Lisbon, Portugal

The first day of the Europe/Africa leg of the vacation went better than expected. Exciting things happen when my brother is around and today he didn't disappoint. Glen tracked me down at the OneWorld lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3 and woke me up while I was taking a power nap after the overnight flight from Dallas. Ten minutes later we bump into an old work friend of his from New Zealand and half an hour later we're taking selfies with Tiki Tane on our way to our gate. (FYI Tiki Tane is a New Zealand musician). Quick flight to Lisbon, pickup a rental car and we head straight to the too trendy Hilton DoubleTree for our two night stay.

Monument to the Discoveries

After a number of weeks in the Caribbean where Christopher Columbus features heavily, our time in Portugal was all Magellan this and Vasco de Gama that. The weather threatened to ruin things slightly but for the most part we had clear skies and only a little bit of rain on and off. The main reason for the stop in Portugal is to enjoy a few creature comforts before heading further south into Africa.

The Rue Augusta arch

On our only full day in Lisbon we spent the morning at the castle and the afternoon in Belem at the Belem Tower, the 500 year anniversary of discoveries monument and the impressive Jeronimo Monastery. By a weird coincidence the world rally championship was racing next to the monastery in the early evening so we stuck around to watch the top guys race at the end of the day.

Entrance to the Castle of St Jorge

Peacocks at the Castle (for Lily)

The Belem Tower was a pleasant surprise. Built on a small island near the shore of the Tagus river in the 16th century, it was originally a defense system but is now more of a ceremonial entrance into Lisbon from the sea. It, along with Jerónimos Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese discoveries during what they call the Age of Discoveries.

Belem Tower

Jerónimos Monastery

The cloisters inside the courtyard at Jerónimos Monastery

Back at the hotel another unplanned surprise - the hotel was celebrating 6 months as part of the Hilton family of hotels - free drinks, food and mimes taking random photographs. We were the only two people in shorts but we didn't care and even though the drinks were free we snuck out for a late night port before turning in.

Welcome party at the Hilton