Lisbon Day 1

We arrived to the city early. A 10:30am arrival is terrible for getting through jet lag quickly, yet here we are. We took a Bolt (a competitor to Uber) from the airport to our hotel. They let us check in early, which was wonderful. After getting settled and cleaned up, we walked across the street to enjoy a cup of coffee. Sufficiently fueled, we set out to explore with the primary goal of lunch & groceries. 

Our Bolt driver told us to walk across the street from the place he dropped us for lunch. And this is how we discovered El Corte Inglese, a mega department store with multiple departments per level. There’s a level for just clothing, another one just for food, another for home goods, another for electronics, and you can get into it from the subway stop São Sebastião. How convenient! 

Rested, we decided to go exploring and in particular, went looking for views. We walked to a funicular called Ascensor Glória. And for 4.40€ we rode it up. It dropped us near to Miradouro São Pedro de Alcãntara where we got some amazing views.

Then, we kinda meandered finding various places that looked interesting, en route to Elevador de Santa Justa. We walked through the Carmo neighborhood which has ruins of the church and monestary which were destroyed in the earthquake on All Saints Day in 1755. The Elevador de Santa Justa is what it sounds like: an elevator! This is an another popular place for views. 

On our decent we paused to notice the scene around us was intense — people were laboring a steep climb and the streets were busy filled with cars, motorcycles, buses, cable cars and Tuk Tuks. It was almost like there were no traffic rules, yet very specific ones at the same time. It’s not for the faint of heart.  Everywhere you looked there were Tuk Tuks filled with tourists or lined up waiting to be filled by tourists. A Tuk Tuk looks like a golf cart that only has one wheel in front. As we walked near Plaza do Carmo, we found Guy the Tuk Tuk Guy. And for 80€ we got an exhilarating tour of historic Alfama part of Lisboa. 

Here are more pics from today

The church here was significantly damaged by the 1755 earthquake. Reconstruction work started in 1756 but it was stopped in 1834 when the religious orders in Portugal were abolished, leaving the naves without cover and the chapels incomplete. You can visit the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo in the ruins of the church and the Museum of National Republican Guard.

The Santa Justa Elevator, also referred to as the Carmo Elevator, is a public transport system, located in the center of the city of Lisbon. It connects Rua do Ouro and Rua do Carmo to Largo do Carmo and is one of the most interesting monuments in downtown Lisbon. It consists of a metal tower where two cabins circulate, and a walkway that connects the upper floor to the Carmo area. The elevator structure is made of cast iron, and uses a scheme inspired by the neo-Gothic style.The elevator opened in 1902 and for 6€, you can ride it.

We walked around in the Alfalma area with our Tuk Tuk driver. Rather than take the iconic no. 28 tram that takes tourists up the steep streets of Alfama, to places like Miradouro da Graça terrace, the 11th-century São Jorge Castle, we took the Tuk Tuk. This was nice because our driver walked around with us and showed us around. Here, we learn about dreamy Fado music and hope to go out here at night to listen.

This is where we ended our Tuk Tuk adventure. This square has the Arco da Rua Augusta which was built after the 1755 earthquake and is done in the style of the Arc Triomphe in Paris. The the center of the square is the Equestrian Statue of King José I. Across is the subway,