Beattys Overseas

John & Amgad, after 7 years!We were graciously invited to spend our time in Lisbon with John's friend Amgad, with whom he attended the Kennedy School. Amgad recently moved to Lisbon, appointed as the Egyptian Ambassador to Portugal, and must be the hardest working man in the entire country. Recently off a summit with the Egyptian president in town and many other activities at the Embassy, Amgad seemed happy to have some friends around who are 'professional vacationers,' and we hope that some of our serenity will rub off on him.

Upon our arrival on Saturday, Amgad took us to see Joel Xavier, Portugal's hippest and most startlingly-talented jazz guitarist. The venue, located in Lisbon's Barrio Alto neighborhood, was a groovy open-format space with a very young, hip crowd. The show was amazing, and if you have the time, go find Joel Xavier on YouTube or on his website. He's incredible.

We slept in a quiet suite in the Embassy's residence, where Amgad lives in a lovely upscale neighborhood in Lisbon. His staff doted on us and he arranged for a driver to fetch us from the airport and take us around town for sightseeing later in the week. Obviously, we feel like we hit the 'Come stay with me for a week' lottery, and we can't thank Amgad enough for such welcoming hospitality.

Rocky coastline near CascaisSunday morning had all of us sleeping in, then leaving in Amgad's car for a drive up the coast to some choice destinations. Portugal is known for, among many things, it's amazing coastline, and our first stop was the resort town of Cascais, which was rather quiet this time of year. But, we met some fishermen coming in with their catch of the day and watched their boats lazily rock on their moors. Then we drove further north to a spot called La Boca do Inferno (the Mouth of Hell) which is a chasm located on the cliffy seashore; seawater has access to the deep bottom of the chasm and vigorously strikes its rocky walls. When we were there, we spotted a fisherman standing atop the Boca do Inferno, with his line in the violent waters - crazy!!!

Our next stop was Cabo do Roca, the most Westerly point of continental Europe. The point provides amazing views of the seashore, which reminded me very much of California's Big Sur. Amgad had been there before, but enjoyed taking us, as it's a very relaxing place to visit. On our way back, we stopped at an adorable roadside cafe located within the cliffs near the seas with outdoor seating and magnificent views. The Portuguese language-barrier was hardly an issue, as man of the people we encountered spoke English, and were extremely gracious. Our week in Lisbon is looking to be a truly memorable experience, as we're already making plans to return to this gorgeous city in the summer months!

- Whitney

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!