Lisbon (A city of many hills)

We managed our first overnight train journey from San Sebastian to Lisbon.  We boarded our train at 7.10 pm in San Sebastian and got settled into our respective compartments.  I had found quite cheap sleeper berths online for us but it meant I slept in an all women's compartment and David slept in an all men's compartment. The compartments were next to each other. It was quite comfortable and we both managed some sleep in the night in our respective compartments.  We each had the compartments to ourselves at the commencement of the journey but the train did stop several times during the night and by morning we both had all four berths of our compartments full.

At the beginning of this trip we also met another Australian couple and we shared a bottle of wine in the buffet car before we turned in for the night.

The apartment we had booked in Lisbon was very cute. We were able to pick up groceries and have some home cooked meals while there.  It was on a street that has a tram which travels directly uphill called a funicular. It was fun watching it from the vantage point of our little balcony and hearing the ding ding of its bell as the upwards and the downwards cars passed each other on the only double section of the track.

This is the funicular when it reached the top of our street.

Lisbon is built on  seven hills so  it can be a tiring place to explore on foot.  The effort is well rewarded with the views from every angle.  We made good use of the vintage tram which clatters along some very narrow streets and takes you to several of the highest points of the city.

There are several Elevador's linking some of the higher arears of the city with the lower streets. We rode the Elevador de Santa Justa and climbed above the lift to the viewing tower at the top.  Spectacular views of the city in every direction.

Our few days in Lisbon seemed all too short.  As always, there are so many things still left to see but maybe we will return to Lisbon again one day and stay a bit longer to explore more of the treasures of this city.

On to our next destination, Quarteria which is a holiday beachy town in the south of Portugal in an area called The Algarve. Time for some down time to rest and recharge.

Hope everyone is well, cheerio from southern Portugal.