Magician Pedro & Papa Leo

Today we tracked over 10 miles walking up and down the hills of Lisbon. We started off getting a cappuccino at H10 Hotel, where we strategized our days plan and met a lovely waiter named Pedro who studied for 11 years to be a magician. He’s only 23! He had fun with us showing us some tricks.

Next stop was Estrufa Fria de Lisboa, a beautiful botanical gardens with ponds and peacocks.

We tried to take Tram 28, but there was an hour wait. So, we walked up to the St. George Castle. We got hungry short of arriving so we stopped at a small eclectic local spot called Restaurant Altar Largo and had an amazing cod lunch.

The views off of the castle were stunning. Not gonna lie, the uneven cobblestone roads are killing my feet, ankles, and back. Getting a little worried about the Camino.

We came down from the castle and found a small church with a relic of the cross of Jesus. It was amazing that we almost walked right by and missed it. The Lisbon Cathedral was our next stop, and the we entered the Church of St. Anthony (Patron Saint of Lisbon). The church is built on the place where he was actually born. Next we came to Church of St. Domingo’s, which had been burnt down and rebuilt. Truly beautiful.

Becky’s favorite clothing store, Zara, just opened a four story mega store in the center of town. Before we landed there, we went to a place called Rossio, which had a nostalgic fountain where new grads have a traditional ceremony and get dunked. A Spring Market was happening with local food and crafts…totally my thing!

We walked back to our apartment just in time to see the new American Pope Leo come out in the balcony of St. Peter’s. This was really thrilling to watch! We have been praying for the Conclave ever since Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday. It is incredible how fast the selection was made and watching history be made!

After getting work done, we went back out to have a late dinner at Ramiro’s, a famous seafood restaurant. Best meal I’ve had since the last time I was in Europe!

Tomorrow is a big day traveling to Porto by car and stopping in 3 cities including Fatima.Read more