Lisbon is Sweet!

After 24 hours of traveling, we made it to Lisbon, dropped our bags, and went out to explore Portugal’s capital city.

Let’s start with the pastries (and we did!).  First stop:  Fabrica de Nata for the famous cream custard tart, pastel de nata.

Toward the end of the 17th century, convents and monasteries in Lisbon were using egg whites to wash clothes and the city was also becoming a major trade route for sugar from Brazil (which was then, a Portuguese colony).  Leftover egg yolks + sugar = pastry-palooza and a way for struggling religious orders to make some extra money.

The pastries fortified us for our 6+ mile trek around the hills of Lisbon where we started to understand the complex layers of this city’s history.  As one of the oldest cities in Europe, it has seen its fair share of wars, conquests (and reconquests), discoveries, monarchs (and then no monarchs), natural disasters and rebuilding.

In 1755, there was an earthquake, a tsunami, and then a fire which basically destroyed Lisbon.  It probably goes without saying but we will, 1755 was not a great year.

We started day two with a mountain hike in Sintra which started at Capuchos Convent and ended at The Monserrate Palace and Gardens – one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe.  

From there, it was off to the famous Pena Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is arguably the most beautiful castle in Portugal.  Thanks to our incredible guide, Susana, we were able to see the gardens in Pena Park and learn about the complex layers of history here, too! 

In 1910, King Manuel II and his family were forced into exile.  They fled the country from Pena Palace which marked the end of the Portuguese monarchy.  (And you thought The Crown was filled with drama!)

Today, we’re traveling to Porto and seeing two towns along the way:  Óbidos and Nazaré.  Stay tuned for more pastry pics, more castles, and more delicious palace intrigue.