Hello ladies and gents
I hope you had a fantastic New Year’s Eve and that you entered
2018 with optimism, joy and a head full of dreams.
Talking of dreams, I had an amazing vacation in early December.
I’ve finally put together my post about my trip to Lisbon - the reason why it’s
taken so long is because I took far too many photos and have been a bit busy.
First of all, Lisbon is incredible. You need to go if you’ve not
been.
I love how Lisbon’s airport truly gets into the spirit of
things… in particular its gorgeous Christmas trees. I think they’re the best
I’ve seen at an airport in recent memory! What a great welcome!
During my stay in Lisbon, we went for a Christmas tour around Lisbon’s centre: Baixa, Terreiro do Paço,
Chiado and Restauradores. It is such a pleasant place to go for a walk. Lisbon
never looks more fairy tale than at Christmas and these photos are both fun and
beautiful!
I was told that the city has 36 streets, avenues and squares that
display Christmas decorations. There are more than two million lamps that
illuminate Lisbon until the beginning of January.
I love how the Dona Maria II National Theatre sparkles
Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon’s main boulevard, is the
city’s version of Paris’s Champs Elysées. It’s a tree-lined avenue with cobbled
mosaics connecting Praça dos Restauradores and Praça do Marquês de Pombal and
it is known for its luxury stores.
Rossio - Christmas market in the square. We wandered
around admiring the craft and food stalls; the dried fruit and nut stall was
very popular and smelt wonderful!
The majestic Confeitaria National (founded in 1829) in
Praça da Figueira is the place to go for a tea-break. It is an ornate pastry
shop with cream-coloured walls trimmed in gold and overlooked by mirrored
ceiling.
We could enjoy the brightness of the lights of the Portuguese
House of Pastel de Bacalhau at Rua Augusta 106. Bacalhau is the national dish,
which is dried and salted codfish. It’s often rehydrated and served as salt codfish
cakes and many other dishes.
The Christmas tree of Praça do Comércio is 30 metres high, like a
10-storey building. Since December it has been illuminated by more than 86,000
LED lamps.
Chiado, Lisbon’s most elegant and trendiest neighbourhood,
is where everyone meets for coffee, shopping or a drink before dinner.
Check out the pretty Christmas tree on the façade of the
Chiado warehouses
We saw spontaneous outdoor performances
You only need walk along some of Lisbon’s most beautiful
streets to see the capital all lit up!
The best King Cake (Bolo Rei) is sold at the Alcoa at Rua
Garrett 36 in Chiado.
The King Cake is baked from soft, white dough, with
raisins, various nuts and crystallised fruit, it is round, with a large hole in
the centre, resembling a crown covered with crystallised and dried fruit. A
dried fava bean is included within the cake and tradition says that whoever
finds the fava bean has to pay for the Bolo Rei the following year. A small
porcelain prize is also included within the cake.
During the month of December, several activities were planned for
Terreiro do Paço, Rua Augusta, Rossio and Praça Luís de Camões. In addition to
the lights, there were fireworks and concerts.
I did not spend Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve in Lisbon, but I
know they were magnificent.
Stay tuned for Part II