I left Porto on the 9:30 AM train to Lisbon. Long distance trains were at the Campagna train station, which is where I arrived on the bus to Porto. It was easy to find my platform and carriage that I rode to Lisbon .
The train crossed over the Douro River and along the coastline for quite a while until it turned inward to stop at several towns along the way.
After four hours, we arrived at the Santa Apolonia train station that was just across from the metro station.
There was no ticket booth, but just a machine so I figured out I needed to pay €7.30 for a 24 hours pass and then get to the green line and the Anjos stop near where my Hostel Sant Jordi was.
Their directions for the four block walk was excellent. I was impressed by the beauty, cleanliness and helpfulness of the staff as I checked in and got a bottom bunk.
The floors were inlaid wood in an intricate pattern, and the doors to all rooms were massive elaborately carved. My room had three bunk beds with curtains, power and cable chargers, lights, curtains, and large under bed lockers. It had a door opening to a small balcony where you could watch the people, trams, and traffic pass by.
The bathrooms were unisex with private areas inside the bathroom for showering and another for going to the toilet and the public area had two sinks. The shower water was hot and there was ample room in the shower area to change your clothes.
They had an industrial size kitchen with several refrigerators for those that wanted to cook their own meals or store their cold beverages.
They had three outdoor areas one was a large patio area. Another was a grassy area under the shade of trees, and the third area was a bar and snack area where you could buy food and drinks. Just off the kitchen they had a long and large dining area. Finally, they had a darkly lit night club area.
Here were some remnants of Taylor Swift‘s tour in Lisbon. They had a bracelet making party in the dining room area.
Although they did not serve eggs for breakfast, I had the €7 breakfast— granola, any combination of coffee you wanted, juices, fresh fruits, pastries, and meats.
This was one of the best hostels I have stayed at in my travels. They have 3 hostels in Barcelona that I hope to stay at before returning to Madrid for my flight home.
I spotted this place to get a pedicure for my feet that were now heavily caulked from waking the 484 mile Camino Santiago. She cut and scraped away at the calluses and dead skin from healed blisters. Following that she gave a nice foot calf massage. The cost was €15 and because it was so much extra work. I tipped her €5.
The hostel staff told me I could take the iconic Tram 28 that meanders up and down and around much of the downtown area with stops near some of the attractions of Lisbon like Sao Jorge Castle, Commerce Square and the waterfront area, and the Alfama neighborhood, home of Fado and the Fado Museum. This was more fun than the Greyline tour I took in Porto.
Here’s a video clip of the exciting ride on the iconic tram 28.
Some of the highlights of my visit included have a waterfront dinner near where the tour and cruise liners were along the Av. Ribeira das Naus.
I walked around the large Praça do Comércio which was easy to get to because of the nearby Terreiro do Paso Metro station and saw the aftermath of a scooter-motorcycle collision that took 2 away in an ambulance.
I walked down through the narrow windy streets of Alfama on the way to the Fado Museum.
Here is a collage of the prominent Fado singers over time.
Here is a video clip which is a part of many you can see while at the Fado Museum. To be Fado is beyond the Blues of the US and I don’t even understand Portuguese.
This Impressionist painting at the museum by Jose Malhoa done around 1910 well captures the moods of the Fado musicians.
Examples of the Portuguese guitars that accompanied the Fado singers.
Artwork depicting the Alfama neighborhood where Fado Houses thrived.
After going to the museum, I had a meal in the Alfama area which was filled with Fado Houses along with the nearby museum. When I was eating at a different place a busker was singing a mournful Fado and I realized that I could not attend such a performance since I had just heard about the death of one of my cousin’s husband. They are incredibly sad songs that were reinforced when I visited the Fado Museum.
I enjoyed riding the Tram 28 along the very narrow and winding streets and past some beautiful old buildings, plazas, and walking streets.
Here is what the inside of Tram 28 looked like before it got crowded.
There were still a lot of Swifties around Lisbon following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Lisbon. This fellow told me he was from Germany.
Views from my seat on Tram 28
The Tram 28 dropped me off at the Portas do Sol stop where I first took pictures at this viewpoint of the city below and the tram and then enjoyed a “pastel do nata”—custard tart which seems to be their national dessert.
After that I headed up the steep streets for about 10 minutes to the Castle of St. George with its steep walls and a muster of prancing peacocks.
This was another place for great views of the red roofed city below.
May 29th, I took the metro to the other train station at the Oriente stop which was just under the train station for my 4 hour train ride south to Faro at the very southern end of Portugal for €11.50–senior rate.
These were some of the murals found at this metro stop.
This was platform 7 at the Oriente Train Station where I caught the 2nd class train to Faro.
