Lisbon - Last Day in

We woke to pouring rain on our last day in Lisbon.  Nevertheless, we wanted to make something fun out of it, so we hopped on the nearby yellow streetcar, and took it to its end in Alto Barrio.  We planned regardless of the weather to walk all the way back. 








At the end of the line is a beautiful old cathedral called Basilica de Estrela.  It was built by Queen Mary I in the 1700's to celebrate the birth of her son Jose. 









 
The dome is beautiful inside.


 

 The highlight here is the huge and beautiful, old nativity set on display in a side chapel.  It also dates back to the 1700s. 

We left the Basilica and started the walk back.  We passed the beautiful Portuguese Parliament building, which is a fine example a Palladian  architechture. 













We then walked over the different hills passing through some not so nice neighborhoods, which looked atmospheric and a little rundown until we reached the nicer downtown area.

 

We eventually made our way to the Brasileira Cafe, a real institution in regards to coffee houses in Portugal.  It is a real throwback to the glamour that was Lisbon in the 1800s.  

A Bica and a Custard Tart later, and we were ready to dive back out into the rain.

 That evening, we went back out for dinner to a small restaurant that specializes in the famous Bifana Sandwich.  It is made with pork tenderloin and grilled onions. Delicious and very inexpensive.  We both had sandwiches and wine and beer for under 15 euros.












We ended our last evening with a stroll down the main street where we were approached several times by people wanting to sell us drugs.  Interesting. . .

Ultimately, we instead chose to have one last Portuguese Custard dessert.   They are quite addictive. . .