Our last full day in Lisbon
was also Palm Sunday and while I know very little about what goes on on this particular day, I do know that with the exception of cafés and restaurants, most of everything is closed. Lisbon was no exception but no worries as we like both, restaurants and cafés that is plus, less pressure to hit up museums and left to only explore the rest of the districts of this awesome city. We left the comforts of our hotel and set out for Bairro Alto, Baixa and Chiado this time on foot past Rossio Square…
and checked out the beautiful Avenida Palace Hotel…
It was a beautiful sunny day so we sat outside and had breakfast at Cafe Padaria Ratton, a great little French and Portuguese bakery that serves bread the old-fashioned way, baked in a wood oven using organic flour. It’s on the square next to Rossio Station and we sat on the terrace taking in the sun and plotting our path!
All the way up!
but not before stopping for some photos and
Ginjinha (Ginja) sampling before making the long steep climb up…
I had the Ginginha Copo Chocolate that came in a dark chocolate shot glass that I devoured as quickly as I drank the sweetness it contained…
After the climb up and winding though narrow alleys and exploring normally bustling Bairro Alto, we were ready for some action and headed to Chiado where we came across Café A Brasileira (The Brazilian Cafe), one of the oldest and most famous cafés in the old quarter of Lisbon located in Largo do Chiado (Chiado Square). Needless to say the café was bustling and was a great spot for people watching.
We then strolled through Chiado and Baixa where we uncovered great little treasures along the way like this…
and this…
and this…
and this…
then slowly made our way down…
to Rossio Square, the liveliest square in the city where people stop, sit and relax…
On either side of the square are two baroque fountains…
and in the center is a monument measuring 27 meters in height and consists of a pedestal with marble allegories of Justice, Wisdom, Strength, and Moderation, qualities attributed to Dom Pedro IV, whose statue stands on top of the monument…
In the 19th century the square was paved with cobblestones in wave patterns, a design seen today in many other pavements all over Portugal, and that has spread to Portugal’s former colonies from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to Macao (China) where we saw it firsthand when we visited back in 2004…
On the north side of the square is the Dona Maria II National Theater, a monumental neoclassical building built in the 1840s. The portico has six Ionic columns and crowning the pediment is a statue of playwright Gil Vicente…
Before heading back to our hotel, we went in search of a place that claims to have the best Portuguese roast chicken in all of Lisbon and voila! Right up the street from Rossio Square in an alley paved with touristy taverns, we found it, Restaurant Bonjardim! Let me just say that I make it a rule to never order chicken in restaurants but their spit roast chicken served with french fries was truly delicious…
The chicken skin was crisp and lightly spiced with a subtle charcoal flavor while the meat was tender and succulent. It’s served with piri piri sauce that comes in a little pot which you can paint on your chicken with a brush to give it a welcome kick of spice…
Lordy Lordy Lordy, how much eating can you guys do you ask? Well, let’s recap…we’re in Portugal, we’re doing a ton of walking, drinking and don’t get me started on all that brain power being exerted! How do you expect us to keep going at this pace without full bellies and happy hours!?
Even Jacob had his regular stop…popping into this “Pirate” shop each night for a Kinder chocolate egg promising a Ninjago surprise…
Have I mentioned what a great world traveler Jacob is? Never skipping a beat, taking in all the sights and never once complaining about anything…not even the walking!
Another fantastic day in a great city…can’t wait for what tomorrow will bring!
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