Lisbon 3 days in a row

Over the past three days, we have been going to Lisbon because we bought these cards called "Lisboa Card"s (Lish-boa to the Portuguese) which give you discounts on attractions and free public transit and such. I will tell you a little about these three days.

Day One/ Sunday 19

We took the train to Lisbon-Entrecampos station, just the three of us, Tracy, LIef, and Sol. Mom stayed home because she pulled a muscle in her back and we were taking bikes so she knew that it wasn't a great idea if she came. We got out of the train and were heading to the beach to have lunch when we spotted a very large park on a hill, we thought that it was a cool park so we decided to explore. At the top we saw a huge flag of Portugal, two 40-foot towers, and a fountain with a view.

​     After enjoying the view for a minute we zoomed back down the hill back to the road. It didn't take us that long, as it was all downhill, to get to the TimeOut Market, it was right above the beach. Sol had pasta with pesto, I had glass noodles with raw salmon in a spicy/sweet chilli sauce, and Tracy had hummus and veggies for lunch. At that time we had only used our Lisboa Cards once (for the train) so my dad suggested we go to an attraction. We looked around in the Lisboa Card book to see the free attractions. We found one. Pilar 7 of the 25 de Abril Bridge that connects Lisbon to Almada.

     We biked there from the market, it took us about 25 minutes, it was really close. We locked our bikes and went inside, got free tickets and went into the museum of the bridge. It wasn't an actual building that the museum was in, it was out side. There was a pathway and these big rusty circles that you would stand on or look at. They have writing engraved into them, telling you about the bridge's history and how it was built. After that walk there was another building with a model of the bridge, and in the next building there was security, like in the airport. After that, there was an elevator to the top of the bridge. From the top you could see a lot, the whole beach to the west and an exceptional view of Lisbon. On the top of the bridge there was this glass box that out could go into and you could see way below you onto the hard road, that was really cool to do that.

     Next, after the bridge experience, we headed to a monastery but decided against going in. There was a park nearby so we played some soccer there, by that time we were getting tired so we headed home and had a quiet evening.

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Day two/Monday 20

     On the second day, Kiki activated her Lisboa Card and joined us on the train to Lisbon. All four of us came today. The train takes about 45-50 minutes from Sintra to Lisbon, depending on which stop you would like to get off at.

     We got out at Rossio Station. It's underground as it is in the middle of Rossio Square, a very famous square which leads to another famous site, Rua Augusta. We took a side road to the ocean as Rua Augusta is very busy with merchants trying to sell you things, mostly food. By the time we got to the ocean, it was around noon, and we were in the middle of another square at the end of Rua Augusta. There was a nice Italian place to the left of us so we decided to go there. Very pricey food, but we were very hungry at that point, (I'm always hungry) so we stayed. I got ravioli with a meat-sauce, Sol: pasta with pesto (again), Tracy: vegetarian lasagne, and Kiki had a pizza with arugula and goat's cheese. After that our stomachs were full and my dad paid the bill.

     We took a tram all the way to the monastery I talked about yesterday. In that same building there was not only a church, but the National Museum of Archaeology. Everything was closed. Not one of those three were open. Kiki was sad because she had really hoped to go into the museum. We decided we'd go, instead, to MAAT (The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology). We all felt disappointed, as it was closed till March 27, for renovations. Turned down to 4 attractions, we took a tram to a big hill, while my dad was looking desperately for an open attraction.

Tracy and Kiki on top of the MAAT building with bridge in background

Playing soccer on top of the MAAT building

Tram to the Castelo

​     The thing we chose to visit was a castle. Castelo de São Jorge to be exact. It was a beautiful castle with a breathtaking view. The view was just so amazing. It was perfect weather as well. My parents got wine at a place called "Wine with a View", they loved that. They say it was the best part of their day. Inside the castle there were many peacocks, male and female. So many beautiful colours that the peacocks showcased. It was about closing time by the time we were done at the castle. We were, at that point, exhausted and headed home.

The view from atop the castle

Peacock!

The castle walls

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Day three/Tuesday 21

     Today, Sol, Kiki, and I, were the ones to go to Lisbon. Tracy stayed home, he had had enough of Lisbon. Our Lisboa cards expire at 11:30am, so we got up early. On the way to the station, we were playing street soccer and Sol kicked the ball through some animal dung. That sucked and Sol wasn't very happy because he had picked up the ball and touched the poop. There was a bathroom at the station. You have to pay 50 euro cents, and there wasn't even any soap! What a rip off!

     After that exiting start to our day, we quickly took public transit to our destination. The National Museum of Archaeology. We got there and there was a lot to see. The whole museum was based in this very large old building. Inside we found many different objects, ranging from the tiniest ring or earring to a mammoth-sized statue of a Roman god. The first exhibition they showcased was named "Egyptian Antiquities". It featured amulets, vases, statues, mummies, and much, much more. Another exhibition was about Roman Archeology. We saw mostly gravestones and engravings, but we also spotted many statues and busts as well. Next, there was a room full of Portuguese treasures, made out of gold, silver and other gems. 

A Mummy!

Hieroglyphs

Busts and statues

In the same building as the museum, there was an ancient church. It looked very intriguing so we moseyed inside. The walls were very beautiful and had murals on them. If you pay one euro, you can light a candle for Jesus Christ. So we all did that, and made a wish as we did it.

Beautifully made stained glass

Kiki outside of the church

Inside the Church

  Our Lisboa Cards expired. We were all tired for three straight days in Lisbon so, tired, we did school on the train. 

PS: Sorry this took so long to come out
PPS: Sorry that this post is so long

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Post by: Lief