Magical Lisbon - and an even more magical Alfama!

Lisboa in Portugal is a treat for the senses. As the capital of Portugal, it truly lives upto its expectations. The best part about Lisbon is the various little districts that make up Lisbon. We didn't have a ton of time in Lisbon, since it was our final stop in Portugal - so we decided to maximize what we hand in the districts of Alfama, Belem, and Chiado - and let me tell you Alfama - by far will leave you mesmerized! Lisbon is a relatively small city and we familiarized ourselves with the Metro system pretty quickly.

In the heart of the town, there is an enormous arch that welcomes visitors from the port into the downtown core - this pretty much serves as the entry point into the city

Lisbon Gate

 

This area is serviced very frequently by the yellow trams that criss cross Lisbon. These are as quintessential to Lisbon as are the famous streetcars in San Francisco.

Iconic yellow trams

 

Hopping onto one of these trams took us to Alfama nestled between the banks of the Tejo river and the San Jorge castle. Spending an afternoon in the Alfama truly introduces you to old Lisbon! Its iconic red tiled roofs, quaint balconies with bird cages and potted plants, and Fado buskers leave you yearning for more! Fado is a type of soulful Portuguese music perhaps with roots in Sufi music! In the district of Alfama, you will find street performers with steel drums playing Fado and folks - both tourists and locals alike breaking into a dance! My little guy, who was 4 at that time, certainly didn't seem to mind that his Fado dancing was more closely resembling a herd of wild animals prancing than actual dancing per se :-)

 

 The streets of Alfama

 Aah! To be that young again!

A typical balcony in Alfama

 

The other attraction in Alfama - apart from the people watching and the Fado is Castelo de Sao Jorge. This is an old castle on top of a hill - which gives you a fantastic birds eye view of Alfama. Lining up the climb to the castle are little souvenir shops and gelato places - of which I made ample use of :)

Castelo de Sao Jorge

I will leave you with the below! Some brave soul had climbed up the statue in the town square in Alfama and decided that this gentleman looked incomplete without a bottle of Sagres ;)

 

I hope this inspires you if you are planning a trip to Portugal - which can be somewhat neglected, but another hidden gem!