Lisboa

The first words that come to mind when thinking about Lisbon are color, warmth, intimacy. The narrow serpentine streets of the Alfama neighborhood where we stayed provided, on the one hand, privacy from the hordes of tourists and vehicular traffic, yet on the other we were always under the watchful gaze of our local neighbors, often times older women hanging out at the window or hanging laundry up out the window. Alfama is the oldest and arguably most charming neighborhood in Lisbon – by morning we enjoyed navigating cobblestone paths non-existent on maps to hit up a trendy breakfast nook or to rush to a bakery to get a classic pastel de nata custard pastry to-go before joining a tour. By evening we climbed up to lookouts to enjoy sunset over the city.

Stay out of the center, and you easily forget that you are in a capital city.

*The rooftop of the building in front of where we stayed was a short leap from our balcony.*
*Despite this, no leaps were taken.*

The Lisbon Cathedral dates back to the 12^th century, though there are traces of a potential mosque from as early as the 8^th century, and even vestiges of a Roman presence dating back 2000 years on this site. The obviously newer stone at the top and crenellations were added during relatively recent renovations to give the cathedral a more “medieval” and decidedly more fortress-y look.

*Azulejos* as building décor became extremely popular in the 19^th century when the process of hand-painting each tile was industrialized and azulejos were available to the masses. One guide said that if you looked closely, most buildings would have one tile that was rotated so as not to be perfect. We spent a lot of time searching for the purposeful imperfections.

From the lookout point Portas do Sol we enjoyed views of our neighborhood, sun, and incredible street musicians.
If only the French Bulldog had a t-shirt with a Frenchman on it.