The trip from Cyprus to Cabo Verde is not difficult, but it was impossible to do in a single day. We flew to Athens and then to Lisbon, and then to Mindelo, the second largest city in Cabo Verde. Tons of Americans are moving to Portugal, so we thought we’d extend our layover by a day to see if we liked it. (Laurel was in Lisbon and Porto, for about a week, and John had never been.) Like everyone else, we loved Lisbon! Our airport hotel, the Star Inn, was fantastic, with everything you want in an airport hotel, including a 24-hour bar and breakfast starting at 2 am. Also, a very clear theme, which they extended throughout (hint: it’s got something to do with stars).
But we’d better backtrack: we got rid of more stuff in Turkey, and bought a smaller suitcase. Purchasing this suitcase was great fun – in Istanbul they sell them everywhere – and Laurel was determined to get a bargain. She did (if you don’t count her hourly rate): the suitcase cost $20/£16! Or maybe she didn’t. That suitcase made it to Cyprus without a hitch but failed miserably on either its third or its fourth flight, when one of the wheels came clean off. John thinks you get what you pay for. Laurel suspects sabotage on the part of a baggage handler, painstakingly building his own suitcase. (You may remember that we are sometimes heartless with luggage.) In any case, we now have a different new suitcase, which cost substantially more than the previous. Let’s hope it makes it through at least ten times as many flights as the previous one.
Ok; back to Lisbon: very hilly, which means good views. Very close to water, which means better views, and also lots of seafood. We got to eat some of our favourite foods in Lisbon, including bacalhau, vinho verde, and especially pasteis de nata. (Great news: they have all three in Cabo Verde, in great quantities, so we’ll have more to say about them soon!)
One of the reasons we felt ok staying at an airport hotel is that the Lisbon metro gets you from the airport to downtown Lisbon in about 30 minutes (unlike the Istanbul metro). So off we went. We got off at Rossio (as it’s known: the official name is King Pedro IV Square), which is a lovely square with a column and statue of said king in it. From there we walked down the Rua Augusta (only for pedestrians!), through the Rua Augusta arch to the Praça do Comércio (Plaza of Commerce) and the pier beyond (above). It was a grand spectacle: the day was sunny and warm, with lots of people there, being serenaded by street musicians.
We took a quick look at the Lisbon Cathedral (12th century) and then walked through hilly streets abounding with shops and restaurants. They say you shouldn’t miss taking Tram 28, which goes through some of the oldest streets in Lisbon, creaking and jerking the whole time. So take it we did! We got out at the Largo Portas do Sol (Gates of the Sun), which afforded spectacular views of the water and was full of people and street musicians.
We eventually made our way back to the centre of town and had a look at the Santa Justa Lift. It’s an elevator built in 1912 with terrific views of the city. Alas, there were many people in the queue, it was getting late, and we had to buy a new suitcase.
It was a quick trip but an exhilarating one. Beautiful architecture, great food, very walkable. Lisbon has lots of what we like in a city. We’ll be back! (In fact, we’ll be back in March, on our way to our next destination…)
