To anyone who has just stepped foot inside Lisbon, it’s quickly noticeable how antique it is as a town. The buildings, houses, hotels are so quaint and slightly worn from years of families living inside them, and I love it, there’s something so homely and welcoming about it all. Even more historic than the houses is the castle in Lisbon. It’s only ruins, but the area is beautiful, and the views when you reach the top of the hill are breathtaking.
First of all you have the walk up to the castle, which is massively hilly and steep in parts. But on the upside, you pass some beautiful buildings and homes. A unique fashion in Lisbon is to tile the outside of houses, so they’re jazzy and busy looking, but they’re really amazing.
Part way up there’s a little stop, where there’s a mini square with trees and an amazing view of the river. On this day there was a two-man band playing their guitars, and a few groups of people other than us lingering around. We stopped here to take a few photos and take in the music for a while before heading on up to the top of the hill.
At the top of the castle is where the views really came into their own. All around the castle top you can see the entire town, all the buildings, and it’s stunning. We spent a good hour looking around and taking photos… these are just a few of the photos I took of the views, honestly, my phone is now stacked with photos of Lisbon views.
The floors everywhere in Lisbon are cobbled. They add a really antique touch, and you can only imagine how old they actually are and how many people have walked over them before me. Sensible, flat shoes are a must if you’re thinking of visiting Lisbon!
When it was time for the walk down, I treated myself to an ice-cream for the journey, and we headed out of the castle grounds.
By the time we got back to the bottom of the hill a few people headed to the bar to grab a drink, but I decided to head back to the hostel and have a little rest before heading out for some Lisbon shopping. This was the view out of our bathroom window…
Tomorrow I’ll be posting my last Lisbon Diary, and my last chance to reminisce about my short but lovely holiday.
xx
