April 28, 2025

We love Lisbon! Perhaps it is the familiarity – we’ve been here many times – but we also find it beautiful. The city sits on the wide Tagus River, rising from the banks in steep hills. It is a combination of styles, from classical to Moorish. The buildings are covered in colorful tiles. Only Athens is an older European capital city.

We had a beautiful daylight sail up the Tagus River, past the old Belém Tower, the more modern Monument to the Discoveries, the 25 de Abril Bridge and the Christ the King statue on the far side of the river (inspired by Rio’s Christ the Redeemer).

We dock at the foot of the Alfama neighborhood. It is a labyrinth of narrow, twisting streets and alleys leading from the Castle of São Jorge at the top of the hill to the river. We usually like to take a taxi or tram to our official starting point and work our way back to the dock.

Chongae and I knew exactly what we wanted to do.

Creamy pasteis de nata—that flaky, not-too-sweet, custard-filled pastry the Portuguese are known for… warm octopus cooked to a little crisp on the edges… gently spiced cod cakes… marinated olives… prawns in herbed butter. Which would it be?

We’ve gotten a taste (and developed an appreciation) for the rich “square” life of Lisbon as in many European cities, quarters are tight and few people have yards, so the “public” space becomes your yard. It’s true here in Lisbon, where tiny kiosks in the square sell expresso coffee, and little snacks… readers turn the pages of their books… and small children play while their parents chat, a pastry in hand. If you are lucky you can lean into café-table conversations.

We were ready to begin our food tour…but it was not to be!

As we approached our starting point a total electrical blackout hit the Iberian Coast impacting most of Portugal and Spain. No electricity equals= no traffic lights, no trains running, airports closed, and most disturbing no expresso machines! (only kidding, kind of) Also no credit cards could be used so I saw how dependent people are on that plastic as the lines to get some amount of Euros grew long.

We are lucky that the ship generates its own electricity, so we returned to enjoy the rest of the day before departing for Porto, Portugal. It was interesting to see a dark Lisbon as we departed.

Well, we can always dream until next time.

Thanks for traveling with us.