Straight Back to Lisbon

You must think I really like Lisbon!

Actually, from the island, our only options are to Lisbon or Boston (or Toronto, but I am least likely to head that way, although it might be nice!).  When we head to mainland Europe, our entry point is always Lisbon.  There is usually a long lay over.  This time, for our trip to Italy, we decided to stay a full day in Lisbon.

 

After learning that some meat meals on airlines can prove questionable, Ryan now orders the veggie meal with me.  This time we got a nice grilled cheese with tomatoes.  This airline always gives snacks, and they are always sandwiches.

We stayed at the NH Campo Grande.

Since we had all afternoon, we headed out for some sightseeing. 

 

On the way we passed this.  Look familiar?  It’s the same store we shop at on the island.

Then we hopped on a bus.  Too bad the bus did not go where it was supposed too, and somewhere along the line my blood sugar dropped and I was not OK.  We got off the buss when we realized we turned off course, and looked for food.

We stopped just in time!  Then we caught the bus on the way back and got off at the right stop.  We passed by Jeronimo’s Monastery on the way to the Tower of Belem.

 

We also pass this fun museum here, which is a tribute to Christopher Columbus.

Does this bridge look familiar?  It is by the same designer of the Golden Gate bridge, and therefore is the sister bridge.

Here we are approaching the Tower of Belem.

Here I am!

 

It looks a little like a castle.

 

A cruise ship was leaving the port.

 

Then we took a cab to the end of the main walking street/shopping street area.  This is a major square right at the water’s edge (which is behind me).

In the distance you can see the bridge behind us.  Before we were on the other side.

More pictures of the square and the big monument.

This first picture is from one side, and then the second is once we crossed over inside.

They do have cable cars here.

Then we started to get in to the dinner area.  Look at the size of those claws!

Lots of seafood.

I thought this was hilarious!  Anyone drink Port?

More statues and monuments.

 

They even have an area called Restauradores, with lots of restaurants.

 

Fiddler on the Roof was playing.  I took this picture specifically for my aunt.

Then we settled in for dinner at an Indian restaurant.  Curious why we went to Indian when in Lisbon?  We actually needed a break from Portuguese food.  Although fresh fish would be nice, we get that all the time, in the same type of cooking style and flavors.  We ate at O Sitar, which is where I ate last summer with my mom and Joe.

Once we sat down we enjoyed some Indian beer.  We get Portuguese beer all the time, so this was a welcomed change.

Plus, we love Indian food, so this was perfect.  We started with some papadum, and then had some naan bread.

We ordered vegetable paneer and then vegetable korma.  Both were excellent.

 

Oh, and of course we ordered rice.

 

I almost had a Ginjinha, but I passed.  This is a traditional sour cheery liquor from Portugal.

But we did stop for some ice cream for dessert.

YUM!

 

So that was about all we fit in this time in Lisbon, before heading off to Venice!  Next stop…Italy!!!

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever been to the Golden Gate Bridge?  Have you ever been to Lisbon?  Do you like Indian food?

Guest Post: IRELAND - céad mile fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes)

One of my closest and oldest (AKA longest) friends, Meredith, recently went traveling abroad.  Mer and I have known each other since we were like 5 or so, but really only became friends in high school, and then even went to college together.  She met her husband at college, so he is really one of the gang.  Not to mention, he is from our hometown too, which is a nice coincidence.  Since I getting ready to head on my trip to Italy, she has been kind enough to share with my readers about her trip to Ireland.  She also has some amazingly beautiful pictures to share.

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I recently traveled to Ireland with my husband, Matt, in honor of his 30th B-day. Apparently, turning the big 3-0 warrants a trip to Smithwicks, Guinness and Jameson :) After an hour delay at BWI, were

off to Ireland via Logan Airport in Boston. We arrived in Dublin about 6am local time, picked up our right-hand-drive rental car and were off to our 1st stop, Kilkenny. Matt was immediately comfortable

driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Gaelic is the official language of Ireland and although no one speaks it, all of the road signs are written in both Gaelic and English.

After an hour power-nap at the hotel, were off to start exploring. This was a small town with lots of charm! We visited The Smithwicks (pronounced Smiddicks) Brewery & St. Francis Abbey

St. Canice Cathedral

and Kilkenny Castle which had a beautiful park behind it (cue power-nap #2, I hate overnight flights)

For dinner, we picked a place with a familiar name, Matt the Millers. We enjoyed what seemed to be a big trend for the trip, a basket of deep fried items (Fries, Chicken Tenders and Mini-Sausages) as well as Goat Cheese Tartlets. I also found all of these condiments on our table, so many dipping options!

The next morning, well rested, we were off to the Blarney/Cork area.

When we arrived at Blarney Castle, it was gloomy and drizzling. As we began our journey

upward to kiss the stone, the weather became sunny and quite warm. Feeling all four seasons in one day is quite common in Ireland. Kissing the stone is said to endow the kisser with great eloquence

(AKA the gift of gab). Neither Matt nor I really need MORE of this “gift,” but we each kissed the store, regardless. You lie on your back, and with the help of two metal bars, reach down and out a very

high window to touch the actual stone.

Around the castle, there is a Nature Walk (Rock Close)

and a Poison Garden, which I found to be very interesting. It contains a collection of poisonous plants from all over the world including Absinthe (Wormwood), Poppy & Salvia. Some plants even

had cages around them (Mandrake, Nightshade & Wolfsbane).

That night we stayed in Killarney. Killarney is a small town with a

cute downtown area. Here is where we discovered Murphy’s Ice Cream (made in

Ireland). We shared a cup of 2 flavors - Guinness and Jameson of

course!

We explored St. Mary’s Cathedral and Killarney National
Park (including Ross Castle).

All that adventure makes ya thirsty, so we stopped for a pint. I had a Bulmers Cider (it’s called

Magners in the USA) and Matt enjoyed a Guinness. In Ireland (and possibly other areas in Europe), you can order a half pint or a glass of draugh beer (10oz). This is something I have talked about for

YEARS! Sometimes I don’t want a whole draught beer and I have been known to say “I wish I could just get a small beer.” Well, in Ireland, I could :)

After 2 nights in Killarney, we headed north towards Galway (a bigger city). We stopped at The
Cliffs of Moher, which are a finalist in the “New Seven Wonders of Nature” (to be announced in Nov 2011). I have included a few photos, but they certainly do not do this fantastic phenomena justice!

We also drove through Burren National Park and met some furry friends.

Our 1st night in Galway, we celebrated “1/2 way through the trip” with a nicer dinner at KC Blake’s Brasserie. I started with a salad of Rocket (Arugula), Feta, Pine Nuts, Pom Seeds and Matt had an

interesting creation of Asparagus wrapped in ham with a Poached Duck Egg atop a Panfried Boxty Cake (Irish Potato Griddle Cake).

For the main course, I had Chicken atop mushroom risotto and Matt had

Braised Pork Belly with Creamy Mash, Roast Apple Puree.

In the morning, we enjoyed another staple of our trip; a “Full Irish Breakfast” for Matt (an Egg, Black and White Pudding, Baked Beans, Bacon and Sausage - sometimes served with a tomato and/or french

fries) and Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Toast for me.

In Galway, we visited the Galway Bay area called Claddagh (like the rings).

After 2 nights in Galway, we ditched our rental car and took the train west to the City of Dublin, the last stop on our Tour of Ireland. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, holds about 25% of country’s

population. The 1st afternoon we explored the cobblestone streets of Temple Bar (pubs/restaurants) and walked around part of the city. Some highlights were the interesting bridges (each one is different), the James Joyce statue (Matt was an English Major in addition to Computer

Science), The Church (an old Church that is now a bar) and the oldest houses in Dublin.

In the evening, we went to Leo Burdock, a famous Fish -N- Chips restaurant. Our waiter was an

Ex-Pat from Delaware who immediately recognized our Mid-Atlantic accents.

After dinner, we visited a fabulous “tourist trap” pub with Traditional Irish Music called Oliver St. John Gogartys. Prices were a little higher, but the music and atmosphere were worth it! About 75% of all pubs boast LIVE “Traditional Irish Music” nightly. The next morning was Matt’s 3-0 (as well as the Royal Wedding). In the morning we went to see The Book of Kells at Trinity College (no photography allowed inside the exhibit) and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Then we went to Guinness. I have to say, I have been on A LOT of brewery tours, this one was by

far the best. The tour ended with a free pint in the 7th floor Gravity bar with 360 views of the city. We befriended a bartender who gave Matt an extra B-day pint, made a “30” in his foam (they usually

make shamrocks for the ladies) AND got on the microphone to have the entire bar sing happy birthday to him! HA! I would have died, but he loved it :)

Keeping with the drinking theme for the day of celebration, we headed

to the Jameson
Distillery, followed by a pint at The Brazen Head (the oldest pub in Dublin).

That evening we had dinner at a restaurant called Elephant & Castle (I love elephants, so it was an obvious choice). They had “Maryland” crab cakes on the menu, so we had to try them. They were fried (like so many things in Ireland), and although I personally prefer broiled,

they were pretty tasty!

In the morning of our last day in Ireland, we visited Dublin Castle which is now used for government offices and events (when Queen Elizabeth II visited Ireland , the reception was held at Dublin Castle).

We had dinner at The Porterhouse Brewing Company, one of the only craft breweries we could find. We enjoyed a Pint (and a half pint) of their Oyster Stout (very tasty) and dined on bangers and mash as our last meal.

Ireland was an absolutely wonderful vacation and I highly recommend it to anyone! It was very easy to get around by car or by train. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip and seeing a few photos

as well. For over 1,500 photos CLICK HERE. Sláinte!

**Follow all of Matt and Mer’s adventures HERE!