Top 10 Highlights of Lisbon

For the last two days, we have taken trains over to Lisbon from a nearby marina. I have had lots of fun and here are my top ten highlights.

#10 There were some trams moving around on tracks through the city. Sadly, when we finally got to ride one, it was not the old-fashioned kind but it was air-conditioned so our losses were made up for.

#9 On the first day, we went to the church of the Mosterriro dos Jeronimos. It was just like every other European church: quiet, beautiful and old, except that through a colored window sun shined making colors dance on the floor.

 

#8 Also on the first day we went to a street called Rua Augusta. We had a caricature drawn of us. We also went to a bakery with pastéis de nata, a flan-like tart that Lisbon is known for. We bought six of them. After I'd eaten mine, I wished I could have had more.

#7 On our first day we went to lunch at a restaurant in Alfama. Alfama was like a maze because there were lots and lots of thin little streets that all look the same. Alfama is the oldest part of Lisbon and was built in medieval times. When we found the restaurant, we sat down and ordered. I got a delicious shrimp omelet with fries on the side.

#6 On our second day we went to a modern art museum and looked at the Berardo Collection. It was free and the art was beautiful. I really liked a lot of the sculptures.

#5 On our second day of adventures, Mama, Jack and I did a lot of walking. Almost all of it was very fun and enjoyable except that for some reason we didn’t bring any water, a crazy mistake.

#4 On our second Lisbon adventure we had dinner at a restaurant that Uncle Bub recommended (thank you, Bub!). I had squid. The squid came with potatoes in a tasty sauce. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Lisbon, It was called Stop do Bairro.

#3 In that very same restaurant we had dessert. I ordered chocolate cake. It was two different kinds of cake. It was half an inch of chocolate cake topped with two inches of a thick luxurious frosting-like substance (Double Thanks, Bub!).

#2 The most exciting part of the first Lisbon adventure was The Castelo de São Jorge. The castle was on the top of a hill so we could see most of Lisbon. We learned that playing "I Spy" forces you to notice lots of details in the view. On the outside there were ruins of buildings from the 7^th century BC, and lots of peacocks. In the castle there were eleven towers. One of them was down hill so we had to walk down a lot of steps. To get back you had to go up the same steps again.

 

 

 

#1 My favorite part of Lisbon was the Maritime Museum. In it there were three very interesting parts. The first was the collection of ship models. They all showed the hull, deck, rigging, and even the portholes with little mini cannons sticking out. The first model was of a small open kayak. The last was of a trident, a submarine used today. Some models were as long as my finger and others were as long as Mama lying down. One of the largest was taller than I am. There were hundreds of different models. I love to learn about naval ships from the years between 1600-1750, wars, and expeditions so this was very fun.

The second best part of the museum involved seeing a little mouse. When Mama saw the mouse(and wait for it…) she calmly stepped back( surprise, she's growing up!). When three men showed up with a broom, and a dust pan, people began to gather. It was hilarious watching them try to catch the mouse while it dodged from room to room.

After that we went into a huge warehouse room, the third highlight from the museum.

It was filled with boats that looked like they could float right now. Two of the boats were similar because they could both hold about fifty rowers, twenty-five on each side.

At the back of the boat there was a very comfy looking seat where a king, queen, or other royal and rich figure could sit.

At the back of the warehouse, there were some planes that could land on water. Jack said he wanted to fly them and spent ten minutes looking at them in awe. It was weird to see him so engrossed in something, but he probably thought the same thing about me when I was reading about and staring at the ship models.

Throughout the two days in Lisbon, there were many other highlights and exciting parts, but these ones stood out to me the most. - Porter