Truth be told. The objective of our final day in Portugal was of the gluttonous nature. But first a few things to check off.
…
(4.2.2025) I can’t recall how long it has been since I made a genuine heartfelt attempt to pick this blog back up. Life has put me through the wringer again and again and again since its inception, at the start of the Pandemic. Maybe today is that day though or hopefully sometime soon.
…
I’d like to also blame writer’s block for the absence, but I suspect it is more just mere indifference; like previews at the movie theater. Sometimes they pique interest but most times they are just a prelude to the main event. Lisbon was much like that. Literally and figuratively, hardly something to write home about.
What to say about Lisbon’s “iconic” Tram 28. It is best to hop on the tram at its eastern most terminus, Martim Moniz Square; the earlier, the better. There is a very limited number of the wooden seats and the ride is not what anyone would call comfortable. Passengers are jerked and jostled around as it slowly winds its way up the city’s narrow streets, stopping more than occasionally for a little old Portuguese lady mindlessly veering onto the path of the tram on a non-existent sidewalk. Add to this shifting hubbub, the ever-present concern of crafty pickpockets in the ranks, the real danger of falling off for those forced to stand, and the cacophony of metal grating on metal.
TRAVEL TIP: Unperturbed riders who travel the length of the entire westward journey are rewarded with the localiest of Portuguese markets: the Mercado De Campo De Ourique.
Fortunately for us, the experience lasted a little more than a quarter of an hour as our only stop on the route was the Castelo de Sao Jorge. The castle is perched on the highest hill in Lisbon and is a prime vantage point for seeing the lay of the land.
According to various sources, the structure’s colorful history includes a stint in the 8th century as an Al-Qasbah (anglicized to Alcazaba), the Arab word for a fortification within a walled town.
