike ;)
After elevating our feet for a bit (gosh, we're getting old!) we strolled around the Alfama (the old town) before finding a little outdoor restaurant to eat dinner at.
The Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon and gets its fame for being a poor fishermans neighborhood. The district is like a labyrinth with little restaurants and Fado bars sprinkled throughout. Fado is a Portuguese-style of music (check back in a few days for more on Fado). Overlooking the Alfama is the Castle of Sao Jorge - a Moorish castle which was once the home of the royal family.
Lisbon has a far reaching metro system but in the heart of the city one of the best ways to get around is on the tram system. We felt at home since the trams are inspired by those found in SF.
In addition to being famous for Port, sardines are also extremely popular. Conely had heard of this cute little shop with hand-packed sardine tins. We each bought a few but have not been brave enough to try them yet.
The Baixa district is the heart of the city. On the Tagus riverfront is the Praca do Comercio ("Commerce Square"). In the middle of the square is a massive statue of King Jose. The massive Lisbon earthquake of 1755 happened during his reign and he famously orchestrated the city's rebuilding.
The Rua Augusta Arch links the Commerce Square and Rua Augusta Street - the main drag through the city center.
All of the streets are lit by these classic lanterns with the symbol of the city - the boat with two ravens, that according to legend brought Saint Vincent to Lisbon in the 12th century.
Statue of Saint Vincent. Can you spot the symbol of the city in this picture? :)
I bet you didn't know you'd be getting a history lesson when you started reading this post :) We saw all of this in just the first 8 hours of our Portugal trip. More to come!
After elevating our feet for a bit (gosh, we're getting old!) we strolled around the Alfama (the old town) before finding a little outdoor restaurant to eat dinner at. 
The Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon and gets its fame for being a poor fishermans neighborhood. The district is like a labyrinth with little restaurants and Fado bars sprinkled throughout. Fado is a Portuguese-style of music (check back in a few days for more on Fado). Overlooking the Alfama is the Castle of Sao Jorge - a Moorish castle which was once the home of the royal family.
Lisbon has a far reaching metro system but in the heart of the city one of the best ways to get around is on the tram system. We felt at home since the trams are inspired by those found in SF.
In addition to being famous for Port, sardines are also extremely popular. Conely had heard of this cute little shop with hand-packed sardine tins. We each bought a few but have not been brave enough to try them yet.
The Baixa district is the heart of the city. On the Tagus riverfront is the Praca do Comercio ("Commerce Square"). In the middle of the square is a massive statue of King Jose. The massive Lisbon earthquake of 1755 happened during his reign and he famously orchestrated the city's rebuilding.
The Rua Augusta Arch links the Commerce Square and Rua Augusta Street - the main drag through the city center.
All of the streets are lit by these classic lanterns with the symbol of the city - the boat with two ravens, that according to legend brought Saint Vincent to Lisbon in the 12th century.
Statue of Saint Vincent. Can you spot the symbol of the city in this picture? :) 
I bet you didn't know you'd be getting a history lesson when you started reading this post :) We saw all of this in just the first 8 hours of our Portugal trip. More to come!
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