Mike and Megan's Honeymoon: Day 6 - Dedicated To Rick Steves

July 3

HALF WAY THERE! Only another 6 days worth of photos left. Be prepared! We will see everything today... Enjoy!

We never got use to the sun's intensity. This is at like 9am...

Despite me messing it up, our hotel, Solar do Castelo was really, really, nice!

See!

Megan posing with outside thing at hotel

Look at this. It's like those pics you see of other people's vacations. Look at the street. These little slabs of stone are used on all the sideways and roads. I don't think there's even mortar. I guess they use to have prisoners install them.

Castle of São Jorge. Afonso Henriques welcomes us to the castle built in the 11th century originally by the Moors, used as a royal residence from the 12th-15th century. In the 1500, the royals moved to the residences downtown until the 1755 earthquake. The castle was abandoned and left to decay until the 1960s when the dictator Salazar began restoration.

now for the views!

Megan overlooking the Tagus River

25 de Abril Bridge looks almost identical to the Golden Gate Bridge because it was built by the same company. It was originally named the Salazar Bridge after the dictator who also restored the castle we're in.

The Baixa district

What seems to be the set of Monty Python's Holy Grail.

My lovely wife tolerating all the photos I've taken and going to take of her...

She thinking she's getting even by taking my picture.

While Megan was in the bathroom, some guy walked by saying "Kittikesh, kittikesh (sp?)" in a normal tone and 50 cats came out of nowhere. From bushes, trees, roofs, flying. He led these cats into the castle where he fed them and then played a recorder. He's in that entrance. Very interesting...

Portuguese pride!

My lady pondering things...

Moorish ruins of the residences

The castle kitchen, which happens to be our hotel. We are the middle floor and the top floor is there little museum, we believe.

Did we time travel? It doesn't get more Old World Portuguese than this, does it?

The Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora

The view from St. Vinny's

Hey! We were at that castle!

Inside St. Vinny's

Notice the little wrap around steps to Jesus. It looks like Jesus is in his "Fat Elvis" stage...

The Alfama neighborhood

The Museu Militar (Military Museum).

Tram

Now in the Baixa district

Ginjinha or Ginja. It's a cherry liqueur that is served almost everywhere for 1 Euro and packs a punch.

Praça de Figueira with the João I sculpture.

"Be stupid." Cracks me up every time.

As if we haven't done enough already, let's check out Balém by taking the very sleek streetcar

Very clean and efficient!

Well, efficient as long as some douchebag doesn't park his car slightly on the tracks. Here's a group of locals picking up the car and moving it so we can continue.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Built in 1502 to celebrate Vasco de Gama's successful return from India

Look who's here; Vasca de Gama! I took a lot of pictures of him. I mean, the man in this tomb changed the world.

Luís Vaz de Camões. A writer, adventurer, poet of great importance. Important enough to have a tomb next to Vasco de Gama.

Megan in space!

The most religious photo I've ever taken...

Oh Rick Steves', what are you going to show us next?

The Monument of Discoveries!

Prince Henry the Navagator

Philippa of Lancaster, Henry's mother

Cristo Rei. Just like the one in Rio.

Two ships passing in the day...

Balém Tower built in 1515 to protect Lisbon's harbor

Fisherman at tower.

Smoke break

Floatplane that was the first to fly across the south Atlantic (Portugal to Brazil)

Pastéis de Belém is the place to get a pastry.

They created one called Pastel de Nata. You should have one. Maybe a million

The only photo of us not using "the stick." A very nice man took this of us.

The park we heard a drum corp. play Final Countdown by Europe

Back to the Baixa and the arch

Rua Augusta

Elevador de Santa Justa. We will ride this later!

Mmmmm... Pastries on the brain now. We will come back here several times...

Hot dog pastry!

MUFFY! Just sounds wrong...

bridge to ruins from elevator

The steps that gave Megan the weird rash on her legs.

MORE GINJA!

That's my girl! Two-fisting cherry liqueur...

Rossio or Pedro IV Square

Mmmmm... Window meat...

Dear Portugal. Please hire me to promote your country to America.

Watching the World Cup

Arco do Castelo. A delicious Indo-Portuguese restaurant. Very tiny and very good!

A shrimp. I also almost died here eating a pepper I thought was a green bean.

Night in the Alfama

AN OUTDOOR URINAL!!! Pack the bags, honey. We're moving to Portugal! Genius!

Megan is no longer tolerant of me taking pictures of her...

My poor feet. Sunburned, dirty, lots of walking. It's been a rough time for them...

Thanks for reading to those who made it down this far!!!

Mike and Megan's Honeymoon: Day 5 - Olá Lisboa!

July 2nd

Megan boarding the slow train to Lisbon (or Lisboa as the locals call it). It was interesting going through the rugged interior of Portugal.

TAXI! Take us to our fine hotel!

We're pretty excited because the hotel is right next to St. George's Castle. The taxi driver pulls up the the castle gate and says, "I'm sorry. I don't think I can go any farther. Your hotel is though the castle gate. Take a right and then a left after a couple streets." WHAT! We're in the castle. The only downside was having to pull a 200 lbs. (90.7 kg) suitcase uphill several blocks. Where's a mule when you need one?

Ahhhh... Getting the honeymoon treatment at Solar do Castelo in the Alfama neighborhood. It was a wonderful place to stay with great amenities, location, staff, food, and so much more. Plus, it use to be the kitchen of St. George's Castle. How can we complain?

Portugal is full of these hole in the wall sandwich shops. Two sandwiches, a pastry, some kind of fancy coffee, and a beer for 3 Euro ($3.87 US). Guess where I am going to retire?

Sé de Lisboa was built in 1147. Think about that for a bit...

God lives here...

Portugal is the mythical land your grandfather told you about (sort of). You know when he told you the stories about having to walk to school every day in a foot of snow uphill both ways? Well, Portugal is uphill in every direction without snow. Just beautiful sun that will melt your flesh...

Praça do Comércio is the centerpiece to a rebuilt Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755

King José I by Machado de Castro. He was in charge when the 1755 9.0 magnitude earthquake knocked down most of Portugal, caught on fire, and finally hit by a 20ft. tsunami. They thought they were being punished by God and it's difficult to argue against that. He put Marquis of Pombal into a near dictatorial role of rebuilding the city, mostly the Baixa district.

The arch leading to the Baixa shopping district, which is auto traffic east-west and pedestrian north-south.

Us

Getting our transit passes and finding the coolest escalator in the world. Albufeira had one outside helping people climb a huge hill. This one went flat in the middle and then continued up. It was like lazy surfing.

TILE! TILE TILE! That's what you need to know about Portugal. They tile everything and you should learn about it when you are there. The Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum) is well worth the stop and should be done first.

These are all from churches and houses and whatever else they built

The museum is in an old convent called Convento da Madre Deus and here's another section they are planning to cover in more tile.

a huge church interior they saved and rebuilt

Everything that isn't tile is gold from Brazil. Something else you will notice...

Looking south from Rossio Square.

The electric tram. "Watch your wallets tourists!" is what we were told a million times. I like the ad on front saying "Be stupid." I don't know what the product was, but it's good advice.

A beautiful little park in Alfama overlooking the Tegus River.

The pointy tile building on Rua de Alfandega

A Baiuca at Rua de São Miguel 20 is a Fado restaurant. Fado is a kind of fisherman folk music of Portugal. This tiny place was where I had one of the top 5 moments of my life.

The band warming up while we get our order

The Portuguese Mick Jagger.

The food was delicious.

This is Michael from Newark playing his first night in Portugal. We are his biggest fans.

This lady was awesome. She sang, she danced, she cooked, she served, she had a tank top of a girl with a rabbit head, and did it all excellently in heels.

Singers would come in off the street. The cooks would dance. It was great. Everything in Lisbon was great and it's only day one!