We left our ship and were transported to the train station where we caught the train to Lisbon. The trip took approximately 3 hours. We caught glimpses of the ocean and sped through small villages. The countryside was pretty dry and fairly boring so, it was a good time for a bit of relaxation. We navigated the Lisbon train station easily and made good time getting to our hotel.

The Alegria is a lovely, century-old building (circa 1870’s) adjacent to a quiet park. It was a few steps from the main avenue, lined with every high end fashion outlet you could imagine. We strolled up and down the avenue  admiring the offerings of street vendors set up all down the mosaic tiled sidewalks.

Lisbon was destroyed in 1755, first by the earthquake and then by the subsequent tsunami. The rebuilding focused on moving into future rather than rebuilding the past. As a result, the city was rebuilt with wide avenues and large squares. The mosaic cobblestones are a distinctive part of the cityscape and added a lot to the ambiance of the city.

Lisbon is built over 7 hills, so walking always involves as much up as down. We took a hop-on-hop off tour of the city to get our bearings. We split up and while some of us went exploring shopping options, Dale and I took the funicular up to a promenade overlooking the city.

We then wandered back to our hotel only to encounter a swing jazz ensemble in the park outside the hotel. It was magical to sip cold beer, sit in the shade, avoid the 30 degree heat and listen to great live music on a Sunday afternoon. Dancers from a local dance school showed their moves despite the heat. It was a good day. We finished the day with a delicious meal of Indian food a few doors down from the park.