NP: LP - Lost on You
Mood: Drowsy
Nestled at the mouth of the Tagus river by the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon is Europe's westernmost capital city and has been inhabited continuously since c. 1200 BC. The river mouth forms a safe harbor for this romantically run-down city with a population of half a million within city limits, or nearly three million in the Lisbon metropolitan area.
We chose a hotel from the Campolide area, out of the way from the very center of the city. This area seems calm for a city of this size and mixes modern business buildings (hotels and banks) smoothly with slightly worn residential buildings.
On our first day we were jet-lagged and only ventured out for food and managed to try sea food dishes at Pastelaria Baloico which sells local food in addition to pastries. Unfortunately they seemed to have higher prices on their English menu than their Portuguese menu.
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| Grilled cod fish with potatoes in deep oil at Pastelaria Baloico (about 14€) |
The second day was also largely spent resting but we did manage to see the central mosque and visit El Corte Inglés shopping mall with a major attraction (for me): Decathlon. It's a French sports store chain selling inexpensive but superbly comfortable clothes that I visited back in Barcelona a few of years ago. Unfortunately they don't have a store in Finland nor do they ship items abroad so this was a must-stop for me.
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| Central mosque |
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| El Corte Inglés |
Central Europe has been experiencing a heat wave in June but now arctic air is expected to sweep through and cause thunderstorms. Portugal, however, is just now experiencing the scorching temperatures and yesterday it was 38C in Lisbon. No wonder even my heat-loving wife seemed to struggle outside.
Despite our tiredness and inexperience with Lisbon and Portugal in general, I have to say that so far I'm impressed with the laid-back feeling of this ancient city.
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