Lisbon is a Gift we all deserve!

It was my sweet husband's birthday and the only thing he wanted as a gift  was a trip to Lisbon. Could I have said "no"? Of course. But I didn't. Because he loves to travel, he loves new adventures and experiencing new cultures. And so we did see Lisbon in a day!
We arrived late on a Friday and went straight to our B&B to leave the luggage we had with us (just the two backpacks, but still heavy). After a few minutes checking the place and consulting google maps, we were out. Our goal was the 360`Panorama view from a Mall nearby. Unfortunately we were too late, as in winter it closes around 18.00 o'clock. And what a luck we had. It turned that Lisbon has so many amazing view points, that are cheaper or free, that this would have been money on the wind.
As we were in the region of the Rato metro station, we've decided to get to know the neighborhood before dinner. Even though it was late on a Friday night. the streets were not busy with the usual suspects you may see at other big European capital such as lightly drunken young people, or heavy drunken not so young people, or big loud companies or the usual street beggars. The city (or at least this region, which is not so small) was full of young people, having much fun, people going home late after work and residents walking their dogs. The streets are so narrow and so steep, one may feel as if hiking but instead among nature, among the city jungle.
Everywhere we go, we take a free walking tour and almost every time is the same. Going through some very crowded touristic places and thus not seeing much, the guide would tell you more about history facts than about the people and the atmosphere of the place. So, this time I've decided to take another approach. I chose a walking tour that explicitly said the guide would not take us through the big monuments and touristic places, but through the districts of Lisbon, getting to know its rhythm, its life.

That's why I chose the "Chill out walking tour" (no advertising here, just a tour that offered what we were looking for, I'm sure the other walking tours are really good, too). The guides did not disappoint for a second. They had a real good knowledge on the history of the country and such a vivid way to describe the events, which marked the city's atmosphere, that we were constantly transferred to another time as far back as its dawning days. 
The Alfama district is a must! One of the guides made us stop for a minute, close our eyes and hear life happen. It was unbelievable. All we could hear was people talking, forks and plates clinging, calmness. And then someone added that there's something we couldn't hear. That was the busy life of the big city, its crowds,its  transport vehicles its pulsing heart. We were again taken back to another time and another way of life, when the stress of modern life did not exist.

We managed to see some attraction along the way, such as the  "Elevador de Santa Justa", which amazed me only by the pictures and I couldn't wait to see it. Fortunately, as I said earlier, our guides were so cool, they gave us some great tips along the way. For example, how to skip the line and the entrance fee to this magnificent structure. Just go behind it, walk along the church with no roof and you will be on top of Lisbon for no time (and money).




[More reviews on the attractions in Lisbon here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/Tragoody?fid=12ea29e8-1856-4794-b504-f3aae218c11e]
After the tour we hit the road to some of the "must-sees". First was Castelo de S. Jorge. Honestly, we weren't very impressed and didn't even bother to get in. As our tour guide advised us earlier, there are much better places to get a top view, and if you pay to see a castle... well, you might just end up seeing just some rocks. That's why we took the way down to the shore, reaching Praça do Comércio, which is impressive. We took a long walk along the promenade but unfortunately didn't make to the Belem Tower as it takes around 2 hours (7km). But, we had decided already that we are coming back, so we had to leave something for the next time.
Some tips:
1. Transportation: There are four ways of moving around the city: metro, bus, trams and ferry. It's good though that there are enough options for tickets and cards. Just check out this website and plan as you wish: https://www.lisbonguru.com/getting-around-lisbon-traveller-information/
2. Food and drinks: Fish and Ginjinha, the ultimate Portuguese match.