Snap Krackle 'n Pop!: The city of the seven hills.....

We headed out to Lisboa, Caiscais, and Fatima in our rented Mercedes/Benz. The drive was probably one of the highlights of our trip, as we were now free to experience the Spanish and Portuguese countryside like regular Europeans. Once on the turnpike, we were in absolute awe of the varied landscapes of acre-upon-acre of endless groves of olive trees. The kaleidoscope of colors in the Castilian landscape took my breath away. To say it was magnificent was an understatement.

Castilian landscape

We finally found ourselves crossing the famous Ponte 25 de Abril into the outskirts of Lisbon. The Cristo Rei, the larger-than-life statue of Christ on the southern shore of the Tejo River, welcomes visitors with outstretched arms as it does all visitors to the Old World city.

Cristo Rei

We continued on our way, until we reached our destination, the Dom Sancho Hotel. Conveniently located in a very accessible and attractive part of Lisbon and within walking distance to Praça Restauradores and Marquĕs de Pombal, the small and quaint, yet updated and well-maintained hotel, faces a lovely and tidy park.

plaza across from our hotel

After checking into the hotel, we were ready for dinner. As we walked the short distance to the main square, I was impressed with the cobblestone sidewalks of contrasting colors and designs. And when we turned the corner and came upon the largest plaza in Lisbon, I felt as if we were looking through a peephole that seemed to open wide, and pull us into the hubbub of tourists and locals alike.

one of many plazas

Other than in New York City, I had never experienced being surrounded by so many different people in one particular area. From an aerial view, the people must have looked like ants scurrying here, there, and everywhere, each with a definite plan of action. We immediately fell into the groove. Moving along to Lisbon’s beat, we were fast becoming like regular Europeans. Taking to the streets for three days we toured Lisbon the only way to do it—on foot, when back home it was on a rare occasion that we walked the mere three blocks to CVS.

The Titanic Exhibit

I seemed to have come alive and was experiencing boundless energy. Such was the vibe in Lisbon and so easy to fall into. Because it was getting late, not wanting to waste a second of precious time, after a quick bite at good old McDonald’s, we were ready to experience the Lisbon nightlife. We passed up the chance to see an exhibit on the sinking of the Titanic, and keeping pace with the hoards of people, we found ourselves as ringside spectators, immersed in a merrymaking circle—a capoeira street performance was in full apogee. Along with other spectators, we moved to the pulsating beat, as the capoeira dancers sang, clapped, and danced to the sound of the drums, all the while performing quick complex moves using power, speed, and leverage for leg sweeps. After our capoeira high, we hit the bar at the Hard Rock Café, where we treated ourselves to an ice-cold beer each.

Impressive Building

And while it seemed that in Brussels it was more about the younger crowd, we found that in Lisbon as in Madrid, more mature people were out and about and enjoying the sensual summer nights. Our senses were overwhelmed to the point that we felt compelled to snap pictures of everything around us, including videotaping the very talented capoeira dancers. On the way back to the hotel, we leisurely browsed the shops and segued into the Mango store, where we picked up chic colorful tops for Jules and Victoria. After another exhausting yet exhilarating day, we were back in our hotel room where we dropped into twin-size beds and slept soundly through the night.

our modest room

The city of the seven hills, Lisbon is probably like no other city in the world. Anyone healthy enough to explore its mimicking-labyrinth alleyways and climb the steep narrow steps leading to its uppermost part, is in for a real adventure.

On day two, we took the challenge—an hour trek to the heights of the city, which normally wouldn’t be too difficult if one is wearing hiking shoes or comfortable walking shoes, but we were both wearing sandals. Halfway up to the Ajuda National Palace, we ventured unto an open-air kiosk, where we took the plunge and indulged our taste buds in one of the most satisfying meals of our trip. The mouth-watering robalo was served with a hearty spicy bean stew and a side order of rice and was grilled to perfection. And the full-bodied red douro from Quinta de Cotto was spot on. As was the hunk that waited on us! Without a doubt, he was one of the handsomest men we'd had the pleasure of feasting our eyes on during our trip.

After taking our order, the young man quickly disappeared into what looked like a centuries-old two-story stone structure across the tourist path. My writer’s logia guessed this was the young man’s home, and that probably a close family member did the cooking out of a small kitchen. From where we were sitting, the structure appeared to be quite small and confined, that one had to wonder where were they churning up such aromatic meals—maybe from a second floor or basement kitchen, or at a neighbor’s?!

I settled into the comfy rattan chair as I inhaled a deep breath of air, then stretched out my arms and legs and hunched my shoulders one at a time. I heard the soft cracking sounds my neck made as I turned my head in a circular motion.   “Aaaaahhhh, that felt good,” I sighed. “Now I’m ready for my Douro,” I announced as I picked up the menu.

We were seated a little ways from the main tourist path, against a wall to someone’s private residence.   As we nibbled on pao and sipped on Douro, we entertained ourselves by watching passers-by precariously make their way up the centuries-old steep and irregular steps.   Not long after we were seated, a party of four arrived and was seated at a table diagonally across from us.

After a lengthy wait of about twenty minutes, the handsome waiter reappeared with our plates—a

good sign because presumably that meant the meal had been prepared expressly for us.

Everything certainly looked and tasted superb. Needless to say both of us had the time of our

lives. Stay tune for more of our European adventures.