Day three in Lisbon saw us heading for the Riverside with a plan to visit a very famous site called Belem. We were really lucky that the weather was pretty glorious; a bright blue sky and a shining sun.

Off we go!

We headed for the closest bus stop and got on the line to take us to Belem. The commentary was superb again and told us all about the sites that we were passing.

On the Buses

Eventually we got off right by the Belem Tower, a fortification built over 1514-1519 that sits on the River Tagus and acted as a gateway for Portuguese explorers.

The Tower of Belem

It was that warm that I had to take off a couple of layers and we ambled along in the sunshine taking photographs of both the tower and its surroundings.

One of the things that we found in Lisbon was there were a lot of aggressive sellers trying to get tourists to buy their wares. No matter how many times we said no, we were accosted and it became a little unpleasant.

Strike a Pose!

However, it didn’t put us off the city and we decided to travel down to a monument that celebrates the voyagers that travelled across the world including Henry the Navigator.

So Beautiful

However as my knee was a bit tricky we decided to use a couple of the electric bikes you can hire through the Uber App which charge by the minute.

Boo hadn’t been on a bike in many years however this wasn’t evident when she sped off and left me behind!

We cycled down to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos monument and booked the bikes back in to the uber racks. The sun was just glorious and we chose to sit on the river banks for a little while, relaxing and enjoying our surroundings.

Bigger than you think!

The tourism books had all mentioned the amazing Pasteis de Belem; a bakery famous for its Pastel de Nata. This was something that Boo was particularly fond of, however I wasn’t that keen to be honest.

Taking in the sun

To get to the bakery we had to get across 8 lanes of traffic and a train line in the middle of each set of four. Thankfully there was a subway and we chose to use that.

Sadly the lifts were out of order and I struggled to get up the flights of stairs with my knee.

We finally made it

Eventually we got to the top and walked 5 minutes to the bakery. There was a massive queue outside however there was seating for nearly 500 people inside.

Seeing that I was walking with a stick, I was ushered inside and a table was found for us. Now, so far we had found food in Lisbon to be quite expensive. €20 for pasta, €12 for a toasted cheese sandwich!

Everyone tucking in

However the Pasteis de Belem was really cheap yet of great quality.

We both ordered a toasted sandwich for around €4 and a variety of pastries including the pastel de nata.

An amazing toastie

Passing a pleasant hour or so in the cafe we chatted and decided what we would do for the rest of the day. Boo had suggested getting back on the bus into town and hitting some more sights.

However Lisbon Luck hit again.

Going outside to the bus stop, there was a bus already waiting. But the doors were shut and the driver was refusing to let us on. We really couldn’t work out what was going on.

Then we hear it.

Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.

Turning around we saw a plethora of horses coming down the main avenue ridden by men in regimental uniform. They came down, turned into a large square and fell into formation. We sat watching but really didn’t know what was going on.

What on earth?

The horses turned and the soldiers started to play a piece of music that sounded very ‘pomp and circumstance’ like. We watched as two people came out of the large ornate building and walked onto a podium. They gave a couple of waves and got into a diplomatic car.

Atten SHUN!

The horses set off, the car following behind and they left the square.

Perfect. Surely we could now get on the bus and head back to the centre of town.

Not sure who they are?!?

We went up to the bus driver. He shook his head and told us no.

What on earth was going on?

Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.

Again we saw a plethora of horses coming down the main avenue ridden by men in regimental uniform. They came down, turned into a large square and fell into formation.

Deja Vu

The horses turned and the soldiers started to play a piece of music. We watched again as two people came out of the large ornate building and walked onto a podium. They gave a couple of waves and got into a diplomatic car.

Off they go again

The horses set off, the car following behind and they left the square.

Deja Vu much?

We watched it all happen again and went to the bus. Still no dice. He wasn’t even opening the door.

Getting a bit bored of this now…..

Luckily we saw a few Police officers and approached them. What on earth was going on?

They were able to tell us that they were welcoming some new diplomats from the EU. Well, that explains that then.

We went on to ask how long the ceremony would be going on for and were dismayed to be told ‘Maybe one hour….. Maybe five hours’

Well, that told us then.

Stunning Architecture

Now we understood just why the driver wouldn’t let us on his bus. The roads were closed and no-one was going anywhere.

Terrific.

Now, we were either stuck in Belem or we found another way out of the area.

Simply too long, high and frightening

The only way we could do that was to cross over the train tracks and get a bus on the opposite side of the road. We headed for the trains and I was really pleased to see what I thought was a lift and a flight over over 40 stairs.

Well, the lift it was.

Of course, this was out of order and the stairs were the only way we could get across the road.

It took me awhile, but I got to the top only to find out that it was a bridge that was perforated. Meaning you could see the huge distance to the ground below. Both Boo and I were really not loving this, but we had no other choice.

Bussing it

We hastened off the bridge, back to the bus stop and waited for the Yellow bus line. It only took around 10 minutes before it arrived and we gladly sat down for the return into town.

When we arrived we had a little time to kill so we got onto the old wooden trams to go back around the hilly areas in daylight and get a few more pictures.

Tram Time

We got out at the top of the hill to get some photos whilst the light was still good.

Stunning vista

Glorious Horizons

The Se (or Lisbon Catherdral)

We walked back down the hills into town and it really was a lovely trek. The sun was setting and it was still really warm. We were really lucky.

Starting to get dark…..

Boo had arranged a private Tuk-Tuk tour for the evening which involved us getting to the centre of town to meet our driver. The tour basically goes anywhere you want it to go for around 60 – 75 minutes.

Oh and they are totally insane!

Tuk Tuk Terror

We got into the vehicle and just asked the driver to take us around the all the decorated parts of the City.

Just Beautiful

He shot off at a rapid rate with us hanging on for dear life! We were taking pictures at high speed and leaning out the back of the tuk-tuk giggling like loons.

Big Baubles

I have to admit I can’t remember the last time I had as much fun; Boo was howling with laughter and trying to hold on whilst taking photos. We were having such a good laugh, even though the driver was a total nutter, weaving in and out of the traffic, undercutting and beeping his horn.

Happy Christmas!

It was both terrifying and hilarious at the same time!

The hour(ish) was spent buzzing around the City, laughing and snapping away. It really was a great activity and I highly recommend it.

Stunning Sights

We got dropped off by the Santa Justa lift which is a gorgeous ornate elevator dating back to 1902 that gives great views over the City and connects two districts of Lisbon together.

The Beautiful Santa Justa Lift

As part of our bus tickets we had free entry so decided to do the lift there and then. Getting to the top we found a really cool restaurant.

Well, it was dinner time and they had a pretty good menu. Deciding to ask for a table at the Bellalisa, we were warmly welcomed and sat down.

Smoothie Time

I ordered a beer and Boo went with a smoothie.

Cheers!

For my main course I went with Saltimbocca alla Romana; Pork loin with ham and sage served with potatoes and vegetables. And it was AMAZING.

Saltimbocca

Boo had Pasta and was equally impressed. We chilled for awhile and chatted all about the day we had, especially the Tuk-Tuk ride which was probably the highlight of the day.

Or so we thought……

We finished our meal and headed back to the lift to get down to the town. Only to find out that it had shut for the night!

How the hell were we supposed to get down?

Bellalisa

Turning to the restaurant we saw another standard lift in the corner. Well it was obvious that was where we needed to be.

We headed for it and went down to the ground floor.

Big Mistake!

We got off the lift in the back of a dodgy dead end alley. And I mean SERIOUSLY dodgy.

Walking out of the lift we were faced with a homeless lady; matted hair, dirty clothes and loads of bags around her. This was not a problem at all.

What was a problem was the 5 or 6 huge snarling, growling dogs that she was struggling to control.

We were Petrified!

Trying to get past her without losing a limb, we hastened down the alley only to see even more frightening looking people in front of us, in a dark alley with nowhere else to go.

Thankfully I spotted a flight of stairs to the left and decided that was the way to go. I didn’t care how many steps or where it ended, I just wanted to get out of scary alley!

Thankfully we ended up in part of the main town and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

We took a cab back to the hotel and relative safety.

Seriously though, we were probably totally safe in the area we were in, we just didn’t feel comfortable at all.

I was glad to get into my comfy bed that night in one piece.

The View

Anyway, there were a couple of more days to go…..

So until next time

SPSG xxx