Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

On our first day in Lisbon, I immediately noticed there’s nothing specific to love about Lisbon. Sure, it’s got your share of historic sites, beautiful old churches and garish castles dripping with gold and intricate wood carvings, but there’s nothing you can specifically put your finger on that says, “This is why you should come to Lisbon.”

Perhaps this is the very reason it’s so charming.

It’s quaint, yet massive. It’s humble, yet striking. It’s work-a-day, yet foreign. And with no Roman Forum or Eiffel Tower to gobble up your time and energy, there is an odd comfort in roaming the streets and observing the masses knowing that you’re taking in exactly the experience you were meant to take in.

This is not to say there’s nothing to do. In fact, upon touching down in Lisbon, we lunched in the city’s revitalized warehouse district, scoped out the National Carriage Museum, toured the gorgeous Monastery of Jeronimos, snapped photos atop the Monument to the Discoveries, and snacked on custard tarts from the famed Pasteis de Belem.

We also took our first ride on the Lisbon trolleys that weave through the streets, rattling and jarring their early 1900s frames within inches of buildings and bystanders. Though described as a “must experience,” our jaunt on the #15 trolley through town was more like “must avoid” with its packed-in-like-sardines cab full of stinky, sweaty passengers stumbling over each other as the trolley lurched and swayed.

We’ll try again on another line the next couple days and see if the “must experience” redeems itself. For now, I’d rather take the metro or just walk, thank you.

So, the early verdict on Lisbon is that it’s an endearing city. Though lacking in some of the grandeur and polish we’ve experienced elsewhere, it has a spirit and an approachability that is hard to find in large cities. We’re intrigued.