Out & About: Lisbon

At the Convento do Carmo

We decided to do something a bit daft last week and we took the kids to Lisbon for four days.  They were off school due to teacher training on Thursday and Friday and we just wanted to do something different.  I looked at cheap flights and Lisbon came up, which is a place none of us had ever visited before.

Sunset from the castle

We had a fabulous time.  We would all highly recommend Lisbon for a few days visit.  There were lots to see and do.  We arrived up at the castle not long before sunset and had beautiful views of pink and orange glowing skies across the bay. 

Light streaming through onto the balcony at the aquarium

The quality of light was astounding – it was just so bright and powerful compared to home.  I’m sure it must rain sometimes, but it felt as if summer had never ended!  You could get a real sense of what it would be like on an incredibly hot day.  There was also a real clarity in the light, probably due to time of year.

Ice cream breaks always go down well with the little monsters

The children love transport, so thought the old trams were great and I was especially grateful to the incredibly friendly locals who stopped a pickpocket taking my wallet whilst we were getting on the tram.

Convento do Carmo

We loved the ruins of the ancient convent, the Convento do Carmo, which had been destroyed by an earthquake and I really liked the pre-historic figures that were in its museum collection.  I’ve already started drawing ideas from them.

The water garden next to the aquarium

For me, there were two main highlights, which I’ll share with you in some further posts.  Firstly, the Museu Colecção Berardo, a huge collection of 20^th Century art and, rather unsurprisingly for those who know me, the aquarium, which is apparently one of the largest in Europe.

I love the old paving slabs

We left an amazingly sunny Lisbon on Sunday, full of delicious fish and natas, the local custard tarts and returned home to Scotland, where yesterday it was dark all day.  It is so good to have a break!