Lisbon

For our final dinner in Lisbon *this trip*, we made reservations months ago at Ponto Final.

We took a glass elevator down to the river’s edge.

It is this tiny restaurant out on a abandoned pier. Our table was mere inches from a straight drop about 15 feet down to the Targus river. And the derelict pier had only 6 tables. The others were along the building.

But…

It has the best most stunning views of the sun setting while having dinner.

What an experience! Unforgettable.

What a great finale, to a great trip.

Até a próxima, lindo Portugal.

For our next view we crossed the Targus river by ferry and walked uphill for forty days and forty nights (as Kenn says) to the Christo de Rei statue.

It has been in the horizon since we got here blessing us, so on our last day we blessed it with a visit.

Stunning views. Again!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_King_(Almada)

We wandered the beautiful streets of Lisbon today before heading to the Rua Augusta Arch. We read the night before that you can go up to the top and get great views of Lisbon.

They are correct. Stunning views on another great day.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rua_Augusta_Arch

We walked home and the city was filled with music. There are performers everywhere. Some even had people dancing.

It was a magical night.

Boa noite, Lisboa.

We took an evening walk down to the Chiado district. We were heading to A Severa, a dinner restaurant where they perform Fado.

It was a fantastic experience and we had four different performers over the course of the evening.

Side note: The pre-fixe menu is way too much food! Ate it anyway.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fado

We said goodbye to our guides and Muse, their Jack Russel puppy.

After something refreshing to drink, we got on the train and headed back.

There was another ‘puppy’ the size of a pony on the train!

What fun!

Last stop was a beautiful little seaside town. It is the surfing capital of Europe since it is the only European World Surfing Preserve.

In the old town you can still see the fishing boats on the beach next to people getting some sun. And with all the blue and white houses on the hillside it is all so picturesque.

We also tasted the local dessert snack made of dough, orange and egg yolk, named after a sea-urchin. Legend has it that the town was named after the abundance of sea-urchins in the waters by the Phoenicians

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericeira

Then we stopped at the most unusual roadside attraction.

José Franco was a ceramic artist famous in the area and Portugal.

Later on in life he wanted to start preserving what he thought was a disappearing lifestyle. He was mostly focused on the people we would now consider artisans, like blacksmiths, carpenters and others working with their hands.

He built this village museum and it is endearing to see.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Franco_(artist)

We went for a quick look to the Palace of Mafra.

There is no photo that can describe the sheer size of this place. We took a peek inside one of the entrances. It is huge.

When we looked into the basilica (still part of the palace!) abruptly realized it is Sunday and there is a service being conducted.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Mafra

We stopped at this charming little village Aldeia da Mata Pequena for a picnic.

The story of this village was that the whole place was in ruins, and this couple was able to purchase the whole village. They painstakingly started restoring each house back as close to what it originally was. Really pretty.

The whole village is now a vacation get-away. And it is definitely away. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

The picnic was all local from the area. They put a lot of thought into the experience.

https://www.aldeiadamatapequena.com/?lang=en