Lovely Lisbon

Ola Pessoas Maravilhosas!

Just over a week ago I was sat in the sunshine, sipping a lovely glass of sangria, soaking in the lovely sights of Lisbon. I've never been to Portugal before and was really looking forward to exploring a new capital city, in a new country. Lisbon was the perfect place to spend a few days for a city break and I even managed to squeeze in a day trip to near by town, Sintra. Even though Lisbon isn't the biggest city in the world, there's lots to do to keep busy for a few days. If anyone is planning on visiting Lisbon, then I have a few recommendations for you, but I'm sure you'll also discover you're own!

My first day in Lisbon was spent wandering round the old town, which provided stunning views over the city and river. Like many a tourist visiting Lisbon, we took a yellow tram up to the castle and wandered round the castle and walls. The rest of the day was spent wandering round, lunching at a street-side cafe and a spot of shopping. As a vegetarian, I usually struggle to find any good vegetarian food, especially in many European countries. However, the lady at our hotel recommended a little vegetarian restaurant to us, The Green Room, and we headed there for our evening meal. It was glorious. I had so much choice and the food was amazing. Plus we managed to get through 3 bottle of green wine (a Portuguese wine) that was equally delicious.

For my second day we headed out of the centre to Belem, a suburb of the city. According to travel guides there was loads to see here; a monastery, old sea fort and monuments. Sadly, everything was closed while we were there, so I only got to see the outside of everything! The best, and possibly the most famous, attraction in Belem is the large bakery cafe that sell the most delicious custard tarts. Casa Pasteis De Belem is famous in Lisbon and Portugal for its centuries old recipe for custard tarts. When I went, the place was rammed and we could find a spare table, so had to buy some to take away. You're given a small sachet of cinnamon and icing sugar to sprinkle on the tart, and it makes a great combination! You'll find these tarts in cafés all over the city, but it's worth a trip to Belem to try these little beauties!

After spending two days in the city, we decided to head 40 minutes out of the city to a small town called Sintra. It was also my birthday (24, I'm cracking on a bit) so it was nice to go out and do a bit of exploring. Sintra is famous for its many castles and palaces that are dotted throughout the surrounding hills. You could easily spend a few days in the area, if you wanted to visit all the palaces and castles. However as we were short on time, a day trip was good enough for us. As Sintra is pretty close to Lisbon, it is definitely worth a visit, especially if you want to take in the wonderful views from the imposing hill top castle. 

The weather was pants on my final day in Lisbon, so we decided to head to the cities famous Oceanarium. There were loads of amazing fish in the huge tank and there were also penguins and sea otters! They were so cute I wanted to take one home with me to be my little pet. Sadly this didn't happen. The Oceanarium would be a great place to visit if the weather isn't great or you fancy a change of scenery. 

My trip to Lisbon was lovely, and I'd love to come back to Portugal! It's a great little city, with loads to do and so many places to go for food and drinks (the most important thing, obviously). So if you're ever stuck for a city to visit for a European city break, put Lisbon at the top of your list, you won't be disappointed!