Day 23: Lisbon

Santa Justa Elevator costs 1 euro to ascend but somehow we managed to find a secret route which enable us to get to the top for free. Since the observation deck is built against a hill, the top of the tower will be level with the summit of the hill. Hence, one can simply hike up the hill to gain a free entry onto the top deck.

Even Gonçalo doesn't know about this!

The top of the observation deck offered a fantastic view of the city skyline. Most buildings have painted red roofs, which made the whole city sizzled with character.


Convento do Carmo, with its characteristic missing roof.

Convento do Carmo was devastated in the 1755 earthquake and it remained roofless today. Today, the whole place is used as an open air theatre with an orchestra playing there. Sounds cool. I can imagine the evening sun casting long shadows within the compounds while the orchestra is in full swing. Hmm... a truly unique experience.


St Geroge's Castle (left) and Rossio Square (right). Notice the lush canopy within the castle premises.

From our vintage point, it gave us a commanding view of the surroundings, with the castle nicely nestled under the foliage. Under the clear blue skies, Rossio Square is magically awashed in the bright sunshine.

Lisbon enjoys cool and moderate winter days. Here, you can feel the warmth of the sun penetrating through your clothes and impinging on your skin. In Sweden, the sun's presence is betrayed by the freezing temperatures.

Initially, we had planned to visit Sintra, where the National Palace is located. Its unique architecture stands out from the rest of the European palaces and it's hailed as a must-see landmark in Lisbon. However, due to the lack of time, Gonçalo introduced Cascais as part of an impromptu itinerary.


Cascais

Cascais is a rich district as well as a summer getaway. Its fine beaches offered excellent spots for sun bathing as well as surfing. We spent some time watching the mightly Altantic waves crashing against the Portuguese coast.

I've always enjoyed watching the waves. Each wave is unique in its own way. It's interesting to watch them roll across the ocean until they crash onto the coastline with a deafening roar.


Huge spring roll. Gonçalo couldn't comprehend why we were able to use chopstick to eat spring rolls!

As a show of gratitude for Gonçalo for being such a hospitable host, we treated him to a nice dinner in a Chinese restaurant recommended by him. We ordered some sumptuous dishes. It was kinda interesting when he ordered the dishes for us in Portuguese. He communicated with the waitress in the local language but we ordered in Mandarin. Then, the waitress decided to switch to English so as to make everything easier. You don't have to be a perfect master in a language but a linguist is what impresses me the most.

Hot and sour soup was on my menu and I offered Gonçalo my share. It stung his tongue so much that he exclaimed, "How can you drink this?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Nope, I think it's ok for me."

"You are crazy!" came the reply.

Next, came the spring roll. He was amateurish in handling the chopsticks but he could manage it pretty well. However, after a few attempts, he gave up. The spring roll was huge and we had difficulties ourselves, let alone him. He was amazed and watched us in disbelief when we picked up the spring roll without much effort.

However, when the next dish came, he handled the chopsticks pretty well after observing us holding in the proper technique. It was only towards the end of the last few dishes when he decided to switch to spoon and fork.

He realised that he had taken too much time to eat fried rice.