I was planning a trip to the Netherlands and Fuseta, Algarve. It happens that the dates allowed me to meet up with my friends Seema and Goody in Lisbon for a few days. Our trip was in March, and we expected good weather, however we ended up with cold weather and a lot of rain. Despite that, we had a great couple of days and there is a lot to enjoy in Lisbon, even in the rain.
Friday Afternoon
Tapas n Friends
I arrive by train from the Algarve on Friday just before noon. After a short Uber ride, I check into my hotel, the Moxy Lisbon City. I am meeting up with my friends Seema and Goody, who are coming in by train from Cascais. We agreed we would meet up in their hotel, Hotel Santa Justa. It is a great location: central just of Praca de Figuera and Praca do Rossio. As we are all hungry, we decide to go for a late lunch. So, we find a nice little restaurant called Tapas n Friends. We order croquettes, tomato rice and the goat cheese with honey in puff pastry. All this, accompanied by a glass of Sangria and we are happy, despite that outside the rain is pouring down.
Bairro Alto and Embaixada
Not to be discouraged by the rain, we buy umbrellas from a street vendor. On my list was Embaixada, a palace turned into a shopping, art and culinary arcade. This feels perfect for a rainy afternoon,. It feels like we should check it out. The walk there takes us through the narrow streets and stairs of the Bairro Alto. We enjoy the stairs with all the little restaurants and bars setting up for the Friday night crowd. A stop at the viewpoint that has vistas towards the River Tagus and the Castello is a must. The Embaixada is lovely, and we enjoy browsing the little boutiques as well as admiring the architecture, walls and ceilings of the old palace.
View from Justa Elevator
With a short stop at Ola Sangria (highly recommend it!), we make our way back through the Bairro Alto towards the Santa Justa Hotel. We have one more stop: the view from the Santa Justa Elevator. To avoid the lines, we go into H&M and take the elevator to the third floor and exit on the other side of the store. Just across the street are stairs that lead us to the back of the elevator. We reach the elevator from the back and enjoy the views without having to stand in line.
Dinner at Infame
We have dinner reservations at Infame, located in another beautiful old building. The menu is cute with dishes like “Oh my cod” and “Gnocchi yourself out”. We chat with the waiter. I ask him about a dish I see on the menu: Acorda de Camaraos. He tells us it is a very traditional Portuguese dish, of shrimp on top of a mix of bread, tomatoes and egg. What is not to like, so I decide I have to try it. Seema orders the “Steak with a plan” and Goody has the Hummus dish. It is all delicious. We decide to share a dessert and order the Brulee with red fruits. Satisfied we Uber back to our hotel.
The bar
Infame Lisbon
Acorda de Camaraos
Saturday
Riding the trams
Tram 28
On Saturday morning, as it is raining again, we decide to ride the trams. We start with the famous 28 tram. Instead of standing in line at the Martim Moniz station, we walk a short distance from Hotel Santa Justa to de Rua de Conceicado and hop on at a station there. No lines. We get off at the end. As it is still raining, we walk across the square and hop back on, to ride the other way. It is a great way to see the city and stay dry. The tram takes us all the way to the top of the hill. We get off the Praca Figuera. There is a Casa de Cortica, house of cork store, that i want to visit. After that, it is time for a coffee with a pastel de nata.
Tram 15
As it continues to rain on and off, we decide to take tram 15 to the Belem tower. We walk through the gate to Praca Commercio, the largest square in Portugal. Lucky for us, the rain stops long enough for us to take some pictures.
Just when we have gotten on tram 15, the rain starts again and this time it is pouring. So instead of getting off at Belem, we continue the ride till the endpoint, walk to the return train. This time when we get to Belem, the rain has almost stopped.
Time Out Lisbon
All this riding trams has made us hungry, so we decide on a late lunch at
Time Out market. As it is raining again, the place is buzzing. The place is like an inside market, with food stores around an open seating area. We manage to find seats at one of the communal tables and we each go and buy food. We don’t want to eat too much, because tonight we have reservations at Rocco.
Dinner at Rocco
Seema and Goody already had dinner at Rocco earlier in the week. However, they liked it so much, that we decide to go back. I am excited as Rocco was on top of my list of restaurants I want to try. Rocco is located in another beautiful building. We walk into the bar, which is packed and humming. After we are served our food, a waiter comes around and hands all women a white flower to celebrate International Women’s Day. It is such a sweet gesture. Our food is great, I have the burrata and carpaccio, Goody the eggplant parmigiano and Seema the Salade Nicoise. But the highlight is the dessert: tiramisu, prepared from scratch at our table.
Sunday
Street art
I take an Uber to the Graca neighborhood. Seema and Goody left early this morning, and I planned a street art walk in this old Lisbon neighborhood. It drizzles during the ride. But when I get out, the clouds are disappearing, and the sun is slowly coming out. I follow the first directions and capture some of the street art. Making my way to Jardim de Cerca de Graca, I find some awesome street art that is not on the list. I decide to abandon the walking tour and make my own way instead.
I wander my way back to the Praca du Comercio. It is time for a coffee. I have just ordered my coffee when the rain starts pouring down. Good planning, as I am under an umbrella, next to a heater. Two coffees later, the rain stops, and I am ready for my next stop: theDesigual store, where is saw a beautiful dress on Friday.
Lunch with a view
The dress is perfect, and I continue walking through the streets of the Bairro Alto. I am getting hungry. Remembering the stairs with all the restaurants next to the Rossio train station, I decide to go there. On top of the stairs, I find a nice restaurant,
Flor do Duc. The inside is very small, quaint and cozy, but I decide to sit outside and have lunch with a view over the city and the Castello.
I order de camarao, a pate of anchovies and a glass of rose. Although I am not a fan of anchovies, the pate is delicious and I really like it. Enough to later buy some to take homw. While I am enjoying the food and wine, it starts raining again. I don’t mind: the umbrella keeps me dry, and the views are still spectacular. After lunch, I make my way back to my hotel. It has been another great day exploring Lisbon in between in the rain
All photos credit of Goody Riley, Seema O'Dwyer and Mariel van Tatenhove
