After transitioning to a bus at the airport and long queues for immigration, our luggage was waiting for us and we found our Suntransfers pick up. It should take about 20 minutes from the airport, but took a bit longer due to the traffic where we finally arrived at the Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade.
I picked the hotel as I thought it was conveniently located, but not as expensive as other hotels located in the touristy areas. Our room was ready, but Mary Ann’s was not, and therefore she squeezed into her mom and Tresa’s room to get some rest.
We showered and napped and headed out midday in search for lunch. On our way, we passed by the Gloria Funicular and we rode it up the hill. Lisbon is considered the “San Francisco of Europe” with its many hills and use of trolleys - this is one funicular of three. I had asked Tresa to purchase our unlimited day passes in advance in the metro station as she arrived a day ahead of us, so we were able to hop on very easily.
At the top of the hill was a street fair and market and a beautiful view of Lisbon. Here’s our first fivesome photo!
We then walked to O Trevo, a famous snack bar known for their bifana or meat sandwich and was frequented by Anthony Bourdain. We ordered both pork and beef, and found the pork to be better. But the bread was delicious and enjoyed the fried fish and meats while we dined outside. We shared the light meal at this cash-only joint:
We then hopped on to the 28 tram and made our way to Lisbon Cathedral. It was a lovely ride down and up hills and feeling the vibrancy of the city. This was the first of many churches on this trip and we said a little prayer for loved ones!
We then rented a tuk tuk down the hill and to the Praça do Comércio which translates to Commerce Plaza - one of the largest plazas in Portugal.
The entrance has an ornate triumphal arch called the Arco da Rua Augusta as it leads to August street and promenade:
Here’s the equestrian statue of King José I which is in the center of plaza:
And here’s the marble staircase where dignitaries would arrive on the Tagus River and walk into the palace which no longer stands, as it was destroyed by an earthquake:
We sat for coffee, hot chocolate, and our first Portuguese egg tart on the Augusta Street promenade. Here’s a photo of some egg tarts and us enjoying some roasted chestnuts as we strolled along:
We then walked up to the famous Santa Justa elevator, the last of its kind and a national monument. It was designed by a student of Gustav Eiffel:
I waited in line for about an hour and my mom sat in a café. It runs about every ten minutes and can only carry up 20 people and down 15 minutes.
At the top, you can see all of Lisbon, and you can walk into a plaza, just down the hill from where the Gloria funicular drops you off. If you want to ride it and not wait the line, you can take it down, but have to take the Gloria funicular or walk up the steep hill. My mom had seen it on a Korean travel show and wanted to experience it.
The views:
We then returned to the hotel by bus and met up with everyone else. We enjoyed a complimentary welcome drink and chose the local wine, a Vino Verde, before heading to As Velhas, which means at the old ladies’. It was recommended to Tresa and we made reservations for this restaurant just 3 minutes away from our hotel. We enjoyed bacalao which is cod, monkfish, pork, and beef in a mushroom sauce. For appetizers, we shared shrimp, green beans in tempura, and mushrooms:
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for an early night to our successful first day and reunion!
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