Lisboa, Portugal- March 14-17, 2007.

Shanti and I received an invitation to stay at the Pestana Palace. After checking our schedules, we quickly checked in at the airport and 2 hours later we were at the Pestana Palace Hotel, which incidentally has been selected as one of the top Best Luxury hotels in the world. (check for yourself. The internet does not lie.)

We decided to bring Mary with us (or was it the other way around??!!) and of course sleeping on the couch and hiding when room or turn down service arrived was a game we just wanted to play for fun. It turns out that squatting with Mary is an international affair!

Breakfast was served on the patio and consisted of fresh fruits, breads, tea, coffee and oj.

Above is Mary’s best ‘Power Pose’ next to Lazy G who is still in her pjs. Next time we will have to put the fans on high for a more dramatic hair effect.

Lisbon is a beautiful city. With a population of under 600,000 in the urban centre, it is the westernmost capital in mainland Europe and is located at the point where the Tagus River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike Barcelona which also is a coastal city, Lisbon seems to have embraced their history with the water and as result the city is bright with colors and the architecture is significantly different than its neighbor.

Wandering around the 6 barrios of the city we would frequently find ourselves back in the Baixa barrio jonesing for yet another pasteis de nata. The Confeitaria Nacional which was founded in 1829 has been managed by the same family for 5 generations and is without a doubt the most famous bakery, but we found our own jewel and after some ‘official’ taste testing we crowned the Casa Brasileira with our official world renowned 2 thumbs up ranking.

The Portuguese are incredibly friendly, or maybe it was just the fact that we have been getting used to the Catalan way of life. Our friends at Casa Brasileira treated us like locals and would often laugh after seeing us inhale yet another ‘nata’ before more exploring.

Below are the views of the Castelo de Sao Jorge which dates back to the 2nd century BC. The castle has 77 towers and defended the city against the Moors and the Castillian army numerous times in the 14th C.

And some random pics showcasing the colours of Lisbon.

Surf here for additional pics of Lisbon.