gotta love me some Lisbon
"chicken... beach... clams..."
The beach, the breeze, the chicken and the clams... boy is Lisbon the way to go. It's just a super chilled and relaxing place to be. My family and I stayed at our good friend's house in Estoril just outside of Lisbon and boy does he have nice view. You can see the sea and the houses on the beaches. There is plenty to eat and to do. The night we arrived we decided to eat at Frango's, who is famous for their rotisserie chickens... AMAZING. The fries are to die for and sitting outside was wonderful time with a pitcher of Sangria (deprival of sangria since we had just left Barcelona.)
We decided to take a drive up to the Penha Palace, Sintra and my was it quite a steep drive. We kept going up this mountain to a point where we parked it at the mid lot and walked to get the shuttle to take us to the palace. Super colourful, very eccentric looking, this castle was built in the 1839 and was inhabited by many royals. This was quite a fairytale looking palace. You can find out more here.
We then went to lunch at one of uncle Calvin's favourite restaurants: Al Fresco (we have been witnessing many dishes from this restaurant via Facebook and we just had to go and experience it for ourselves.) Dining outside on the patio, with the view of the casino in Estoril, the sun kept us in the mood for more sangria. Pasta was a big thing and you could order it to your liking (example spaghettini with a light tomato sauce) and were quite filling. The Zabaione was to die for, super rich and super sweet but if you have never had this dessert, Al Fresco makes it the best.
My sister and mum went to the beach, while the rest of us relaxed at home and enjoyed the sea breeze. The ice creams were to die for - classic cornetto and a new vendor from Austria, Moo Moo, served handmade and organic ice cream. Try the hazelnut and the pistachio - absolutely and super nutty! We also bought the best IN THE WORLD (not joking) portuguese egg tarts. A line up worth waiting in, Café Pastéis de Belém make the best egg tarts.
The next day we took a stroll in Lisbon, paid a visit to the Hard Rock Café for some souvenirs, to Pinóquio for the best clams ever seasoned with pork, and postcard shopping. We had been sending postcards constantly throughout the trip for friends who'd appreciate the thought; we love sharing our experiences. We went up and down the city and went to the waterfront where we saw a bridge like the Golden Gate in San Fran.
Before the evening was to begin, we went for a walk on the beach and took many photos with my sister. We chased seagulls, pigeons along the beach and looked forward to having drinks on the shore. For dinner we went to Casa Verde right beside Frango's, where they served very warming dishes such as seafood stews and a lot more. The clams were once again delicious and the service were real nice. Our time in Portugal was about to end and we really enjoyed ourselves in Europe, but it was time to finally head to the motherland. England here we come!