Lisbon

December  20…

Lisbon has been on our travel list for a while and since it seems that most of our travel buddies have already been, well, need I say more? An easy (you’d think) nonstop from Malaga on TAP (Portugal Air, €151 rt each), we landed after delays and easily got a taxi to our hotel, the rather delightful Fontecruz (€185 or 40k points per night). It was raining and windy, very few pre-Christmas tourists: in other words, just the way we like it.

Museum of Tile

I really didn’t have any idea what to expect but here’s what we found, in order of significance: fantastic seafood just about everywhere, friendly locals, reasonable prices, some gorgeous architecture, and a shitload of shoe stores. Leather is a big deal here. Also tiles. The best museum we visited was the National Tile Museum. Other worthy stops for a short visit were the Castelo St George with a wander through the Alfama District, the Convento de Carmo, and the neighborhood restaurant Marisqueria Ramiro. And Sintra. Let me say that again. Sintra. Take the train in the morning, spend the day wandering and you can come back to Lisbon that day. It’s a collection of small villages sprinkled through a mountainside with some of the most interesting and eccentric gardens and palaces. The pedicabs are cheap, or just climb. Stop at the teeny Lawrence Hotel for a coffee in the teeny lounge.

Sintra

Our return to Malaga on TAP Air was so ridiculous with delays and obfuscations that I would rather just not talk about it.