Tuk-Tuk Tour and Sunset Cruise
First full day in Lisbon.
We had scheduled a Tuk-tuk tour through Airbnb experiences. Laura wanted to show us some of her favorite areas, and one was near where we were to meet for our tour. There was a craft fair in the Dom Luís Square Garden in this area. Sandy found a jewelry booth where she picked up a few pieces for herself and our daughters.
Jewelry shopping
The Timeout Market was next to the park as well.
TimeOut Market
Time Out Market Lisboa is Lisbon’s premier food hall, gathering the city’s best chefs, restaurants, bars, and cultural experiences under one roof. This is one of Laura’s favorite places. We ordered some Croquettes at the Croqueteria, and then some Pastéis de nata (a traditional Portuguese custard filled tart) from the Manteigaria. . Laura loves these pasties and told us she needs to have one everyday she is in Lisbon.
Next we found our Tuk-tuk driver and started our adventure learning about the neighborhoods and history of Lisbon. Note, there are a ton of Tuk-tuk drivers in this area trying to get you to take a ride. I am not sure many would have the knowledge our driver had. I would recommend going thorough Airbnb Experiences to do this tour.
Ready to ride!
Then, we took a tuk-tuk tour through all the back streets and neighborhoods. Our driver was great. He was born here and knew all the areas and had many stories. So many neighborhoods. Lots of small cobblestone streets and hills!!!! Wall art, and historic buildings. Many have been ruined by earthquakes but they make the buildings much safer today.
We also saw parts of the old Aqueducts built in 1731-1799. This gravity fed system brought fresh water to Lisbon from 58 km away. It is considered on of the greatest feats of the 18th century.
There was a lot of wall art throughout the city. Here are just a few.
Peace Guard by American artist Shepard Fairey (the artist behind Obama’s HOPE poster)
We went to the harbor. Found a place to sample a Guinness to add to my Guinness Around the World blog.
The Couch Sports Bar
To continue my quest to sample and taste Guinness in every country I travel to, Laura found a bar for me on the Tagus River close to where we will be catching our boat for our sunset cruise. See my Guinness Around the World Blog for details on the tasting.
Laura had setup a sunset cruise with Lisbon Sailing with Mario. The two hour tour took us past many of the city's most emblematic locations: Terreiro do Paço, Cristo Rei, the 25th of April Bridge, the iconic Belém Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, the Electricity Museum, and the MAATMusic, wine and pasteis de nata. The captain was also from the area and had many stories as well. The evening had a bit of haze, but it was beautiful. Always great to see a city from the water.
Laura, Sandy, Mario and myself
After the boat cruise, we took a Bolt back to the Airbnb. Our host had recommended a local Portuguese restaurant called Insaciável, so we decided to check it out.
Insaciável
Insaciável is a small wine bar near our Airbnb. We decided to try it for dinner. The food and wine list features mainly Portuguese specialities from small producers. It was interesting placing a wine order. There was no wine list. The wine steward would ask us what we liked. Sandy wanted dry white, I wanted a dry red, Laura wanted an orange wine. The wine steward brought 2 bottles of each type of wine we requested (6 bottles) for us to try. Fun Experience! The food was tapas style and very good.
