Beattys Overseas

We loved touring Lisbon.  Although we had major problems with the language (Portuguese reads like Spanish, but sounds like a cross between Russian, Spanish and German; very confusing).  In Lisbon, the dialect has the "s" sounds pronounced with the "sh" sound, so Lishbon residents are even more difficult to understand than everyone else in the country.  Thankfully, many people happily spoke English, most importantly of these was Luis (Luish), the Embassy's driver, who took us around since Amgad was out of town in the latter part of the week. 

Walking the guard path at Sao JorgeWe started at the Castle of Sao Jorge (St. George), from where we gained the best perspective on the topography of Lisbon.  The city is built along the Tagus River, which flows directly into the Atlantic Ocean, just a few meters away from the City Center.  Lisbon is built on/around 7 hills, and - with the combination of these steep hills, a bridge that stunningly resembles the Golden Gate Bridge, and an army of cable car-ish trolleys - the whole place had a San Francisco flavor.  Whitney was in heaven. 

After the castle, we went to the Santa Justa elevator, a structure that's been called Lisbon's version of the Eiffel Tower.  Well, it wasn't so high nor overbearing as the Eiffel Tower, but its artistic style was similar.  Plus, this structure actually served a serious purpose to residents of the Barrio Alto neighborhood where it lies: it provided an elevator for pedestrians to get from a low neighborhood to a higher one, on one of the 7 hills.  For elderly and disabled residents of Lisbon, this must be a godsend, as the entire city seems to be one big sidewalk staircase. 

The impressive Belem TowerThen we drove to the river's edge, where a few major monuments hold court.  The Tower of Belem is the most prominent, built during the 1500's as a fort from where countless ships left to discover new land; it's now a museum and an icon for the city.  Nearby is the Discoverers' Monument, which also holds a small museum and was built in the 1960s the commemorate the Age of Discovery.  The Age of Discovery was a timeperiod between the 15th and 17th centuries during which European monarchies set ships out to find new lands with whom a trading route could be instated.  Portugal dominated in the discoveries, with sophisticated ships and largest maritime fleet. 

We had a great time learning more about this very interesting (and, in our opinion, underrated city). 
Oh my yumminess!Wrapping up the day, we stopped into Pasteis de Belem, a famous cafe in Lisbon's Belem neighborhood whose secret recipe for egg custard pastries have been bringing city-wide fame for 160+ years.  They are SO delicious!  We bought a half dozen to bring to our fabulous host Amgad.

By the day of our departure, we were sad to go.  Despite an entire week in Lisbon, we felt we only scratched the surface of this special city and are definitely planning a return trip, hopefully in the summer months when we can enjoy those famous beaches!  Amgad and his staff were beyond generous with us, and we can't thank him enough...  Thank you, Amgad! (See? That's not enough.)

Our flight our of Lisbon left on time and had us paired with the world's most darling flight attendant.  Jamie was our knight in shining armour on our short Lisbon to London flight, and was so totally congenial and professional that we must mention him here and thank him for the goodies.  It was a pleasure to meet you Jamie, and hope that the USA and Florida continues to treat you well!  P.S. Whitney thinks you look like Daniel Bedingfield!