Lisbon :: Day 1

We departed from Milan with no problems and (finally) a light lugguage. The weather in northern Italy started to be cold and we thought that it might have been pretty cool even in Lisbon at this time of the year. Instead, with our greatest surprise and happiness, when we disembarked the flight, we had a warm feeling on our skin...

The weather here in Lisbon is fantastic! It's like living a second summer this year. What a blessing! Temperatures are around 28°-30°C (82°-86°F) during the day, a bit lower in the morning and in the night.

As soon as we arrived at our hotel, we changed our clothes, putting on something light and fresh...and then, out to explore! Our hotel is in the Baixa, between the hills of Alfama (the old town) and Barrio Alto. We are a few steps from all the main attractions and going around is so easy. For the first day, we decided to go to the famous monument of "Cristo Rei", that overlooks the city from the height of a hill, right in front of the river Tejo. To arrive there from the city centre, it's necessary to take a ferry (Transtejo) that crosses the river from Cais do Sodré to Cacihas.

A bus took us to the huge monument of Cristo Rei, which is amazing and the views of the bridge, the river and the city are terrific!

[Isn't it like San Francisco's Golden Gate?!?]

After that we returned back to the city centre and walked from the pier to the Barrio Alto. There we had a walk around the streets, visited some typical little shops that sell goods out of time (it's seems like - in some parts - Lisbon has stopped in the 60s!). The atmosphere that the city creates is charming though: it's so bohemienne and romantic, with steep narrow streets going up and down the hills, with old houses decorated with colorful tiles (azulejos) and painted with light bright colors. We love it.

We had a fantastic view of the other side of the old town from the Elevador de Santa Justa at the sunset.

At the end we were very tired after a whole day of walking around and fortunately here in Lisbon they know how to treat their guests and calm they down...so I felt tranquil enough to go back to the hotel and relax on the terrace. ;)