1 Week in Portugal: Day 2 (Lisbon)

October 11, 2017

1 Week in Portugal: Day 2 (Lisbon)

Our second day in Lisbon started with a bus ride. The bus line I wanted to use was taking forever to arrive so we walked over to a different nearby bus stop and of course as soon as we did that, the original bus showed up.

No matter though; the vibe of this trip was relaxation and we were in no rush.

PASTÉIS DE BELÉM
Our first stop of the day was to the well-known bakery known for its pastries. There was a huge crowd gathered outside and we joined the queue. The history of this little pastry is pretty cool. Back in the day, convents and monasteries used egg whites to starch their clothing and the leftover egg yolks were used to make various pastries. The monks at Jeronimos Monastery created these glorious egg tarts with their leftover yolks.

We opted to do takeaway, as it was way too crowded in the dining areas. We got two dozen pastel de nata (egg tarts) and at the recommendation of our checkout girl, four pastel de bacalhau (codfish cakes).

Since there was a lovely park just across the street, we took our still warm goodies to a lovely grassy area. The codfish cakes were crisp and light and savory. I highly recommend them.

As for the pastel de nata? They were perfect. The filling was creamy; it was jiggly but thick enough to hold its shape. The crust was lovely, crisp, and buttery.

FEIRA DE ANTIGUIDADES, VELHARIAS E ARTESANATO

There was a little flea market taking place across the street from the pastry shop so we walked through.

MONASTEIRO DOS JERÓNIMOS
The queue into the monastery was way too long so we decided to just view it from outside and enjoy the garden across the street.

TORRE DE BELÉM

We also didn't go inside the Tower because of the queue. Our family is not into queuing. Plus, the sun was so strong that day, we didn't want to burn whilst being forced to stand still for an hour.

PADRÃO DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS
This monument celebrates the Portuguese age of exploration. Again, we did not queue to enter or climb to the top. Sensing a theme?

Even though we didn't go inside the monument, we enjoyed the surrounding tiles immensely.

ELEVADOR DE SANTA JUSTA
We didn't go up the Santa Justa lift either, mostly because we knew of so many miradouros (scenic overlooks) with better views and those are free.

CALÇADA DO DUQUE
If you feel like tackling some stairs instead of hills, head west from Praça Rossio.

IGREJA DE SÃO ROQUE

This little church is pretty unassuming from outside but like most of the churches we saw in Portugal, the interior was ornately decorated and gilded.

MIRADOURO DE SÃO PEDRO ALCÂNTARA

This lookout point was great but there was some kind of construction going on so we couldn't get up close to the edge of the railing so I actually stood on a bench to take these photos.

JARDIM DO PRÍNCIPE REAL

We put our names down at A Cevicheria and then killed time walking around this little park. There were adorable old men playing cards, families having picnics, and people reading on benches. It was v. charming.

A CEVICHERIA

For a late lunch, we dined at A Cevicheria, which was highly rated.

We were given some delicious corn bread and Peruvian corn to start.

M and I each got a glass of lemonade to drink. It was tart and refreshing.

We started with the ceviche pura, which was delightfully tart with lime and little blobs of a delicious savory sweet potato puree which balanced out the acidity of the lime.

The tuna ceviche was made with a coconut milk base and it was divine. This was probably one of my most favorite dishes of the trip.

We also got gazpacho. It was bright and fresh and the texture was really enjoyable because of the tapioca.

There were a bunch of quinoa dishes on the menu and I was skeptical but we went for it anyway. We got the quinoa with peas, ham, and scallops and I loved it. The quinoa was cooked like a risotto so it was really creamy and tasted great. The scallops had some kind of parmesan crust, which was unexpected and delicious.