Lisbon

Dec 28, 2023 -Jan 1, 2024
AC894 YYZ-YUL AC812 YUL-LIS, AC811 LIS-YYZ

For our annual holiday trip, I was able to find a nice business class ticket using Aeroplan points to Lisbon, which promised relatively nice winter weather and some interesting culture. When redeeming points, you don’t always have a lot of choices for available flights, but we actually liked the flight we got through Montreal. Montreal has a good business class lounge where we were able to get in a nice meal before our relatively early flight to Lisbon.

Dec 29

After our overnight flight from Montreal, we were able to check into our hotel, take a brief nap, and get out to explore in the early afternoon. With a relatively short trip, we were focused on Lisbon, but we did try to dig a little deeper since our other trips to Portugal had only brief visits to Lisbon.

Monument to the Restorers in Restauradores Plaza

Gloria Funicular makes climbing the hill considerably easier

Looking back on the funicular climb

Santa Casa da Misericórdia with nativity scene

Altar of Church of Saint Roch

Carmo Convent partial ruins

Looking down on Rossio Square from the Santa Justa Elevator

Santa Justa Elevator, another express option for returning from the higher elevation

Looking down at the narrow street below

Looking across to the higher elevation of Sao Jorge Castle

Statue of Fernando Pessoa outside famous A. Brasileira Cafe

Luis de Camoes square decorated for the holidays

More of the square holiday decorations

Statue of Saint Vincente of Saragossa

View of Monestary of Seo Vicente Fora

Statue of D. Afonso Henriques , the first King of Portugal

Looking down from walls of Sao Jorge Castle up close

Panoramic Castle view

Looking towards 25th of April bridge and the Tagus River

Wall of tourists

More sculptures outside Sao Jorge Catle

One of the castle peacocks

Last view of the castle walls before heading back down

Lisbon's iconic 28 tram

One of the many orange trees lining the streets of Lisbon

Seo Miguel Church

Interesting street art

With a full day of exploration, we were back at the hotel for the club happy hour for snacks and sampling a few of the local wines and ports before calling it a day.

Dec 30

For our next day in Lisbon, we took advantage of our transit card and did a lot of walking as well. Through the magic of social media, we also found out that a friend from Houston was in town, so we made plans to connect for dinner, proving it is indeed a small world.

Ferry terminal

"Blue Sculpture" on the river bank

Christmas tree in Comercio Square

Bubble extravaganza

Subtle street protest graffiti

Some fresh pasteis de nata, an all too frequent treat in Lisbon

A bottom up perspective on Santa Justa Elevator

More of the same themed graffiti - I guess we should feel guilty

Jardim Praca Afonso de Albuquerque Monument in Rossio Square

Lisbon Quake - church prior to the simulated 1775 earthquake

Simulated church fire in the 1755 earthquake that destroyed much of Lisbon

Belem Power Station museum

Connected for dinner with Tricia from Houston

Looking up stairs towards Santa Catarina

Lisbon City Hall lit up for the holidays

Lisbon nighttime run

Rua Augusta Arch

Comercio Plaza holiday tree lit up for the evening

Interior of the tree reveals its hollow shell

Last look at Rua Augusta Arch and tree before heading back to the hotel

After dinner and running into a holiday race through the old town, we managed to navigate the crowds to make it back to the hotel.

Dec 31

We had no special plans for New Year’s Eve, but did make the most of the day exploring some of the more modern areas of Lisbon that were very much new to us.

Very modern Lisboa Oriente train station

Cable car in Marina Parque das Nacoes

Lisbon Oceanarium

Jardin da Agua, living up to its name

More of the Oceanarium and surrounding buildings

Looking up at the cable cars with massive Vasco da Gama bridge in the background

Passing cable car on our ride

Sense of scale of the 12km Vasco da Gama bridge

145m Vasco da Gama Tower built for the 1998 World's Fair

Flags more of the legacy of the 1998 World's Fair

Iberian Lynx by Bordalo II - trash sculpture

Back in the old city - interior of Sao Domingos that was closed on our previous attempted visit

One of the protectors on the Monument to the Restorers in Restorers Square

Heading into Mercado da Ribeira for some hot out of the oven Pasteis de Nata

Art deco building looking over Jardin Dom Luis outside the market

Rua Nova do Carbalho known as Rua Cor-de-Rosa ("Pink Street") for obvious reasons is the transformation of the city's former Red Light district

As is typical for us, we had a relatively low-key evening in Lisbon with some before midnight champagne and were in bed before midnight.

Jan 1

With a relatively early flight home, we headed to the airport early in the day, and were on our way home to Toronto to kick off 2024 after one last Pasteis de Nata in the airport lounge.