The apartment we rented in Lisbon was one block from Pink Street, near lots of restaurants and bars, but with the shutters closed we didn’t hear excessive noise while we slept. Its location is on the border of the Cais do Sodre (towards the Tagus River) and Chiado (up the hill) districts making it convenient to walk everywhere we planned to go.

As we were getting ready to leave for our morning walking tour with Carla at 8:30, I suddenly felt weak. I think I tweaked my wrist (which I later found out I’d broken in my fall in Porto) while putting on my jacket and the pain impacted me again. So, Dave and I opted out, but Keith and Paula went ahead and met Carla downstairs for the tour. Carla guided them around several of the old districts around us, starting at Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) then going to the Alfama district where the Castelo de São Jorge, an 11^th-century Moorish castle which also served as a Portuguese royal residence overlooks the city. They continued through the Rossio and Baixa districts before returning to our apartment through the Chiado district. As they were out “early” in the morning, the area around Commerce Square was practically deserted and the crowds arrived at the Castle as they left.

Keith and Paula picked up sandwiches and brought them back to the apartment for our lunch. I was feeling better, so we headed out for the afternoon to explore, and they took us to many of the places they’d seen in the morning. The weather was sunny one minute, then raining the next, but we didn’t let that stop us, of course.

We walked quite a bit of the beautiful Avenida da Liberdade (Avenue of the Liberators) with its many statues and tributes to the “liberators” of many countries, including Simón Bolívar (South America) and General Bernardo O’Higgins (Chile). High-end stores also line the street.

I love the interesting, tiled sidewalks in European cities. Here are a few of my favorites from our afternoon walk.

We ended up back at Commerce Square, on the Tagus River, with its beautiful Arch and bright yellow government buildings surrounding it. Unfortunately, it was rainy and overcast again.

For dinner, we’d made reservations in the Chiado district at a restaurant recommended by Carla (she’d given us several to choose from). We went to Pateo in a restaurant “complex” in Chiado called Bairro do Avillez. After I’d tasted Paula’s octopus dish in Porto, I’d been wanting to try it again. At Pateo they had a grilled octopus dish listed as one of the specialties, and I could see many orders of it being prepared and served from the kitchen. I think it may have been my favorite meal. It was doused in olive oil before serving (what’s not to like about that?). While it was meaty, it was also very tender and flavorful. I’d definitely get it again. The potatoes are boiled and then smashed and roasted in the oven. Surprisingly, I even liked the collard greens, although some were a little chewy.

We went back to the apartment, played some 313 (a rummy card game) and finished off the port we’d brought from Porto. I don’t remember who won 313, but it wasn’t Keith!