Day 3 Saturday - Prazeres Cemetery and Alfama old town

[vampyresheep]

Another beautiful sunny day and we realised we had so much left to see on our last day in Lisbon.

To add to this, our hotel receptionist told us about the flea market in the old town, which Rob decided we had to go to. I asked the receptionist also about the historic cemetery on the other side of town.Upon his advice, we started the day by catching the 28 tram (a famous little old tram which winds it's way through the narrow streets and is usually packed to the rafters with tourists, to the start of the route where the cemetery happened to be.

The Cemetery of Pleasures, as it translates to, was absolutely stunning, a proper Acropolis, located on a hill with occasional glimpses of the river below.

more photos of this beautiful cemetery are here

 

We were going to stop for a coffee outside but the 28 tram pulled up, so we took advantage of the rare opportunity of seats on the tram and took it to the other end of the route, to the old quarter of Alfama.

Got off near one of the viewpoints and took a short walk to Feria del Ladra (thieves market).it was admittedly a rather fun way to spend an hour, the market in a beautiful location with stalls selling just about everything. We didn't buy anything due to luggage limitations but it was a vibrant place to browse.

feria da ladra with the National Pantheon in the background

Sao Vincente of Fora

After a quick coffee (and nata!) break, we headed to the castle, missing the entrance and ending up slightly exhausted as a result of doing a full circuit!







(OK, colour slightly boosted by photoshop but i wanted to bring out the tile detail!)


There was a short queue to get in, then we spent about an hour going around the fortifications. Not much actual castle left to see but the views from the fortifications were lovely.











the sprawl of Lisbon's suburbs kinda reminded me of Mexico City (but smaller and less smog) which was one of the reasons why we came here.

Had a snack lunch in a basic cafe outside the castle - cod fritter, shrimp fritter and a meat croquette - then headed back to Miradouro Portas do Sol, probably the most famous viewpoint in Lisbon.






Just before this we arrived at the pretty Miradouro de Santa Lucia, which featured an attractive little garden with tiled walls and a tiled balcony viewpoint. A lovely place to sit and recover from our walking.






There was a little terrace cafe over looking Portas do Sol, so we stopped there for a drink and cake. Tourist prices maybe (but still cheaper than most cities) but it was worth it for the spectacular view.





obligatory posing for pics at Portas Del Sol

From Portas del Sol, we followed a walking route I'd found on a travel blog, which took us through the winding labyrinth of the alleyways, courtyards and steps which made up the old Alfama district. Not pretty, but charming, with laundry hanging from the narrow houses, graffiti/street art all around and properties in various states of dilapidation, and grannies selling cheap cherry liqueur around every corner!











Igreja de Sao Miguel














Two-thirds of the route was fun but it was longer than expected and after a few wild goose chases and dead ends we decided to quit and take a more direct route to the cathedral before it closed.

Lisbon cathedral is quite understated, a stocky Romanesque affair located at the foot of the hill, with very little decor inside either. Quite a contrast to the more ornate baroque churches scattered around the city.

We headed back to Portas del Sol for the sunset, soon realising the vista was in the wrong direction to really catch it, and the formerly sunny spot was quite chilly in the dusk shadows.







After shivering a while, we decided to head back downhill to find the medieval tavern Trovadores before it got busy. Good timing, as the cathedral WAS facing the right direction to catch the evening sun and it was a beautiful glowing orange when we passed by.

Trobadores was a lovely little bar, decorated in a rustic medieval style without being too Disney and sold a good range of beers, mead and snacks.










We tried some delicious Portuguese mead but Rob didn't fancy the food menu, wanting a meal instead of tapas, so we went to a Portuguese gourmet burger restaurant instead.

And what makes a burger Portuguese? No buns that's what! Instead one is served two patties with all the extras sandwiched between or sprinkled on top. I had a gorgeous sausage burger, which came with bacon, tomato, a local cheese, salad and a delicate creamy mustard sauce. Rob wasn't so impressed with his, saying the barbecue sauce was too light but if mine was anything to go by, I think that was intentional, s change from the usual Portuguese strong flavours.

We went back to Trobadores for another mead before walking back to the hotel via Rossio square, which looked so pretty at night. Considered popping into a bar behind our hotel but it was too busy, with live music playing* so we decided on an early night to pack ready for the next stage of our holiday.

*Thinking about it that live music may have been a fado performance, missing our chance to catch this traditional Lisbon entertainment.*

more photos of Alfama can be seen in my gallery here

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