27 Before 27: First port-of-call = LISBON!

After just a few days at sea, plus nearly 2 IPAD days, we stepped off the ship at our first port-of-call – LISBON! I was very excited to visit Lisbon and the city did not disappoint. Here are a few of the sights that I visited and recommendations for future travelers:

--Mosteiro Dos Jerónimos or St. Jeronimos Monastery: My visit to the monastery could be considered two-part: first, I visited the cathedral which is Manueline in style, which to me looks like a Portuguese version of Gothic. Nice cathedral but the second part of the visit, the monastery cloisters, was ten times better and incredibly beautiful. The stone carving is so detailed and intricate; I can’t imagine how long it took to complete!

St. Jeronimos Monastery is located in Belém, an area of Lisbon that also features the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower) and the Padráo dos Descobrimentos, which is a monument to Portuguese discoverers like Vasco da Gama.

--Alfama: Alfama is a historic region of Lisbon featuring hilly, winding cobblestone roads lined with buildings covered in ornate tile. Very picturesque. In Alfama, I visited Castelo St. Jorge or St. George’s Castle. The castle itself isn’t much to write home about and was actually built in the 1960s as a replica of the castle which stood on the grounds centuries ago. However, the view is fantastic. St. George’s is located on top of a large hill and you can see all of Lisbon from the castle grounds.

--Sample the local cuisine: The Portuguese food was great and my favorite was the pastel de nata, a custard-y egg tart. I took a good sample of the pastel de nata and deemed them all good!