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Claudia Fenner is a writer, photographer and travel enthusiast from Dix Hills. She loves to plan her family’s vacations as well as help her relatives and friends with theirs. Have any travel questions you would like answered? Email her at travelingclaudia@gmail. |
| Oh what a mistake I made thinking that Lisbon was just a four day city. So much to see, eat and do that it warranted way more than those measly four days that I had allotted. As one of the closest places in Europe, our flight was a quick 5.5 hours. Delta offers nonstop service from JFK almost daily. Lisbon’s airport (LIS) is only 15-minute drive from downtown and a cab costs around 20 Euros. There are good bus and subway connections as well if you don’t have a lot of luggage. We chose to stay at the lovely and modern Doubletree by Hilton Lisbon Fontana Park. It was a good location and the staff was incredibly sweet and helpful. Everything we ate in Lisbon was AWESOME! Our first meal was at the famous Cervejaria Ramiro, a seafood institution in the city. We feasted on prawns the size of my hand, shrimp in butter and garlic sauce, and finished our meal with their famous steak sandwich. It was one of our top ten meals of any vacation ever. A great way to begin your visit is to ride the hop on hop off buses that you see all over town. It’s relaxing and you get a bit of history as well as an overview of the city. We chose the Grayline 48 hour pass and then used the buses the next day for transportation to sights we wanted to revisit. If you want to take a day trip out of the city, Sintra is a good choice. You can book a half or full day tour or travel there on your own on the train from Rossio Station. Home to a magical almost Disney-like palace, Sintra was where the last Portuguese Royal family lived. It’s sort of the Versailles of Lisbon. The most famous pastry in Portugal is the “Pastel De Nata.” This cream custard tart, which is found all over the city, dates back to the 17th century. Warm and creamy center surrounded by a crispy puff pastry shell, you will want one at least three times a day! Cod, sardines and roasted chicken are all Portuguese specialties as well. We had a fantastic al fresco piri-piri chicken meal at the unassuming Bonjardim restaurant. Another great place to try local cuisine is at the Time Out Market, which is sort of like a high-class food court. Sweet port, named for the city of Porto, along with local wine from the Douro region are universally delicious. Besides the food, Lisbon is a fascinating city full of history, beautiful tilework, gorgeous squares, towering monuments, quaint trams to navigate the narrow streets, magnificent churches, reasonable prices and best of all, the friendliest people. There is truly so much to love about Lisbon! |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 