Great Escapes: Gentle Days in Lisbon

Lisbon had been on the list of places I wanted to visit for some time. I had initially imagined going in the spring or late summer to make the most of those warm Southern European days.  As it happened I went in mid November which turned out to be a perfectly lovely time to go.  Like many other places, November is not the busiest tourist month in Lisbon.  Too close to Christmas for many and too little sunshine for others.

Gentle Travel

Some trips are made for wall to wall sight seeing and the aim is to fit in as much as possible. Others, and the sort I favour, are about more gentle days.  Days of wandering and people watching and eating and absorbing.

This was the approach we took to our time in Lisbon.  It seemed to suit the early winter mood of the city well, and made the days we spent in Lisbon gentle and reflective.

Sleeping

A weekend break should  be restorative and nourishing in every way.  Sleeping and eating are both vital ingredients and choosing the right place to stay is an essential part of that.  We stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel within the walls of the Castle. Solar Do Castelo  describes itself as a small mansion which is a fitting description.  Built over two floors, around a pretty courtyard, with its own muster of peacocks, it feels very special, but not in the least pretentious.  Terracotta coloured walls, an out door seating area and pots filled with plants (and pumpkins when we were there), makes for a pretty view from the breakfast cum sitting room.

Breakfast was always a leisurely and relaxed affair, plenty of coffee, a good selection of hot and cold food and of course irresistible, rich, creamy pastal de nata.  One of the other things which made this such a restorative place to stay was the comfortable sofas, the availability of tea, coffee, water and other delicacies throughout the day and an honesty bar.  The time spent in the hotel added to our overall feeling of rest and relaxation.

Eating

Meal times in all of the restaurants and cafes we visited were relaxed and the food was always of a good quality.  Fish is a feature of most menus, and we regularly dined on platters of cheese and hams.  We soon developed a daily pastel de nata habit and of course tasted lots of port too.  Sitting in a bar with a glass or port or wine and a plate of cheese, chatting and discussing was time  well spent.

Wanderings

Lisbon is made for gentle wandering.  In fact the nature of the steep and windy streets often mean it makes more sense to wander slowly on foot rather than risk 4 wheels.  Streets regularly take unexpected turns. Tall, slightly wonky buildings with washing strewn across them are the norm, as are, doorways in walls leading to who knows where. Lisbon has plenty of nooks and crannies to nosey into.

     

The Flea Market

Being in Lisbon over a weekend meant we could take full advantage of the wonderful flea market.  A stroll around a market is always something I love to do in other countries.  All of life gathers in markets to buy and sell and haggle, to eat and drink and put the world to rights. As a tourist of course it is never possible to wander inconspicuously but trying to blend with the locals is always fun. People watching, and trying to imagine the stories of those that live and work there is part of the joy of travel.  Markets provide ample opportunities for this.  The flea market in Lisbon stocks everything from clothes to jewellery to ceramics, vintage books and magazines and everything you never knew you needed.  I like to try and buy something local if possible and on this occasion came away with a pink tea cup and a prettily decorated bowl.

The Cemetery

Not everyones cup of tea I agree, but I quite enjoy a wander around a cemetery (Highgate in London being a favourite)  We hadn’t necessarily intended to visit a cemetery but after riding the full length of the number 28 tram (which is definitely not gentle) this is where we found ourselves. The large cemetery, which was very quiet was a welcome and gentle antidote to the mode of transport we took to get there, as was a mooch in the surprisingly warm sunshine.

The Castelo de S. Jorge

We could see this castle from the window of our hotel room and so we didn’t have to wander far to pay it a visit.  Built during the Moorish period, it sits at the top of a hill, looking down on the rest of the city.  This collection of yellowy stone walls and buildings provide some wonderful vantage points and their are lots of walls to walk on and towers to gaze at.  On a sunny November Monday morning it was a lovely place to amble through, enjoying the soft morning light and reflecting on battles won and lost there. 

A Little Further Afield – Sintra

Sintra is a little more than a wander, but, it is an easy 40 minute train ride from Lisbon.  Long enough to drink a coffee and watch the world go by before making the walk from the station up to the centre of Sintra.  There are many reasons to go to Sintra, particularly out of season, when I imagine it is much quieter and the pace is more gentle.  Our reasons were to see the myriad of interesting buildings and streets, but apart from that we had little agenda. A damp drizzly day as it turned out was ideal weather for a meander around Sintra with its windy streets, atmospheric gothic palaces, tree lined roads and misty forests.

Whilst there we visited Quinta De Regaleria.  A gothic palace set in lush green gardens with secret passages and a well which looks like an upside down tower.  The raindrops on the moss and plants and the low lying clouds certainly added to the atmosphere.  

In the centre of Sintra is The National Palace which dates back as far as the 11th century.  We were struck by its rooms decorated from almost floor to ceiling in the characteristic blue moorish tiles so prevalent in this part of the world,  It was very quiet and we had an easy walk through the rooms and into the pretty courtyards, no crowds, no tour guides and no selfie sticks! We loved it.

Like Lisbon, Sintra has its fair share of cafes and wine bars and places to drink port.  Missing the train we had intended to take back to Lisbon proved to be fortuitous as we found a suitable bar in which to settle down with a glass of red wine and some local delicacies.  Definitely time well spent and a relaxing and gentle way to end our time in Sintra.

Coming and Going

To get the best of short breaks I feel they have to be easy.  If going abroad, a relatively short flight, minimal time distance and no long airport transfer.  Lisbon ticks all these boxes.  Around 2 1/2 hrs from London, no time difference and  a short 20 minute or so transfer time.  We stayed in Lisbon for 3 days which felt long enough to get a sense of the city, whilst leaving me with an appetite to make a return trip some day.