Thursday 18th July 2024

Woke around 0930…we were feeling very weary, but hauled ourselves out of bed and made our way downstairs for breakfast. Walked up to the park at Principe Real and on to the Botanical Gardens. Got in at the seniors’ rate. Hot day so it was pleasant enough wandering in the shade of a variety of trees. The gardens have seen better days, though…the wide footpaths are full of potholes, and everything looks rather dusty, worn out and past its best. Walked on down to Rato metro station and renewed our 24hour travel passes, then walked back toward the hostel, stopping off at a local cafe for coffee and pastel da nata. Jumped on a No.24 tram down the hill into the city centre. Outside the station a Cais Sodre, we boarded a modern tram and headed westward to Belem. 

Got off 20 minutes or so later, and followed the crowd down to the river to take a look at the Belem Tower, built in the late 15th century to help defend the city from raiders from the west. It looked very striking in the summer sun. We found an ice cream vendor, then walked along the riverside eastward to the Discoveries monument, now a rather controversial piece of work given the unspeakable cruelties wrought upon the indigenous peoples of various Portuguese colonies. Walked back to the main drag across a well-laid out city park, and caught the tram back into Lisbon from the stop outside the stunning Jeronimo Monastery. 

Caught a bus back up the hill rom Cais Sodre, and popped into the hostel to rest a while before venturing out for dinner at a nearby modern Italian restaurant, called Leonetta.  were busy, but managed to squeeze us in at a table for two upstairs. The food was the best we had had in Lisbon. My burrata starter was heavenly; my sweet potato gnocchi rather ordinary; the dessert of crispy open ravioli with chocolate ganache and ice cream was great. 

Aki had made contact with some of her rowing mates, who had shacked up in an AirBnB in Cascais, and they had travelled into Lisbon for their dinner at Sea Me in the Baixa...we walked down to meet them, then guided them back to our hostel for cocktails in the roof garden bar...the staff seemed delighted that we'd brought a possee up to sample their wares. They piled into a taxi around 2330, while we made our way down the one flight of stairs to our room...