Three Reasons to Love Lisbon

On my blog, Facebook, and Instagram profiles, I describe myself as a former educator, sewist, traveler, author, and blogger. In this post, I can check two of those boxes by filling the role of travel blogger. I recently had the opportunity to travel to three amazing cities in Portugal and Spain. My first stop: Lisbon.

Here are Three reasons to love Lisbon:

Beautiful Tilework

The first thing you will notice about Lisbon is the amazing tilework. Originally introduced by the Moors in the 13th century, they were used to decorate the sides of buildings and pathways. You have to admire a culture that took the time to decorated even the paths you walk along. There is a Tile Museum in the city that traces the history of these iconic designs in tile throughout Lisbon’s history.

Pasteis de Nata

Ok…this alone would warrant a trip to Lisbon. Pasteis de Nata ( Pastel de Nata is singular, but you will never use this term because you won’t want to buy just one, trust me), Portugal’s famous custard pastries can be found all over the city. We found these in the Time Out Market, but the most famous place to eat pasteis de nata is in the district of Santa Maria de Belem at the Fabrica de Pasteis. We had one (um, maybe two) each morning with tea or coffee for breakfast. Best served warm with a dusting of cinnamon.

Seafood and Beverages

If you are a seafood lover, Lisbon is the place! We also sampled local drinks including ginja ( Portuguese liquor made by infusing a cherry-like berry with alcohol and sugar. The edible berry is included, watch out for the pit), green (young) wine sangria, and port.

In conclusion I’m going to borrow something I wrote on a recent FB post:

Lisbon: an ancient city of astonishing tiles, blue sky, white-washed buildings with terra cotta roofs, grilled sardines, seafood stew, cod cakes, flakey, creamy Pasteis da Nata, many cultures blend with tourists, countless Ubers and tuk-tuks, green wine sangria, impossibly narrow roads wind up steep hills, bring sturdy walking shoes and watch your step, but the view from the top is worth it.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I take you to two of Spain’s beautiful cities!