Month: June 2008

Posted on

Breathtaking views: Lisbon, city with 7 hills (colinas)

Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe! The ‘cidade das sete colinas’ (city of the seven hills) was originally built over seven hills on the margins of River Tagus. There’s a lot of places with marvellous views!

View from the Castelo Saint George (Castelo de São Jorge)

View from Castelo Sao Jorge Saint George

View on 25th of April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril), connecting the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada on the left bank of the Tagus River

25 April Bridge Lisbon

View on the Baixa. Terreiro do Paço (or Praça do Comércio) near de river refers to the fact that the royal palace (Paço) was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. The statue is King José I, who oversaw the rebuilding of Lisbon.

Lisbon viewTerreiro do Paco

One of Lisbon famous funiculars (electrico), the Elevador da Bica or de Santa Justa, opened on June 28, 1892. The only stepped street funicular in the city

Lisbon tram in Bica

General view on the Alfama, the oldest district of Lisbon

Lisbon general view on the Alfama

View on Praca da Figueira (Square of the Fig Tree), a beautiful large square in Lisbon’s city center, a part of the Baixa area reurbanised after the 1755 earthquake.

Lisbon overview Praca da Figueira

Praca da Figueira Lisbon

Looking for a place to stay a few days in Lisbon? My 3 bedroom apartment with lovely patio in Mouraria is close to this square

View on Largo do Rato and the Tagus River from the terrace of Mae de Agua (“Aqueduct of Free Waters”), a historic aqueduct, one of the most remarkable examples of 18th-century Portuguese engineering.

Lisbon view on the Tagus River

Posted on

High-speed train Alfa Pendular from Lisbon Oriente station & online reservation

Station Oriente is a very beautiful and very famous station, the hub for the various networks of public transportation serving the eastern area of Lisbon, with a metro station, trains, buses, taxis and easy airport links.  The station was created by master architect Santiago Calatrava with a roof of glass and steel.

Oriente Station

Station Oriente. A ticket from Lisbon Oriente Station to Faro (or vice versa) cost about 19 euro.

Alfa Pendular train

The Alfa Pendular is a very comfortable, fast and luxury train.

Address station: Ed. Gare do Oriente, piso 1 – Av. D. João II. You can buy a ticket via internet, also from International station Santa Apolonia. The best thing to do is to reserve a ticket (and a chair number) from 30 days to at least one day before your journey.

Alfa Pendular connects the cities of Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Lisbon, Albufeira and Faro, among others.

Website Alfa Pendular (online ticket reservation, from 30 days to at least one day before your journey.)

Aquaduct Lisbon

View from train Alfa Pendular

You can overlook the fine views (picture: Aquaduct in Lisbon) during the 3 -hours trip, or work: sockets for laptops are at many of the seats.

Public transport Alfa Pendular train view 25 April Bridge Lisbon downtowm

View from train Alfa Pendular : April 25 Bridge on Lisbon downtown

In the Alfa Pendular train there’s also a buffet car, mini bar, audio and video channels (ear-phones are distributed), toilets and special places reserved for reduced mobility passengers.

Alfa Pendular view Alcantara Lisbon

View from Alfa Pendular train

Alcantara Lisbon cruise port just beyond the April 25 bridge.

Posted on

Erika Reusens’ (Belgian origin) favorite places in Lisbon & short ferry trip to restaurant Farol

Bom dia! My name is Erika Reusens, I was born in Belgium, I moved to Lisbon in 2004, which was quite an adventure, because I had to start all over again.

Lisbon people Erika

Erika Reusens (Belgian origin)

“I live in a quiet part of the historic area Bairro Alto, but ‘the place to be’ when it comes to nightlife! Bairro Alto means ‘High neighborhood’, as it is on top of one of the seven hills of Lisbon. It is a maze of narrow streets filled with trendy shops, galeries, charming grocery stores, small restaurants and bars”.

Bairro Alto Rua da Rosa

Lisbon, Bairro Alto area in the afternoon

“During the day it feels like living in a small village. Old people with coloured plastic bags are coming back from the market, having a chat with eachother while they slowly climb the steepy streets. The atmosphere is very relaxed. Typical Portuguese is the hanging laundry, drying in the wind. In the shops and in the cafes people take their time to make a friendly neighbourly talk.

For me Lisbon’s Tagus river is a very important part of my life. When I wake up the first thing I do is look out of the window to see the ‘mood’ and the colour of the river: sometimes wild or as smooth as a mirror, sometimes blue or ominous dark grey. In summertime the weather is gorgeous, and, thanks to the nearby river, there’s always a nice breeze!

Lisbon and the Tagus river are inseparable: I like it very much enjoying the calm water’s river on a Cais do Sodré’s terrace, reading a bit while slowly sipping a glass of Sangria and then take a (10-minutes) ferry trip to Cacilhas to the other side of the river”.

Ferry Lisbon Cacilhas

Lisbon ferry from Lisbon to the other side of the river: Cacilhas

Cacilhas is a picturesque neighbourhood in the banks of the river best known by its Cervejarias (popular beer houses) also offering shellfish, seafood, and fresh fish.

How to get there

I can recommend restaurant/Cervejaria O “Farol“ (lighthouse) just by the boat stop, the food is ‘finger licking’ good! From restaurant ‘O Farol’ I like to make a walk along the river, after passing some abandoned and ruinous warehouses you can have lunch or enjoy a drink at the outdoor terrace of ‘Atira-te ao rio’, a small paradise with wonderful views!

Restaurarant Attira-te ao Rio

Terrace ‘Atira-te ao rio’, Brasilian cafe/restaurant: wonderful views! (2008)

More about this restaurant (2019)

“The cemetery of São João (Cementerio do Alto de São João) is a very impressive and beautiful old graveyard: the alleys, the graves, the tranquility….one of the most attractive places to admire the river Tagus as well!

Cementery Sao Joao

“For me, Lisbon is an authentic, unique city!”