On Monday the 18th, I took a train from Sintra back to Lisbon's Rossio station and had a great first day back in Portugal's capital city. When I exited the station, I realized that the budget hotel I had booked a 2-night stay in was just a few minutes walk up a flight of stairs from the station. How convenient! A couple of elderly gentlemen graciously checked me in at Duque - Casa de Hospedes at 12:30 pm (earlier than their check in time), which I really appreciated. It was super nice to have a single room all to myself (with a sink to boot!) even though it was the size of a walk-in closet. The room came with free WiFi and towels, and for 13 euros a night, I really couldn't ask for more.
The hotel is in the Baixa-Chiado district (near Sao Roque square) where I found a number of good restaurants to eat at. I was delighted to find Jardim das Cerejas, a vegetarian buffet restaurant, located at Calcada do Sacramento, no. 36, near the hotel. For 7.50 euros (lunch price), I had soup, salad, and other wonderful vegetarian dishes ~ high quality food at a great value; again, I was a happy and satisfied customer. For dinner, I walked to Alfama to meet up with Ela, a German friend from a previous hostel. We ate, talked, and listened to fado music under a cool night sky. I had a glass of sangria and a snack of goat cheese toast with walnuts and honey for 5.45 euros. Music, food, sangria, and company ~ life was just fine.
The next day, I took bus 714 from Praca da Figueira to Belem, the reason for my return to Lisbon (many would tout that a visit to Lisbon would be incomplete without a visit to Belem). I had breakfast at the popular Pasteis de Belem, where I had 3 sweet pastry tarts and a small pot of hot tea (4.60 euros). The warm tarts (at 1.05 euros each) were delicious and definitely lived up to their reputation ~ they were creamy soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The tarts' secret recipe that originated from the nearby Jeronimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos) had remained unchanged since 1837. After breakfast, I walked to the Jeronimos Monastery and toured the cloister and cathedral.
I would recommend purchasing a combination ticket to see the Monastery and the Tower of Belem (Torre de Belem) for a better deal and to avoid long lines to buy each ticket separately (the Archaeological Museum, which I thought was a dud, was also included in the ticket package). The package cost 12 euros per adult; 8 euros for a student. After my tour of the monastery, I strolled through a garden and a water fountain to see the monument of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, located next to the bank of the river Tejo (or Tagus). The edifice was a nod to Portugal's maritime age of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries. In its background was the 25th of April bridge and the Christ the Redeemer replica statue. The Belem Tower, a few minutes walk along the river from the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, reminded me of "the-old-lady-who-lived-in-a-shoe" old nursery rhyme. As there were long lines to climb up and down the four storey tower, a timer was used for crowd control in the narrow stairwell. After a day of sightseeing in Belem, I took the train back to Lisbon and had a big bowl of ramen near my hotel before calling it a day.
I would recommend purchasing a combination ticket to see the Monastery and the Tower of Belem (Torre de Belem) for a better deal and to avoid long lines to buy each ticket separately (the Archaeological Museum, which I thought was a dud, was also included in the ticket package). The package cost 12 euros per adult; 8 euros for a student. After my tour of the monastery, I strolled through a garden and a water fountain to see the monument of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, located next to the bank of the river Tejo (or Tagus). The edifice was a nod to Portugal's maritime age of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries. In its background was the 25th of April bridge and the Christ the Redeemer replica statue. The Belem Tower, a few minutes walk along the river from the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, reminded me of "the-old-lady-who-lived-in-a-shoe" old nursery rhyme. As there were long lines to climb up and down the four storey tower, a timer was used for crowd control in the narrow stairwell. After a day of sightseeing in Belem, I took the train back to Lisbon and had a big bowl of ramen near my hotel before calling it a day.
Above left: My single room at Duque - Casa de Hospedes (13 euros a night); Above right: Vegetarian buffet at Jardim das Cerejas (7.50 euros)
Above: Heavenly hot chocolate near the hotel (2 euros)
Above left: Bus 714 to Belem; Above right: Pasteis de Belem in Belem on Rua Belem 84-92
Above: The sweet pastries with sprinklings of powdered cinnamon and sugar were SO GOOD
Above: Jeronimos Monastery in Belem
Above left: I waited a long time in line to purchase the ticket ~ there was only ONE person at the counter; Above right: The monastery's cloister
Above: The monastery's chapter house and the tomb of Alexandre Herculano (a Portuguese thinker, writer, and political activist)
Above: The monastery's 16th-C refectory
Above: The monastery's cathedral; Above right: The tomb of Luiz Vaz de Camoes (1524-1580), one of Portuguese's greatest poets
Above: The tomb of Vasco da Gama (1468-1524), Portuguese navigator who established the sea link between Portugal and India, thus setting a new trade route which, for over a century, would grant the Portuguese supremacy in the Indian Ocean
Above right: The Compass Rose square in front of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos
Above: The Padrao dos Descobrimentos
Above right: The Tower of Belem
Above: The Archaeological Museum
Above left: The view of the 25th of April bridge on the train ride back to Lisbon; Above: Ramen and iced green tea from Nood, an Asian fusion restaurant in Baixa-Chiado (8.50 euros)
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