Portugal trip part 2: Lisbon and Porto

[mrsukyankee]

We flew into Lisbon from Lagos on the Friday. We stayed in a VBRO place. I can't share the place because it appears that it's been pulled.

The place was in the Alfama district which is one of the oldest areas of Lisbon and very much up in the hills - like so much of Lisbon. Our plan was not to go see all the museums/sights that people see, but to wander around and see what we would see. We definitely did over 20,000 steps a day in walking. Our place was just below the Castle of St. Jorge. It was a gorgeous flat on the ground floor. Had a sitting room, a separate eat in kitchen with an integrated washer/dryer (so helpful) and a bedroom. The bathroom, like the rest of the flat, was funky with what felt like an outside shower (it was separate from the bathroom and under obscured glass). We were very happy.



We settled in and then went in search of wine before dinner. Because Portugal. Wine. Fab. We went to Lisbon by the Glass and it was a great place. So many good choices and the people working there were super knowledgeable.



That night I had set up dinner at a very special restaurant called 100 Maneiras. We did the tasting menu. And it was weird, but in a good way. It told a story around the owner and the chef. Let's just say that you have to be very open minded. There were people around us who were NOT happy with some of the offerings due to past experiences or just not wanting to try something - for example, a bug. We ate everything and enjoyed it all, though some more than others. It was an amazing experience and I'd do it again, if the menu changed.



Back to the flat to fall asleep in the comfy bed. And then it rained and water poured through a light in the bedroom overnight. That was not the way to start off our first morning with a flooded room and clothes that got soaked and slightly stained in our closet. Luckily, we had that washer/dryer combo, so we put things in there and used our beach towels to dry the floor. I got in touch with the owner. Where things went wrong is that I didn't hear from the person until late in the day - and after I had followed up with VBRO - partially because she sent someone into the flat w/o letting us know it was happening. All our stuff, including our laptops, were just sitting out. I was PISSED OFF. And I gave it to her. It's probably just as well that the listing has been pulled because the review was going to be harsh - and it's a shame because the flat was truly lovely and in a great location.



We decided to stay there for the next few nights as there really weren't many other options. And at least, when it did rain, no further floods occurred.



Day 2: The next day we wandered around trying to find all the fun viewpoints. So many good ones! There were so many hills. Holy moly. Good thing I’m in reasonable shape because the walking is tough.



Saturdays also are host to a big market in Lisbon, so we headed that way (it was already in our neck of the woods, just more uphill). The Feira da Ladra is near the National Pantheon, which is a lovely building, as well as near a big park. The flea market is HUGE. The biggest I’ve ever seen. We ended up buying a print by a painter who had his own stand. Can’t wait to put it up on our international travels wall.



We stopped by a small wine bar, Graca do Vinho, on the way back to our flat and had a white port tonic – so very good on a warm day! It’s a lovely small place that appears to also serve small plates.



That evening, we went to Emblematico for dinner. On the way, we walked along the river front. What a fun and vibrant place. We ended up finding a small pub along the way and stopped in for a drink – a beer for Roy and a cocktail for me. The pub, The 4 Caravelas, is touted as a cocktail bar, but it also shows sport. We watched some of the rugby as Portugal were playing. The two bartenders were so much fun to chat with and drinks were good!



Emblematico is a place that has opened up in the last year. The servers were very young and clearly learning everything but the head of the restaurant (not sure if he was the owner or just top manager) was brilliant. He knew the lineup so well and was great at recommending his wines. It was wild that their most expensive wine was €27. The restaurant specialises in meat dishes. Roy and I chose to share a ribs platter, which was divine, along with some veg and a local red wine. The prices were reasonable, food was very well prepared – I’d definitely recommend it to any carnivore. The location is not far from the river front and the Timeout Market.



Day 3: We were planning on going to the TimeOut Market this morning. Got dressed and began to walk toward it and it suddenly downpoured with no warning. We got SOAKED. So, we decided to head back to the flat and change. We put our jeans in the washer/dryer and set them to dry while we went to a local place for breakfast. The breakfast place was fabulous – Break Se. Definitely a good place for brunch!



We then went to the Castle of St Jorge. It’s a big open ruin that you can wander around with amazing views. I loved it. The even better part is that there are peacocks wandering around that live there. So pretty! The Castle is worth a visit (and it was right around the corner from us, so very easy).



That night we opted to do a food and wine tour with Tipsy Tours. We had a bunch of different dishes along with different drinks. Amazing! Telma, the guide, was so much fun and really brought to the group together. We went to places we’d never find on our own. At the end of the night, she asked if any of us wanted to continue touring with another group for drinks. And we did. Holy moly, it was a late one with several different alcoholic drinks. Ended the night amongst a ton of youngsters dancing to Portuguese music. One of the youngsters was from Scranton (near where I grew up) – small world! Wahoo!



Day 4 – the hangover. We decided to take it easy on our last day as we were both tired and hungover. We didn’t drink too much but just too long and too many mixed drinks. Went to TimeOut Market for brunch and enjoyed that. We then walked around a little bit along the water front, found the grandmas that make the cherry liqueur (Ginjinha) to buy a small bottle and then went to our final meal at Tapisco. It was a restaurant that was the furtherest from where we were staying, but by then, we needed the walk and outdoor air. We stopped along the way at a great view and then went into the small restaurant. One side was the bar where you could sit and watch the chefs at work. We sat on the other side which was lined with a long bench, small tables and seats across. It was one of those nights where we decided not to drink more than a glass with or after dinner. A bit of a shame as they had some good stuff on option. We had a group of tapas along with a shared dessert. Finished the night with a dry vermouth which was lovely.



Day 5 – time to head to Porto. We had the same driver pick us up to drop us off at the train station. It was only a 45 min walk away but you just can’t do those hills with a lot of luggage.



The train was easy to deal with – I had printed off our tickets before we left London, so we had our seats reserved in the first class carriage. The train was one of the two that we could have taken. The timings worked for the slower train, so first class wasn’t all that special, though we did get a bit of air conditioning and a comfy chair. The train took about 3-1/2 hours and it was a relaxing ride. Roy got us a snack while on the train and the toilets were very clean and easy to use.



We had to change trains once we got into Porto. It was really cool to watch the last bit of the trip – so pretty. We ended up at the Oriente station and took one stop on another train to Sao Bento. Sao Bento station is GORGEOUS! I’d visit it even if I wasn’t needing to use the station. Our flat was a 15 min from the station on a flat road. We made it and the person was there waiting for us. It was a studio with a small kitchen area. LOVED it.

Patio de Flores - Serviced apartments for Rent in Porto, Porto, Portugal - Airbnb



The flat was in a fabulous area, on the Rua das Flores, a pedestrianised street with tons of restaurants, bars and shops. Our flat was on the back side and so it was very quiet. Loved being in the middle of stuff, and we could quickly find a small shop to get some milk for tea/coffee and a bakery with bread for the morning.



We wandered around a bit, went down to the water and took some pictures. Dinner that night was at Bartolomeu Bistro, a fancy restaurant in a hotel, just a street away. It’s known for small dishes and good wine. We agreed with that assessment and had a lovely meal. The service was brilliant and friendly.



Day 6 – It was Port tour day, so we headed in the direction of Gaia. We walked across the high bridge with wind blowing hard and checked out the outside of the Monastery. It’s closed but it’s still an imposing place to see, along with the small park next to it. The views of Porto are amazing! We wandered down into Gaia and ended up at the Mercado for a drink.



We then went on the Port tour – 3 houses of port and sampled 7 ports. Oh, my days. It was so good. One port house was a large consortium of port houses, one was a medium producer and one was small. The tour was brilliant, guide fabulous and it was a small group, which made it amazing. I’d suggest this tour to anyone going. I booked it at the last minute because I decided that I didn’t want to book with individual port houses. I was done with thinking!

2023 Port Wine Tour | 3 Cellars | 7 Tastings (viator.com)





That night, we had reservations at O Fado. Fado is a way of singing in Portugal. O Fado serves food while also bringing on Fado singers. Our meal started at 8.30pm and ended after midnight, when the last singer (of 4) finished. The meal was good, but the entertainment was even better. We were both exhausted and ready to go to bed by then, especially as we had another tour the next day.



Day 7 – the Duoro Valley tour by van. We were told to take a Duoro Valley tour with a river boat cruise, but most of them only went to 2 vineyards and this van tour went on 3. The driver was so sweet and very passionate about his job. He told us all sorts of stories, especially those of his father who had worked in the Duoro at a vineyard or two. The small group was very fun and we ended up with another couple who had lived around the corner from us at one point. Small world again! The three vineyards all had a different feel – but all of them were smaller and we never would have gotten a chance to try or buy their wine or port. We ended up with quite a few bottles to take home. We also had lunch and a snack during the day which was from 9.30am to 6pm.



We had reservations for dinner at O Lume. It got great reviews and it was fine but I wouldn’t say it was our best meal we had. Service was a bit ‘meh’ and the menu was not one that we got excited about. We were also tired from a long day, so decided not to drink – I had a lemonade which tasted basically like a ton of lemons in a glass of water and Roy had a soda. It’s the one restaurant we went to that I wouldn’t recommend to others.



Day 8 – Roy and I were tired but Roy wasn’t feeling his best. We did go to Gaia for a bit to seek out a few bottles of wine and port, finding them in the World of Wine. Roy wanted some biologique wines, which were there. We then went back to the flat to pack up as we were leaving early the next day. That’s when we discovered that our flight with BA was cancelled. The flight they offered was for the following day, with a layover in Milan, and not getting to Heathrow until 11.30pm. And there were no other options. Nothing. Queue panic. We cancelled our dinner reservations as we weren’t sure how long this would take, plus we were tired. We finally found two seats on a TAP flight early the next morning. We booked that and cancelled our other option flight (we got a refund). We wouldn’t be sitting next to each other but we’d be getting home. Instead of Heathrow, we’d end up at Gatwick, which was fine as a train went direct to our local tube station.



That night we decided to do takeaway and found a burger place around the corner. If you ever want a burger in Porto, I’d definitely suggest it (you can eat in as well): Marianus. The burgers had great toppings and the fries were yummy.



We went to bed early as we were getting picked up by our driver at 6.30am to head to Porto airport. He did arrive (yeah) and we got to the airport with just the right amount of time. Porto airport is a good one – easy to navigate. Our flight with TAP went smoothly, arrived with no issue to Gatwick and then took public transport, including a bus, to get home.





We had made reservations at all the restaurants we visited while in Lisbon and in Porto and I definitely recommend that. I did find that it can be hard to get into some restaurants in Lisbon w/o a reservation and people feel that the managers can be a bit rude about it.



People in Portugal were some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. So happy to help you, answer questions, share with you their favourite things. Such a fabulous reception and so easy as so many people speak English.

[gardengal]

Love the pictures! And thanks for the details. This is definitely a trip I want to take someday

[jamaicam]

SOunds like a great trip!

[erbear]

Sounds amazing. We did a similar trip last year and it was just perfect. Love Portugal.