Top 10 Lisboa

Gerald and I chose to visit Lisbon not having anything particular in mind to see or do in the city. This is a rarity as with pretty much all of the other European cities we've visited, we already have an itinerary in mind. The nice thing about Lisbon is there are lots of things to see and do if you choose to, or you can just wander around without doing anything and still have a great time. Lisbon has lots of different museums you can visit but we chose not to, since we didn't even know what these museums were about prior to arriving. In our opinion, we won't be missing anything if we didn't go.  Anyhow, with a week of research: reading blogs, travel guides, and suggestions from friends that have been, we decided to stick to the basics and explore the Top 10 Things to do in Lisbon. It allowed for us to have a relaxed four days in the city: waking up late, exploring the town, coming back to the hotel for a late afternoon rest, and then heading out for dinner and some nightlife. The perfect way to spend a proper holiday. We didn't feel rushed anywhere and were well rested each night, I loved it!

Here's our version of Top 10 Lisboa:

1. Tram 28 - since our hotel was located super close to the tram stop, we rode it quite a few times getting from one place to the another easily; it was neat. reminded me of the trolley in SF. as I mentioned before, Lisbon sits on seven different hills so having this tram was pretty handy to avoid walking uphill. i thought it was quite charming how it traveled through winding alleyways and narrow streets. if you ask me, I could have sat here all day traveling through the streets of Lisbon. a 24 hour pass is 6 euros, this includes all the buses and metros as well. 

2. St George's Castle - this was the only place we actually waited in a short line and paid an entrance fee. this castle is pretty much the heart of Lisbon, as you can see it from pretty much anywhere around the city. it is a ruined castle, but once you get inside, it's like a little town of its own, with cafes, gardens, restaurants, etc. we took a stroll around the castle and up some of the towers to get more views of the city.

3. Elevador de Santa Justa - we only saw this elevator from below but it was interesting. again, because of the hilliness of Lisbon, this elevator was built to connect the lower streets of Baixa with the higher streets of Carmo Square. this is the only vertical lift in the city.

Another one we saw was the Elevador de Gloria, which is actually a funicular. i'm telling you, this is a hilly city and these "elavadors" are necessary! we didn't ride this one and walked uphill instead.

4. Rua do Carmo - we passed through here briefly. there are lots of shops if you want to do shopping but we just went for a stroll. because Lisbon's economy is not doing so hot, so everything is fairly cheap and lots of things were on sale. if only i was in the shopping mood. i didn't snap a picture of Rua do Carmo but it connected with Rua da Augusta below, so you get the idea.

5. Belem Tower - another one of Portugal's UNESCO World Heritage Monument, this tower is located in the town of Belem, which is about a 15 minute tram ride from Lisbon. It sits on the harbour and looks quite dramatic during high tide with the water surrounding the fortress. however, when we were there, it was low tide so you can pretty much just walk all around the tower, almost like a little beach.

5a. Belem is linked with the age of discoveries so in it's honor there is a Discoveries Monument that you can visit as well, featuring Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama. If you look it up, the Portuguese explored and settled all over the world! You'll notice Portuguese influence in Africa, Asia, India; they're everywhere!

5b. Across from the Discoveries Monument is Jeronimos Monastary. We went inside for a quick peek in the cathedral, but wish we would have gone inside the actual monastary. After returning to our hotel room and looking at people's instagram pictures of the monastary, I regretted not going in. It's beautiful!

6. Pasteis de Belem - even though this bakery is in the town of Belem, which I highlighted above, it gets it's own number, because it's deserving of it! Lisbon is famous for it's custard tarts, known as "pastel de nata", however, here they can call it "Pasteis de Belem" because that's where it originated back in the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jeronimos Monastary. The line to get one can get super long, but we were lucky and only had to wait 15 minutes or so. Gerald and I bought 8, we ate 4 right then and there, sprinkled with a bit of cinnomon and powdered sugar and saved the rest for snacks later. There are plenty of cafes around town that offer these pastries, but these were by far the best, especially right out of the oven!

7. Sintra - technically not in Lisbon, but close enough to be considered a Top 10 while visiting. You saw my post earlier about the Pena Palace and how beautiful it was. As part of our tour, we also stopped in the town of Sintra for an hour. It's a cute little town, perfect for some lunch =)

8. Alfama - we explored this old town on foot starting at the Lisbon Cathedral, and just like the blog said, "you should get a little lost," which we did! Alfama is essentially a city within Lisbon with cobblestone streets and alleyways.  it looks a bit run down but that's what gives it character. i'm not going to lie, I felt a bit scared at times considering we didn't have a map of the place and wasn't sure which direction we were going. i'm pretty sure we stuck out like a sore thumb as well: 2 Asian people, one carrying a huge camera! haha. we just walked and walked until eventually, we were out of Alfama and at the SaomVicente Monastery! it was fun.

9. Avenidada Liberdade - we came here on our last day to see what it was all about and although nice, it wasn't my favorite of the Top 10. this is pretty much an avenue lined with lots of shops and a park/garden in the middle.  it was pretty and made for a nice stroll but because i wasn't in the shopping mood, i didn't get much out of it. it was on our way to see the Edward VII Park lookout point, so I didn't mind it. what I enjoyed most about this avenue was all the little kiosk along the way. each were unique and offered food, drinks, and a place to sit. we went for the "Hotdog Lovers" kiosk and it was delish: hotdog topped with cabbage, 4 different sauces, potato strings, and cheese all in a sweet bun. For you filipinos out there, it reminded me of an ensaymada with a hot dog in it! yummy! Here's a list of the various ones you can try while strolling here.

10. Rossio Sqaure - this was one of the first squares we saw and I was immediately drawn to it by the pattern on the cobblestone pavement that lined the square. there were lots of this around Lisbon (as you can see from my pictures above), and I thought it was a nice touch to somewhat run down buildings surrounding it. anyhow, they say this is a great place for people watching, with the cafes lined around it and 'twas true. while there we saw a group of school kids perform a dance exercise, was offered some "shish", and saw loads of people just sitting around having drinks. Lisboetas tend to not have dinner until well past 9:30 pm, so at around 7:00 pm the square was pretty empty.

Bonus: Sao Roque Church - we kind of stumbled upon this as we were walking from Principe Real back to Bairro Alto and from the outside, it doesn't look like much, but once you get inside, you will be in awe. Supposedly, one of the most expensive chapel (3rd picture down) is housed here, shipped in from Rome. I'm glad we went inside, given the looks of the outside.

Well, that concludes it for our version of Top 10 Lisboa! Now, what are you waiting for? Book your flight already! BTW, this is a great resource for other great things to do in Lisbon. 

Pena Palace

Welcome to Our Palace!

While doing research of things to do in Portugal, we came across the Pena Palace.  The Pena Palace is located in Sintra, which is about a 30-45 minute drive from Lisbon. We booked a half day tour with Around Lisbon to visit the Palace. It was suppose to be a group tour but because we were the only ones that booked for that day, we had our own private tour with Nuno, our tour guide. The Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the "Seven Wonders of Portugal." It is an expression of 19th century Romanticism, and romantic it was. From the beautiful colors {although washed away} to the various balconies overlooking the city below, colorful tiles, gothic and islamic style dome, arches courtyards, and stylish decor, it was like a fairy tale castle, full of surprises. Per Nuno, prince Ferdinand had quite an imagination and incorporated all the things he liked into this place. I could totally see myself living here ;P Anyhow, enough of the history, here are some pictures for you admire!

Lisbon Lookouts {Miradouros}

For our big summer holiday, we spent 9 days in Portugal; 4 days in Lisbon and 5 days in The Algarve. It was a very relaxing trip filled with good eats, good wine, shopping, sun, beach, spa and one of my favorites: Miradouros. Miradouros are viewpoints around Lisbon where you can take in the beauty of the city, enjoy the fresh air, and forget about all your worries =)  Lisbon is a city built on seven hills so there were plenty of miradouros to scope out. It was one of my favorite things to do while there. Each miradouro is different; some have little gardens you can walk around, and others have cafes where you can sit and enjoy a cold drink. More importantly, it was a relaxing spot to stop and catch your breath after walking up the hills to get to them. We tried to stop off at as many we could and here they are...

1. LX Boutique Hotel - technically not a miradouro but we had a nice view of the 25th de Abril bridge from here. perfect for waking up to each morning.

2. Miradouro Das Portas do Sol - one of the first ones we saw after taking tram 28 uphill. i loved this one because of the palm tree; it gave it a nice touch. there were bars where you could sit and have drinks but we were heading towards St. Georges Castle so skipped out on that.



3. St. Georges Castle - you can pretty much see this castle sitting atop lisbon from any of the miradouro, but from here, you can see a great view of the Tagus River, the bridge and pretty much the entire city. we walked all around the castle and then up the towers to check out the city below.

4. Edward VII Park - the walk here didn't feel like much, so we didn't think the views would be any good, but once we got to the top, we were able to see how the city flowed down to the river and all of Avenida de Liberdade below.





5. Miradouro da Graca - we had a hard time finding this one as it's hidden from the main streets but once you find it, you won't want to leave. there were trees that lined the terrace so we got to escape the heat a little bit and enjoy a cold Super Bock, one of the national beers. great views of St. George's castle from here.







6. Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara - my FAVORITE! i loved the garden and the view of the castle and river.  there were two tiers to this miradouro which made it different as well. also a plus is it was located around one of my favorite areas of Lisbon: Principe Real





Some other viewpoints you see the city from are below, but we chose not to go up top since we didn't feel like waiting in line.

Santa Justa Elevator

Discoveries Monument



Bonus: We took a half day trip out to Sintra to visit the Pena Palace and from here you can see
views of the Portugal countryside. On a good day, you can even see some of Lisbon. The view below is of us along one of the balconies looking out towards the Moorish Castle.



If you go to Lisbon, don't miss out on these wonderful views of the city. They're worth climbing the hills for, or if you're lazy, there's always a tram you can catch. Bon Dia!

Kylie Pena Cristobal

Say Hello! to our new niece, Kylie Pena Cristobal! Gi was due around August 10, 2013 but Kylie decided to come into the world a little early, while her aunt and uncle were vacationing in Portugal. The night before her birth, I had a dream that Gerald and I were already holding her and admiring her beauty. That morning, I woke up and emailed Gi to see what the progress was, and what do you know?? She was heading to the hospital! This is not the first time this has happened to me; seems like I can predict the future or something...haha. Anyhow, we stayed updated with her progress as the night went on and was able to FaceTime with her and the family as they waited for Kylie's arrival. She was welcomed into the world on August 2, 2013 at 6:15 pm. An hour after her birth, Lolo Romeo (lolo means grandpa in filipino) took us to meet our new niece for the first time.

I really wish we could have been there in person, but for now all these pictures will do. I have a feeling FaceTime will be working overtime over the next three months since we won't be able to hold her until then. Congrats again Gi and RayMark, we love our little Kylie! Also, since RayMark is the only child, Gerald and I get to be her FAVORITE {only} Aunt & Uncle! hehe. Really though, she has too many other aunties and uncles that will love her to death so it's going to be a tough competition!

My parents are already telling us "It's your turn next!" Here we go...

My Adopted Grandpa

When we arrived home last night, I called my mom to let her know we got in okay and she informed me that my "adopted" grandpa had passed away =( He was ill for a while now with cancer, so we knew it was coming, but it's just so sad to say goodbye to another family member. Saoroth Keo and his wife Yani Keo, took my mother underneath their care when my mom first arrived in the US, without my grandparents. My mom lived with them until she married my dad, whom the Keo's introduced. They pretty much adopted my mom until she was reunited with my grandparents again. Growing up, we always referred to them as our grandparents and their kids were like brothers and sisters to my mom. They were our second family, hence, why I call him my "adopted" grandpa. I got to see him briefly when I was home for my grandpa's funeral and he was already feeling so weak. He and Yani just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and my mom mentioned that he could barely walk. Although it's sad to see him go, we all know he is now in a better place and I just wanted to pay tribute to a man that helped my family and lots of other families live a generous life, like the one he did. May you rest in peace "Lok Tha".

Grandpa Nov, Me, Gerald, Grandpa Saoroth

The Keo's at their 65th Wedding Anniversary
Photo Courtesy of: My mom