Hospital da Marinha

We are staying in a very old neighbourhood called Arroios, near Mouraria and the hilltop area of Graça.

The streets are narrow and the sidewalks even narrower with barely enough space for one person to walk.
When a car goes by, you have to stop and flatten yourself against the wall in some places. Laundry hangs high up from narrow balconies and graffiti decorates almost every free wall. Parking a car is tricky as the streets are extremely inclined.

Today, we went for a walk up to the top of the hill across the street from our apartment. We headed for the highest point in Lisbon - the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. It is a pretty viewpoint with a wonderful view of the Tejo River, as well as most of the city. There are places to sit, big shade trees, and a musician playing the guitar. Nice.

We wandered through Graça checking out the giant murals and enjoying the ambiance of this part of the city. Of course, we had to stop to get an expresso and a nata. We sat in an outdoor cafe and people watched. It is a busy little area with people moving with a purpose - Saturday food shopping, kids going to birthday parties, dogs being taken for their walks and people meeting friends.

We continued walking down the winding streets and staircases and ended up at the National Pantheon and the Igreja (Church) de São Vicente. This is also where we accidentally came upon the bustling Feira da Ladra, an immense, outdoor flea market that takes place every Saturday. It was full of antique or traditional items, as well as clothes, jewellery, toys, books and food. A market of this type is thought to have been in place in Lisbon since the 12th Century, and the name "Feira da Ladra" was first mentioned in the 17th Century.

All this walking up and down steep hills made us thirsty so we stopped for lunch and a refreshing and delicious sangria before heading home to hang our laundry.

Boy, will I miss Sangria, unless I learn to make them! Uh, red wine, sprite, a cinnamon stick, apple pieces, orange slices, brandy?, rum?, and ... I’ll have to do a google search.Read more