Back to Lisbon, Portugal

Monday, September 30, 2024

On Monday, September 30th, at 18:00, when we finished sightseeing the Budda 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 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 various items).

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel's Black Pavilion restaurant (as we did not need to make any advance dinner 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 took a shower and dressed. We walked downstairs for breakfast at the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet. 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 Nuta)
• 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. Vencent Monument
• Sao Pedra de Alcantara Viewpoint
• Graca Viewpoint
• Rua Augusta Arch
• Jeronimos Monastery (there was a huge line to get in)
• Belem 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 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 Belem pastry (original recipe - before Pastel de Nuta). 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 to take us to the Belem 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, Belem 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 to take us back to our Torel Place Hotel to rest.

At our Torel Palace Hotel, we first considered seeing Fado and asked the hostess to try making reservations, but all of the popular Fado restaurants were booked (or the 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 in the hotel for dinner, as we truly liked our Black Pavilion restaurant. We ordered the following items:

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

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

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

• Yogurt with Jam (delicious!)
• Omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms
• Various Pastries (but not Pastel da Nuta)
• 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 at around 09:40, and I queued up in 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 Belem 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 Gamma 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 with the museum, I met up with Inna at the Maritime Cafe, and we ordered an Uber to take us to the National Tile Museum.

We had an enjoyable 30-minute Uber ride with a young Portuguese driver who drives Uber for a living. 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 were in the National Tile Museum, we purchased tickets and strolled around 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 whole-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. 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 rose wine, and Inna drank some tea.

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, substantial tour groups from the ships visited the famous sites, and entry became difficult. We could see the organized tours at the National Tile Museum, Jeronimos Monastery, and other venues.

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

Thursday, October 3, 2024

After waking up at 07:30, I showered, shaved and dressed. We walked downstairs for breakfast at the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet. 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 many paintings, statues, and other 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 pass for the Teleferico cable car.

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)

When we finished with 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 da Nuta. 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: Creme Brulee

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 for breakfast at the Black Pavilion restaurant buffet. 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: Creme Brulee

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: Creme Brulee

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 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 get to gate 47A, we needed to go through three separate queues (ticket, security, and passport check). 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 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 Belem 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 Belem 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