National Tile Museum

One of my favorite museums so far has been the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (the National Tile Museum). The azulejo is the famous blue-painted Portuguese tile that can be found just about everywhere in Portugal (and in some of Brazil as well). They are normally all about the same and get a little bit repetitive, but the tiles in this museum were pretty fantastic. It truly is an art form, and many of the tiles displays are large and show the history of Portugal as well as beautiful scenes within nature.

Greenhouse and Gardens

This greenhouse is located right next to the Parque Eduardo VII (which I have already posted about). It is a jungle-like greenhouse, with many exotic plants, streams and waterfalls. I really enjoyed getting a break from all the smog and big buildings of the city for a couple of hours, and breath some fresh air. The palm trees, bamboo, flowers, and ponds were all beautiful and a nice break from the hustle bustle of the big city of Lisbon.

Marques de Pombal Monument

One of the most famous Portuguese in history was Marques de Pombal. He is famous for his role in rebuilding the city of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake, and there are multiple streets and monuments in his honor. This is the biggest, and is in the middle of a city round a bout. The statues adorning it are pretty incredible, and it is surprisingly tall for being in the middle of the road.

Costa da Caparica Beach

About a 45 minute bus ride outside of Lisbon, going over the 25 de Abril bridge, lies the Costa da Caparica beach. This is where everyone goes to go surfing, because it is where the waves are by far the best. I didn't go surfing, but I did enjoy swimming in the ocean and riding the waves a little bit. I went with my friends Derek, Fabricio (from Italy) and Fernando (from Brazil). We challenged a few locals to a game of soccer on the beach which was a lot of fun. As we were playing the sun went down and the sun set was absolutely beautiful. 

Santa Engracia Church

Up within the windy streets of Lisbon, right where they hold the thieve's market, is the Santa Engracia church. It is cool because I can see this church from the window of my room, and at night it is beautiful when it is lit up (I included a picture I took out of my window, the church is on the right hand side). Both the inside and the outside of the church are beautiful, especially its huge dome at the top.

Feira da Ladra-Thieves Market

On Saturday mornings in Lisbon's Alfama district hundreds of vendors with pretty much everything you could think of come out to sell their stuff. They either set up tents or just lay down blankets and put their products on top of them. I went there a few Saturdays ago and it was a lot of fun. It is one of those places where you try your best to talk them down on prices and usually can get some good deals on some good items. To be quite honest, about 80 percent of the stuff there is just old junk (as you can see from the pictures) but the 20 percent of good things there are pretty cool. I am definitely going to go back and make a few purchases for souvenirs for myself and my family, and of course my Camilia.