Posts Tagged ‘lisbon’

ONE LAST LOOK AT LISBON, PORTUGAL

Posted: May 24, 2026 in Uncategorized
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I spent my last full day in Portugal just walking up and down the streets of Lisbon. It was Easter weekend, and the streets were full of people enjoying a beautiful, sunny day. I was told that schools in Portugal and Spain take two-week vacations around Easter, and many people from Portugal go to Spain while folks from Spain visit Portugal, since it’s only a few hours by car. And I found that to be very true, since I could understand overheard conversations a lot better that weekend! (My Spanish is much better than my Portuguese!)

The waterfront in Lisbon was full of travelers!

A small Easter marketplace opened up over the weekend, and it was my opportunity to try the famous pork sandwich called bifana. I had actually tracked down a bifana shop in town, but they were closed for the holiday. So finding this stand was a bit of luck. And it was delicious!

The ladies workjing here were very sweet and happy to share their food with hungry customers like me!
An interesting way to serve condiments!
A beer is always a good choice on a hot day!

My last meal in Portugal had to be special. And so, I chose a restaurant that was visited by Anthony Bourdain many years ago on “No Reservations.” The only time he went to Portugal, from what I understand.

Cervejaria Ramiro has been around for many years, but Bourdain brought it worldwide fame, and if you don’t get yourself a reservation, you don’t get in!

Amazing seafood served at a frenetic pace. Fast, but you never feel rushed. And the servers are real characters. It’s just an awesome, fun time eating fantastic seafood!

The garlic was heavy here!

I met Anthony Bourdain once. I was lucky enough to introduce him onstage at the Providence Performing Arts Center, back when he did his speaking tours. We had a good 30 minutes to hang out together backstage, and what did we talk about? Nickelodeon! Both his daughter and mine were the same age, and we were dads that sat and watched “Spongebob” and “Dora” with our kids. It was a wonderful “dad” conversation I’ll never forget–as far from foodie talk as it could be.

TOURING SINTRA AND CASCAIS, PORTUGAL

Posted: May 20, 2026 in Uncategorized
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Sintra and Cascais are two very popular destinations just outside of Lisbon proper, and it was highly recommended to me that I sign up with a tour, rather than try to drive the narrow, winding roads by myself. I wisely took the tour.

Not only was the tour informative and relaxing, but tickets to the always-popular, always-crowded Pena National Palace in Sintra, were included. It was a van of no more than 8 people, and our knowledgeable driver knew the roads really well.

The Pena National Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was built by King Ferdinand II as a royal summer residence in the 19th century. But there are so many more details to the story. I’ll leave it to you to Google it if you’re interested.

The walk uphill to the palace was quite steep, but the views we saw when we finally got there made it all worthwhile.

If you’re going to check the palace out, I highly recommend going off-season. It gets very, very crowded, with very long waits in line.

After the palace tour, we made a quick walk through the town of Sintra, stopping for some of their famous pastries and a wonderful drink called Ginja, a cherry liqueur served in a small chocolate cup.

Sweets of Sintra, from the famous Casa Piriquita bakery.

On our way to Cascais, we stopped at Cabo da Roca, the most western point in continental Europe.

We headed back to Lisbon along the coast, driving through Cascais, which is basically the Portuguese Riviera. Suddenly, there are waterfront mansions, Ferraris zooming past the tour van, and lots of beautiful people wearing expensive clothes and shopping in expensive shops. You almost feel like you’ve been transported to another country…

We made a stop in Cascais to have lunch and walk along the perfectly manicured waterfront. Only when I returned to my hotel did I realize I didn’t take any pictures in Cascais. The glitz and glam was fun to see, but it’s not what I came to Portugal for.

LAST STOP: LISBON, PORTUGAL

Posted: May 15, 2026 in Uncategorized
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Leaving Algarve, the southern region of Portugal, I was going to take a longer, more scenic route back north to Lisbon along the western shore. But I was getting tired of driving, having already put about 900 miles behind me, and I had almost 200 more to go via the most direct route, which would take about 3 hours. I decided to go direct, rather than add even more hours to my journey via the scenic route.

Fascinating to see so many stork nests on the transmission towers near the highway.

Once in the city of Lisbon, I just needed to navigate my little rental car to my home for the next 3 nights: the Altis Avenida Hotel. Once there, the valet would whisk my car away and I wouldn’t need it again until it was time for me to return the car to the airport a few days later.

The hotel was wonderful, with a room on the 6th floor, giving me a great view of the city.

So many interesting places were just a walk away from my central location, and I explored a lot on foot, despite the fact that there were some serious hills challenging my bad knees!

I was craving fresh seafood, and the hotel concierge told me of a place that was just a few blocks away: Ribadouro Restaurante Cervejaria. It totally hit the spot.

Welks and shrimp for lunch, with a beer to wash it down. Perfect on a warm, sunny day!
The selection of seafood was incredible!
My hotel was just a block away from the Hard Rock Cafe, a great stop for a refreshing gin and tonic…or two…

This was a wonderful cocktail that I came back for several times. As it turned out, my choice for dinner and drinks my first night was on the top floor of the hotel, at the Rossio Gastrobar. Great drinks and wonderful food…it got pretty crowded at night. The views of Lisbon from the open-air rooftop were amazing, with lively music, lots of couples, and even blankets and a dozen fire pits to keep guests warm on cooler nights. It became my last stop at the end of every day in Lisbon, and why not? My room was just an elevator ride away.