OFF TO SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE:
Tram from Bus
Our day started with breakfast at our hotel. A nice continental plus breakfast was had. The breads were really fresh and the Pastel de Nata was tasty. We plan on using the Yellow Bus Hop On Hop Off bus for a good bit of our sight seeing. Lynn is having a bit of a rough go and this plan should work well. With our Yellow Bus pass we will have access to local trams and a river cruise along with two bus routes and a sight seeing tram route.
While our Yellow Bus tickets are good for 72 hours from activation one must go to a Yellow Bus stop to activate. Our closest stop is about 1.2 miles away.
Tram 12E stops right outside our hotel and would cost us €8 where as an Uber is €6. An Uber was called for and arrived in a minute. The vehicle was a Chinese all electric vehicle, very roomy and quiet.
One should know Lisbon was built on Seven Hills and yes, streets basically go up or down. Many are rather steep and in some cases there are stairs. To me, Lisbon is very reminiscent of Barcelona. The Uber was very welcome.
We arrived at the marked Yellow Bus Stop location and discovered the stop had been moved. Just a short one minute walk away.
Placa de Figueira is the old stop, where the stop is now located is Rossio, and there were several kiosks in the square. April 25 is Portugal’s Independence Day and it appears the festivities were grand.
At this stop we activated our tickets and soon boarded the upper deck of the Yellow Bus. We were glad to be told the the Yellow Boat River Tour would not be running tomorrow.
Thus we made a quick change of plans. Now we would stop at the MAAT where we could catch the Yellow Boat and take it to the Parca de Comercio. Here we would disembark and return for the 1400 sailing back to MAAT.
It has been several years since we have used a hop on hop off bus to see a city. I must say these are a great way to get an over view. The route we took today was blue route Belem. This route takes from the Historic Center to monuments of Belem. While riding this bus and listening to narrative is enjoyable, it is not great for serious photography.
We enjoyed the narrative as we passed many a tile decorated building. The green spaces and monuments were very impressive. In Belem we drove past the Pasteis de Belem, the home of the pasties de nata. Originating from the Belém district, these are flaky pastries with creamy custard filling. Yes there was a rather long line a couple blocks long at this location. We speculated this was due to a couple large cruise ships in port.
At the MAAT stop we got off and caught the Yellow Water Boat and journeyed up the Rio Tejo to the Parca de Comercio. The boat crew would be taking a lunch break and we did the same. On the east side of the Parca de Comercio we found the craft beer museum and had a great Bifana, a roast pork sandwich. This was very good and they fries served with it were seasoned perfectly.
We then walked back to the Yellow Boat dock and sailed down river past the Torre de Belem and the Padrao dos Descobriamentos. This is Lisbon's Monument to the Discoveries commemorates the five hundredth anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, who discovered the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde.
We disembarked the Yellow Boat and waited just a few minutes for the Yellow Bus to continue blue route Belem.
We ended our bus journey at the same stop where we started and started to walk to the tram stop to get the 12 E tram back to our hotel. What should we find but the Confeitaria Nacional.
Confeitaria Nacional is Lisbon's oldest pastry shop, established in 1829 by Balthazar Roiz Castanheiro in the heart of the city at Praça da Figueira. Over nearly two centuries, Confeitaria Nacional has withstood fires, earthquakes, and political changes, maintaining its elegance and commitment to quality. In 1873, it was honored with the status of supplier to the Portuguese royal house, a distinction it still holds today. Their pasties de nata were excellent.
Energized with the pasties de nata we made our way to the stop of Tram 12E. There was a short wait and soon we boarded for our ride back to our neighborhood.
At our stop, we decided to get our local souvenir shopping done and were successful in a one stop session.
As we have a kitchen I decided to cook our dinner tonight and will make spaghetti, supplies were procured at the local mini mart.
Finishing up the blog and will see about cooking as we are still full from our lunch.
Photo Dump -
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