The original plan was to spend three nights on my own in Lisbon, in between a few nights in the Algarve with my friend Karen, and a few nights in the Azores with my friends Lindsay and Erica. However, life intervened, and my 94-year-old Grandma Emily passed away mid-way through my trip to Portugal. I ultimately cut my visit short by six nights so I could be with my family for the funeral in Tennessee. Going into my year of travel, I knew that there was potential for disaster to strike, and while I was very sad to lose my Grandma Emily, it also wasn’t the most shocking, tragic event that could occur in the grand scheme of things. However, it was the right call to be with my family for the funeral (which really felt more like a celebration of life), and I have no regrets about canceling the end of my Portugal trip.

It was a bummer to have to scrap the Azores, but the upside was that the islands were very easy to reach from NYC. I could always go back. And at least I still got a day in Lisbon. So, what did I do with my 24 hours in Lisbon?

Stay at Memmo Principe Real

I opted to stay at the Memmo Principe Real, a luxury hotel with a boutique feel located atop a hill.

So many amusing things about this bed. First, the Euro configuration of two single beds, together but separate. Second, the three different-sized pillows, So many options! Finally, the imperfectly-placed faux fur throw. If you’ve been reading my blog carefully (I’ll forgive you if you haven’t), you’ll recognize this piece of decor from the Barcelona EDITION. Who knew it was such a worldwide trend?! (Okay, at least a trend in southwestern Europe).
View from the other side of the room
I also had this nice private terrace with a wonderful view overlooking the city

Exploring Lisbon & Food Tour

My morning flight from Faro got me into Lisbon several hours before the meeting time for my afternoon food tour. I dropped my luggage off at the hotel and started walking.

I quickly discovered this viewpoint a short walk from my hotel
I had to see the Ponte 25 de Abril, also known as the Golden Gate Bridge’s doppleganger
The Praça de Comércio

After a couple hours bumming around on my own, it was time to meet up with my food tour, booked through Taste of Lisboa. I’ll admit that after doing a similar tour in Porto, the food wasn’t anything mind-blowing (and let’s face it. I can’t enjoy many of Portugal’s traditional foods due to my special needs diet). However, it was nice to have a guided walk around the city for a few hours.

There were so many cute doors in Portugal, but I particularly liked this one
This part of the tour was unique. We were treated to a private ginja tasting. Ginja (or ginjinha if you’re feeling fancy) is essentially a Portuguese cherry liqueur. I didn’t hate it.
Another special place was Cantinho do Aziz, which specialized in African dishes
The neighborhood featured pictures of the long-term residents along some of the buildings. How charming is that?
Loved this walkway
Also, so much great street art in Lisbon

At the end of the tour, I walked back to my hotel. While Lisbon was a lot bigger than Porto, it still felt accessible, and was relatively easy to walk between the various neighborhoods and sites.

This pathway was one of my favorites

After a rest and a port & tonic on my terrace at the hotel, I opted to stay in for dinner. The hotel was offering me a free bottle of wine with dinner, which was hard to turn down. I also wanted to get up early the next morning to walk around the city some more before I had to leave for my long, long trip to Knoxville, Tennessee.

The hotel restaurant was beautiful. Oh, and for the record, I didn’t drink the entire bottle of wine.

Last Morning in Lisbon

The next morning I didn’t have much of a plan. I just wanted to get some exercise (thank god for all those stairs and hills) and see some more of the city since I had no idea when I’d be back.

The morning light was perfect for capturing the colorful and lovely grit of Lisbon’s streets
Sadly, I did not get to take one of Lisbon’s famous trams
I loved this beautiful corner
If you look closely, you can see the Ponte 25 de Abril in the distance
These buildings were right across the street from my hotel

I unfortunately did not get to do everything I wanted to do in Lisbon; beyond getting to know the city some more, I had to cancel my day trip to Sintra, I couldn’t see Time Out Market, I had to cancel my dinner reservations at Belcanto. Hopefully, I will get the chance to return, and I’m sure I will appreciate it even more.

The end to my Portugal trip also meant that my summer in Europe was over. Andalusia, Lake Como, Florence, Cinqueterre, Montalcino, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, the Côte d’Azur, Bordeaux, the Loire Valley, Paris, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Rioja, the Douro Valley, Porto, the Algarve, Lisbon, and more… it had been a summer beyond my wildest dreams.

When I first began my year of travel in South America, I had been overcome with anxiety. I wanted to make the most of every single second of my time, I was worried about what unexpected trials lay ahead, and I was downright scared about traveling by myself for weeks at a time in so many foreign lands. The anxiety stuck with me in Japan and Singapore, and probably reached its peak when I went to Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa and Mozambique.

After successfully navigating through all of those destinations (some more overwhelming and intimidating than others), western Europe had been a nice break. Yes, I had to deal with crowds and annoying American tourists at times, but I also felt like I was finally able to relax. Traveling through Spain, Italy, France and Portugal felt almost easy – it wasn’t quite like being at home, but I was relatively comfortable, and my anxiety had subsided. I had been able to just have fun.

As much fun as the summer had been, I now wanted to challenge myself again. Fortunately, I had planned my itinerary well. After the funeral in Tennessee and a stint in NYC, I’d be flying to Tel Aviv in early September to kick off my first visit to the Middle East. Certain parts of my upcoming trip terrified me, and I was ready to embrace it.

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