Mosteiro de de Santo Antão-o-Velho

We had a great flight from Montreal to Lisbon. Anthony's milestone passes afforded us the comfort of the Business Class Pods, though neither of us slept!!
We got as far as the customs lineup and Anthony realized he left his bike helmet on the plane😱Back he ran and luckily was able to get back on the plane to retrieve it. We got through customs and on to the Uber/Bolt pick up area and had a comfortable, albeit, long ride in a luxury Chinese brand electric car. We got stuck in an area of one-way, narrow and very steep streets with a backlog of vehicles. That was easily an hour of just sitting and slowly easing a few inches. We found our Airbnb in the Moorish area of Lisbon just off the city center. It is quaint and cozy. We had a quick power nap then walked to explore our area and locate our Hotel for the 9th-11th. As we walked we located the Santa Justa Lift. It connects the lower streets of Baixa with the higher and the site of an abandoned Convent, an invaluable part of Lisbon's public transport network. In 1882 its construction was approved. It was built from an age when wrought iron was not just a construction material but also an elegant art form. The exterior structure is decorated with neo-gothic arches and geometric patterns. We did not want to wait in line to pay to go up so we walked up the streets to the platform at the top to take photos of the city landscape and convent building. We had some great music by 2 musicians while we looked around. We walked back down to the center below and found the Portuguese Custard Cream tarts, a local Pastry and we enjoyed some Gelato. We easily found our way back, stopping for a few breakfast items to eat as we take in a tour to Sintra, Pena Palace and Regaleira tomorrow.Read more