Lisbon was not very high on my list of places to see — I included it as a stop mostly because my brother, Stephen, and my buddy, Kip, both said it was a great place, not to be missed. They were SO right. Lisbon is a true gem of a place – situated along the Tagus River that opens to the Altantic Ocean, it is a beautiful sea-town (they have a bizarrely high number of “canned fish” stores that sell ONLY canned fish in all its varieties), but it also has a much richer history than I knew. I won’t drone on about it, but it is interesting. Sadly, due to a massive earthquake in 1755, with notable exceptions, many of the older buildings no longer stand. Still, the “newer” buildings are mostly older than anything in our home town!
Here is our time in Lisbon, in pictures!
Day 1 (Day 52 of our trip): After arriving, Zoe and I set out to see the neighborhood of Alfama, where we are staying. Pictured below are typical street-scapes, the Placa do Comercio (Commerce Square), a walk along the water-front (with some talented sand-sculpturists) and the famous Mercado da Ribeira (“Time Out Market”).
Later in the evening, Jackie and I took a walk along the Rua Augusta, the main boulevard that connects Commerce Square to the City behind it, with lots of restaurants and shops along both sides.
Day 2 (Day 53 of our trip): We visited Sao Jorge Castle, which is on a hill that has figured in Lisbon history dating back to 8th Century B.C., and the castle still there dates back over 1,000 years, to when the Moors built it. Also, super cool winding streets with restaurants, cafes, businesses, and other “ruins” (current archaeological digs) throughout the area.
15th C. precursor to mosaic tiles that are everywhere here 
After the Castle, we walked the Alfama area back to the Time Out Market for lunch… apparently, the food stands in this market were selected by competition and include some of the best local cuisine in Lisbon.
Day 3 ((Day 54 of our trip): Our last full day of Lisbon was spent riding the Trams around town,… Like just about everywhere else in Europe, Lisbon has a great metro/transportation system, which includes an above-ground tram system that is a great way to see the various parts of the City.
… followed by a high speed boat ride to the various “sights” in/around Lisbon,…
Fado:… and finally an evening of Fado, the local dinner-music scene. The are seemingly an endless number of restaurants here were, in addition to dining, you can listen to live “Fado” music — the local style of music — in which they take great pride. It was a lot of fun.
Up next: Amsterdam!
Vonnie and walked around in the rain. This is where I saw the Grand Blvd. That started our thinking about the I65 redesign. Your getting good with the movie clips. They are so smooth. Looks like the weather is cooperating. Now your off to see Stephan in one of the most photogenic cities in the world.
We have really enjoyed Lisbon. Very cool place. As for videos, I just needed to reduce the resolution of the movie clips to 480 and they started playing much smoother.
Okay–I give. When we were in Lisbon, it was gray and rainy and we stayed in an awful hotel, and I didn’t care for the city. Obviously, I missed the whole thing….
Great pictures! Great descriptions.
Sorry you missed out. We love the place. So beautiful, walkable, and fun… great “vibe,” a bit like Barcelona in feel. (Though, on balance, I think I prefer Barcelona).