Lisboa, Portugal
38° 43' N 9° 7' W
Dec 27, 2004 23:14
Distance 314km

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Day 8 of the Contiki tour: Seville to Lisbon

Text written in: English

After a great time in Seville, we headed north to cross the Portugese border for the capital-Lisbon. This day we had quite a long bus ride from Seville to Lisbon and we watched videos/listened to music on the bus. Once we got into Lisbon, we settled into our hotel and I went out sightseeing with Tonto Dutta (from Connecticut) and Keiko (from Japan). The three of us hopped on Lisbon's subway system and headed to the downtown area. We walked around and tried to find our way to St George's Castle which stands at the highest point of the city. We ended up taking a taxi up the hill because it was quite a hike and the three of us were tired. St Georges Castle is in the Alfama district and from there you have a gorgeous view of the city of Lisbon. This neighborhood has a labyrinth of narrow streets and it reminded me of the Montmarte area in Paris. After our visit, we walked down the hill and stopped in a cafe to get a cup of tea. The three of us chatted for a while and then made our way back to the subway to get back to our hotel.

For dinner, the tour group went to the Bairro Alto district and ate at a place called Fado's. This area of Lisbon was left unscathed by the 1755 earthquake. Built in the 17th century, this area is now one of the principal areas of nightlife in the city. We had a nice dinner and were entertained by performers singing the rhythmic notes of the popular Fado. At this dinner, I tried OCTOPUS for the first time and I liked it. After dinner, some people went out to the clubs and others headed back to the hotel. I headed back to the hotel so I could have enough energy to go sightseeing the next day.

Here are some pictures from my first day in Lisbon...

Photos / videos of "Day 8 of the Contiki tour: Seville to Lisbon":

Statue of Jesus on the hill that you see as you enter Lisbon (similar to the one in Brazil) Praca Figueira, was once the setting for one of the most important markets in Lisbon..statue of Joao I, the 1st ruler under the Avis dynasty A view of the Alfama district from St Georges Castle From St Georges Castle, you see the view of spacious Praca do Comercio St Georges Castle in Lisbon Lisbon at sunset Tonto and Keiko (Contiki tour buddies) that went with me to St Georges Castle Suzie at St Georges Castle The streets of Lisbon at night, December 27, 2004 Our Fado dinner in the Bairro Alto district....the Portugese guy is singing the Fado to us Say cheese! Fado dinner in Lisbon...
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