After our stay in Norway, it was finally time to head back to Maryland. It was a very busy summer in Europe. Our first flight from Bodo to Oslo went smoothly, but our flight from Oslo to Lisbon was delayed by several hours. This next picture is not staged - the kids were just so exhausted, that they all fell asleep.
Unfortunately, with our delay arriving in Portugal, it meant that we missed our flight from Lisbon to Washington, DC. The next flight to DC was the following evening at the same time. So for the second time that summer, I was stuck with the kids in a random city for just under 24 hours. Unlike Casablanca, Morocco, I did feel fairly confident in my ability to navigate the city alone with three children. The night we arrived, we spent a long time in line at the TAP Portugal kiosk so I could request a free hotel room and free food. They had automatically rebooked our flight, and probably just hoped we wouldn't demand the lodging and food that the EU requires. Anyway, we got a hotel and about 180 euros in food vouchers only valid at the airport. The airport was a horrible zoo with intimidating lines at all the restaurants. Eventually we ate and took a taxi to the hotel. At the hotel I had been allocated 2 rooms, but the concierge was nice enough to change it to a single suite with a double bed and a double sofabed as I wanted to be in the same room as all the kids.
The next morning we took a taxi to Miradouro da Graca to start our exploration of the city. We liked the love locks attached to the railings (tourists in love will place a padlock on a railing to symbolize their love - some locations have started cutting them off with bolt cutters or other tools, though that hasn't happened here). Lydia and Derek really wanted to figure out the combination to at least one combination lock, but no luck.
We then wandered through the city loosely trying to hit some highlights I had quickly looked up. Lisbon is so hilly and beautiful. All four of us thought the views everywhere were gorgeous. We loved the Portuguese tile on many buildings, though for some reason I never photographed it. It reminded us of the game Azul we often play at home. We next headed to Castelo de Sao Jorge which dates back to the 8th century B.C., though most of the current structure is from the 12th century AD. We arrived at the castle first thing when it opened and enjoyed it basically to ourselves. By the time we left, the line for tickets wound around the corner.
The castle had peacocks all over, to the joy of my children.
Next, we started following the walking tour that Nate had sent me on my phone of a Rick Steves walk after he went to the library to find a tour book for Lisbon to help us see the highlights. I didn't have my phone charger with me (it was in my checked luggage), so I was rationing my phone use. We did use the phone to check the path that Nate had sent us. The kids kept joking about where Daddy says we should walk next, because his instructions included things like 'turn right at the bottom of the stairs onto Rua x'. It was funny to them that Daddy was deciding which streets to go and turn on when he was back in Maryland. We wandered through some gorgeous walking streets in the Alfama neighborhood, and down many steep stairwells, further emphasizing how hilly Lisbon is.
We went by a stop for the famous Tram 28, one of Lisbon's main tourist attractions. The kids decided not to go on it, but it was fun to see it. (They didn't want to go on it because they thought it was too crowded and probably had pick-pockets.)
Our walking tour ended at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which had beautiful Portuguese tile and lovely views over the Tagus River.
Next we took a taxi to Torre Belem, a fortification from the 16th century, built right on/in the water. It was a gateway to Lisbon at the base of the Tagus River, and was the spot where Portugeuese explorers embarked on their journeys centuries ago.
We went to the ticket counter to buy tickets and asked the attendant how long the wait would be to actually get into the castle and he said over one hour. He recommended skipping the ticket to see the interior and just take pictures outside because that is the picturesque view. We followed his advice, and played at the beach instead. Derek and Lydia especially loved the time we spent there in the sand and looking for treasures. They found many jellyfish, pretty shells, etc.
Playing outside the castle in the sand was definitely better for us than going inside:-)
Next we went to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, a famous monastery from the 1400s and then to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) built after the 1940 World Fair honoring 15th and 16th century Portuguese explorers and visionaries.
Then it was time to head to the airport. The taxi driver was surprised we didn't have any luggage with us. We were then able to spend more of our airport food vouchers that TAP had given us. I felt like we really made the most of an unplanned day in Lisbon, and we loved the city! I wouldn't mind going back.
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