Back to Lisbon, Portugal

Monday, September 30, 2024

On Monday, September 30th, at 18:00, after finishing sightseeing at the Buddha Eden Garden of Peace, we drove to Lisbon (LIS) airport, where I was scheduled to drop off my rented Nissan Qashqai at Hertz Car Rental.

There was some traffic on the way there, but we arrived at 19:00 and found the Hertz Rental car return near the airport. My fuel tank was about 50% full, and I did not have time to fill it up to 100%. I dropped off the Nissan, and Hertz did a thorough inspection and found no issues.

We returned to the arrival terminal, and Inna ordered an Uber to take us to the Torel Palace Hotel in Lisbon.

We checked into the Torel Palace Hotel and were taken by our hostess to room #19 in the Blue Building (which also houses the Black Pavilion Restaurant).

As I felt tired and sweaty, I decided to shower while Inna unpacked her suitcase. Afterward, I unpacked my suitcase (our room had plenty of storage for all my belongings).

We decided to have dinner at the hotel's Black Pavilion restaurant (since we did not need to make any advance reservations). After looking at the dinner menu and asking our waiter for recommendations, we ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Burrata, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea
• Boris: Bacalhau "Pil-Pil" Cod and Chickpeas
• Inna: Pork Cheeks & Mushrooms
• Dessert: Chocolate Cake & Red Fruits

We liked the Tomato & Burrata and the fresh bread. My Bacalhau "Pil-Pil" Cod was not impressive (I am not a cod connoisseur), but Inna loved her Pork Cheeks and Mushrooms. The Chocolate Cake dessert was excellent. Service was fast, polite, and efficient.

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 

After waking up at 07:30, I showered and dressed. We walked downstairs to the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet for breakfast. 

We selected the following items from the buffet:

• Scrambled eggs (not very soft; next time, we will order an omelet)
• Roasted tomatoes
• Multi-grain Bread (needed to be toasted)
• Yogurt with Jam (delicious!)
• Various Pastries (but not Pastel da Nata)
• Espresso

Overall, the breakfast was delicious, and the service was excellent.

After breakfast, we met Hugo - our Took-took guide - on the street at 09:20 (he was running late).

He took us to the following sites on an electrically powered 3-wheeler:

• St. Vincent Monument
• São Pedro de Alcantara Viewpoint
• Graca Viewpoint
• Rua Augusta Arch
• Jeronimos Monastery (there was a huge line to get in)
• Belém Tower
• Discoveries Monument
• National Maritime Museum
• Time-out Market (where we stopped for lunch at Liberta Pasta Bar)

According to Hugo, St. George was secretly practicing Christianity and keeping records of other practicing Christians. When the Romans discovered him, they tortured him in the hope of getting the names of other practicing Christians, but he refused and died from the torture. His ashes were lost until a ship was sent to retrieve them. The sailors were able to find St. George's dead body, as it was marked by a pair of birds circling overhead. The birds continued to circle overhead as the body was returned to Portugal.

Our guide also stopped by Pastéis de Belém, the best pasteria, and purchased us a freshly baked Pastel da Belém pastry (original recipe - before Pastel de Nata). It was so warm and delicious!

After our tuk-tuk tour, we were dropped off at the Time-Out Market for lunch. We did not like the crowded and noisy conditions inside and decided to eat outside. We selected Liberta Pasta Bar and ordered a few dishes, including:

• Appetizer: Burrata 
• Drinks: Sparkling Water, Lemonade
• Boris: Ragu Bolognese
• Inna: Ravioli di Manzo

The Burrata was delicious, but the Ragu Bolognese was mediocre. Service was also slow. 

After lunch, we ordered a Bolt ride-share to take us to the Belém Tower. I hoped to go inside, but the tickets were all sold out. Next time, buy tickets well in advance.

Instead, we decided to visit the National Coach Museum. On the way there, we stopped by for a rest at an Italian Gelateria, where I ordered the following:

• Boris: 3 Scoops: pistachio, chocolate, hazelnut
• Inna: Affogato

After our short snack, we decided to visit the Monument to the Discoveries (instead of continuing to the National Coach Museum) as we were exhausted. We rode the elevator to the top of the Monument, which had excellent panoramic views of Lisbon, with the April 15th Bridge (like the Golden Gate), Christ the King Statue, Belém Tower, and the entire waterfront.

On our way down from the top floor, we saw a short exhibit on African immigrants to Portugal. We were tired, so we ordered an Uber back to our Torel Place Hotel to rest.

At our Torel Palace Hotel, we first considered seeing Fado and asked the hostess to try to make reservations, but all the popular Fado restaurants were booked (or their opening times were too late for us).

Instead, we hung out at the bar, and I pre-ordered tickets for other events.

We decided to stay at the hotel for dinner because we really liked the Black Pavilion restaurant. We ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Burrata, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea, Martini
• Boris: Steak with Mushroom Sauce
• Inna: Pork Cheeks & Mushrooms
• Dessert: Crème Brûlée with Olive Oil

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

After waking up at 07:30, I showered, shaved, and dressed. We walked downstairs to the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet for breakfast. We selected the following items:

• Yogurt with Jam (delicious!)
• Omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms
• Various Pastries (but not Pastel da Nata)
• Espresso

Overall, the breakfast was quite good, and the service was excellent.

After breakfast, Inna ordered an UberX to Jeronimos Monastery, for which I had tickets for admission at 09:30. We arrived around 09:40, and I queued for a very long line. Despite having tickets, I had to wait almost an hour before being allowed entry. 

We were finally admitted into Jeronimos Monastery at around 10:30. I thought I had visited the monastery during my Celebrity Cruises' stop at Lisbon, but I was mistaken. I had previously visited the nearby St. Maria of Belém Church.

The Jeronimos Monastery was quite large, with many elaborate stone carvings. We started on the 2nd floor and then walked down to the first floor. It was quite beautiful and peaceful. 

When we finished with the monastery, I also wanted to visit the nearby Maritime Museum, as I was interested in learning about ancient Portuguese navigators. I purchased the 8.00 euro ticket while Inna waited at the nearby Maritime Cafe (she had no interest in the Maritime Museum).

The Maritime Museum told the story of the ancient beginnings of Portuguese expeditions and voyages of discovery. It displayed models of the Caravels used by Vasco de Gama and Ferdinand Magellan, as well as many old navigational instruments (astrolabes, compasses, sextants) and ancient maps.

I enjoyed learning about the famous explorers and their daring exploits. Some old barks were also on display.

After I finished at the museum, I met up with Inna at the Maritime Cafe, and we ordered an Uber to the National Tile Museum.

We had an enjoyable 30-minute Uber ride with a young Portuguese driver who drives for Uber full-time. He speaks multiple languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese) and is also learning Russian. He had previously worked in northern Italy and eastern France (around Lyon) and thought that people in France were friendlier.

Once we arrived at the National Tile Museum, we purchased tickets and strolled through the two floors of tiles. There were some unique tiles, but I found the museum less exciting than Inna.

After the museum, we stopped by Hell's Chicken for a quick lunch. I had barbecue chicken with salad while Inna drank some sparkling water. It's a hole-in-the-wall place, but the chicken was pretty good.

As it started raining, we ordered an Uber to take us to Lisbon's oldest bookstore, Livraria Bertrand—Chiado (founded in 1732). There, I had an espresso while Inna had tea, and we looked at various books. We decided to purchase Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

We strolled around the narrow streets, looking at various shops, and listened to a street musician singing popular songs (Adele, Bee Gees) at A Brasileira. 

While there, I ordered some local rosé wine, and Inna drank some tea.

Here is a video of San Oliver singing Bryan Adams' "Heaven":

We also noticed the following Cruise Ships docked in Lisbon:

• Seven Seas Mariner
• Azamara Journey
• P&O Iona
• Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady

When in port, large tour groups from the ships visited the famous sites, making entry difficult. 

We could see the organized tours at the National Tile Museum, Jeronimos Monastery, and other venues. By the way, Portuguese college students wear black robes.

We considered dining at the highly recommended Pinoquio restaurant (recommended by our Tuk-Tuk driver), but the long line discouraged us.

We returned to our hotel and rested before going downstairs for dinner at Black Pavilion, ordering the following:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Burrata, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea
• Inna: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Boris: Tagliatelle with Tomato Sauce

We enjoyed some of the art in Lisbon.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

After waking up at 07:30, I showered, shaved, and dressed. We walked downstairs to the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet for breakfast. 

We selected the following items:

• Yogurt with Jam (delicious!)
• Omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms
• Various Pastries
• Espresso

We had plans to visit the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, and I ordered UberX to take us there.

Calouste Gulbenkian, an Armenian businessman, amassed vast wealth in oil and collected numerous paintings, statues, and other works of fine art. This museum holds his fine art collection, organized by regions:

• Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Greece
• Ancient Persia and Armenia
• Ancient China
• French Painters
• Antique Furniture
• Silverware
• Renee Lalique

I especially liked the Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, and French art.

After a few hours admiring the collection, we ate lunch at the museum's cafe. We ordered the following items:

• Boris: Salad with chicken (Salada Frango)
• Inna: Quiche
• Dessert: Almond Tarte
• Drinks: Water, Lemonade, Latte, Espresso

The cafe was inexpensive, and the food quality was acceptable for a museum.

After lunch, we stopped briefly at the Gulbenkian Modern Art annex. I didn't like any of the modern art pieces shown there.

I ordered an UberX to take us to Lisbon's Oceanarium, and after a 30-minute ride, we arrived. I purchased two tickets (23.00 euros/person), including the Teleferico cable car pass.

The Oceanarium was excellent, and we spent about three hours looking at various fish from different oceans (Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Arctic). Our favorite, by far, was the Common Seadragon. It was so beautiful and unique. Many sharks, including Black Tip, and countless varieties of fish species were swimming in the main tank. We also saw penguins feeding (some of them were being fed like babies)

After finishing at the Oceanarium, we rode the Teleferico along the coast, with beautiful views of the surroundings (Oriente Train Station).

We returned to A Brasileira cafe to listen to street musicians, drink tea or wine, and rest. I ordered a local Rose, while Inna ordered Hot Tea with a couple of Pastel de Nata. The street musician playing was not as entertaining as the one from the day before (and I was also annoyed by the couple next to me smoking cigarettes)

After we finished our drinks, we paid and returned to the Torel Palace Hotel. We considered eating dinner elsewhere, but could not find a reasonably-priced restaurant that did not require a reservation. Our first idea was to try Pinoquio, but it had a huge line.

We returned to our hotel and sat down at Black Pavilion, ordering the following:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Burrata, Sea Scallops, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea
• Inna: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Boris: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Dessert: Crème Brûlée

Friday, October 4, 2024

Since we had arranged a private visit to Sintra, we had to wake up earlier than usual. After waking up at 06:30, I showered, shaved, and dressed.

We walked downstairs to the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet for breakfast. We selected the following items:

• Yogurt with Jam (delicious!)
• Omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms
• Various Pastries
• Espresso

I write about the Sintra visit in a separate blog post.

When we returned to Lisbon from Sintra, we rested and ate our last dinner at the Black Pavilion:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Burrata, Sea Scallops, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea
• Inna: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Boris: Steak with Mustard Sauce (125 grams)
• Dessert: Crème Brûlée

As usual, we loved our dinner at the Black Pavilion.

Saturday, October 5, 2024

I woke up at 07:55 and dressed. After breakfast, we traveled to Cascais, which I wrote about in a separate blog post.

When we returned to Lisbon from Cascais, we rested and ate our last dinner while sitting at the outdoor tables of the Black Pavilion. We ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Guacamole & Crab Toast, Tomato & Burrata, Fresh Bread & Butter
• Drinks: Pellegrino, Hot English Breakfast Tea
• Inna: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Boris: Steak with Mushroom Sauce (125 grams)
• Dessert: Crème Brûlée

We enjoyed our dinner at the Black Pavilion and hope to return.

Sunday, October 6, 2024

I woke at 06:30, showered, shaved, dressed, and packed. After a quick breakfast, we checked out of the Torel Palace Hotel, and I ordered an UberX to take us to the airport (20 minutes away). Unfortunately, my driver dropped me off, and I asked Inna to order (as she has a higher Uber rating). We were picked up at around 8:08 and taken to Lisbon Airport, arriving at 08:25. Inna got way over-charged on her UberX ride (it should have been 14.24 euros, not 74.24 euros), and she had to work to get the charge reversed.

Fortunately, our return flight on Air Portugal TP247 from LIS to SFO was delayed. To reach gate 47A, we had to go through three separate queues (ticket, security, and passport). Priority boarding was painless, though we needed to board a bus to get on the plane.

While on the Airbus, I also re-read my favorite, The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins: Australia's Greatest Explorer by Peter FitzSimons, on my Kindle.

I also watched the following movies: Joker and Goldfinch (though my headphones had the left speaker broken):

Joker: A somewhat depressing take on mental illness (Rating B)

Arthur Fleck, a party clown and a failed stand-up comedian, leads an impoverished life with his ailing mother. However, when society shuns him and brands him as a freak, he decides to embrace the life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.

Goldfinch: An exciting but unrealistic mystery (Rating: B)

A wealthy family takes in a boy in New York after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch,' a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

I also tried watching Elvis (Rate: C), Death on the Nile (Rate: C), and Anyone But You (Rate: C), but I could not complete watching them, as they were not very stimulating.

We landed in San Francisco at 15:00, breezed through immigration and customs, and Alex picked us up at the International Arrivals terminal.

Lisbon Trip Report

Highlights

• Eating delicious breakfasts and dinners at the Black Pavilion Restaurant
• Touring Lisbon on an eclectic Tuk-tuk and learning about various Lisbon neighborhoods
• Visiting the Jeronimos Monastery
• Visiting the Lisbon Oceanarium 
• We loved the Common Sea Dragon (though it did not seem very common to us)!
• Visiting the oldest bookstore, Livraria Bertrand - Chiado
• Visiting the Maritime Museum and learning about Portuguese explorers
• Tasting Pastel da Belém at Pastéis de Belém (near Jeronimos Monastery)
• Listening to street musicians while sipping wine at A Brasileira

Lowlights

• Huge crowds and sold-out tickets at Belém Tower
• Long lines in restaurants (dinners require reservations)
• Getting ripped off on Hertz Auto Insurance on my Nissan Qashqai car rental
• Next time, use the credit card's free auto rental insurance