Plucky Survivors See Europe Day 58: Lisbon
Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Start: Lisbon, Portugal
End: Lisbon, Portugal
Miles Traveled: 3.36 miles walking
Highlights:
- Castelo de Sao Jorge
I’m officially down to two weeks left in the trip. So far, I have visited 11 countries and have 2 more to go (Belgium and The Netherlands, plus returns to Spain and France). I have stayed in 24 cities with 6 more to go. I have driven over 5,200 miles and still have another 1,800 or so to go depending on what my not-Bordeaux destination winds up being. I have walked over 240 miles so far. Will I crack 300 before the trip is over? I hope not but I’m turning in PluckyMobile 2 as soon as I get to Amsterdam so the rest of it will all be on foot.
If you’ve been reading all of these road trip musings, thank you. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. But to be honest, I’m writing it all down for myself because I can’t remember anything. Think I’m kidding? I just went back and looked at a few of the recaps of days from the beginning part of the trip eight weeks ago and I there is stuff that I had already forgotten I did. I figure by December I’ll be like, “I went to Europe?”
I slept in this morning, or at least my version of sleeping in. When I was younger, I could sleep until noon and still need a marching band to wake me up. These days I’m lucky if I can sleep past seven no matter what time I went to bed. So being able to sleep until nine was an unexpected treat. It’s the little things.
I spent the bulk of the morning trying to figure out an alternate route around the worst of the wildfires that are between me and where I want to go. There aren’t a lot of great options so for now, I’m keeping Bilbao and Le Mans, but I cancelled the Bordeaux hotel reservation for this Sunday night. I’m not sure where I’m going instead, but I’ll figure that out before I get there, I guess.
Lunch was at a restaurant near the Moorish Quarter called Bonjardim, which is locally famous for their roasted chicken. This is one of the places I saw last night with a line of about 40 people waiting to get in, but at lunch I was able to grab a table right away. Perfectly brined, so juicy it was dripping, and roasted to perfection, there is a reason why people wait to get in here.
Fantastic roasted chicken.
From there I tried to go to the Doll Hospital Museum. You heard me. It’s a family-run repair shop founded in 1830 that specializes in fixing dolls, and they have a museum all about their business and dolls in general. When I got there, they were closed for their lunch break and the woman at the desk told me to come back after 2pm.
Instead, I decided to storm the castle – Castelo de Sao Jorge, that is, the imposing fortress that sits high on a hill above Lisbon. I am done with hills, so I took a taxi, from which I pointed and mocked all the people trudging upwards in 90-degree heat. Maybe not the best $10 I’ve ever spent, but it’s way up on the list.
The earliest fortifications of this particular hill date back to the 2nd century BC but it has been occupied by humans since about the 8th century BC by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. The castle itself dates back to around the 10th century AD.
There’s a huge terrace with some breathtaking views of the city and more than a few peacocks. I’m told there are a couple of dozen of them in residence and they like French fries. Good to know.
People who build castles like views.
The resident peacocks.
There are some canons on display in the lower fortifications and what was, at one point, a moat around the castle proper. You can explore all you want including climbing up and down some stone stairs of death to get to the castle walk along the ramparts. Note, if you have a fear of heights and/or vertigo like I do, the narrow walkway atop the castle walls may not be the best place for you.
A line from my first Interitas book… “I’ve always wanted a cannon.”
My hotel is in this photo somewhere.
Have fun storming the castle.
There was a moat there at some point. I mean, I guess it’s still a moat it just doesn’t have any water in it.
Inside the castle walls.
On the castle wall walk.
Another good view.
Another “This is how I die” moment.
There’s a small museum that is filled with stuff they’ve found in the archeological digs that still happen on the grounds including pottery, ceramic tiles, weapons, and more.
Pottery from the archeological dig of the castle.
Burial tomb.
More finds at the castle.
Ceramics and tiles.
It was too early to go back to the Doll Hospital yet, so I got a table at the outdoor restaurant overlooking the city and had a lovely orange tart with lime sorbet and a glass of strawberry lemonade. As I was enjoying it, one of the peacocks walked up to me. When I told it I didn’t have any French fries, she looked disappointed and walked away in a huff.
I enjoyed my afternoon respite.
The peacock, on the other hand, was annoyed that it wasn’t French fries.
I took a bus back down the hill and was very impressed by the driver’s skill in navigating the crazy-narrow and steep roads. I’m not sure I could get PluckyMobile 2 through that area, much less a bus.
It was well after 2pm when I went back to the Doll Hospital Museum, but they still weren’t open. Not sure why – the person at the desk didn’t speak English. They just told me to come back later. “When?” I asked. Her response? “Eh,” with a shrug that indicated they would reopen when they were damn good and ready.
The heat was getting oppressive, so I headed back to the hotel to enjoy the AC and get some work done.
Eventually, it was time for dinner. I have been having some pretty good luck with Greek restaurants on this trip, so I Googled that and found literally only one that had full sit-down service – Kefi, located adjacent to the Principe Real and Bairro Alto neighborhoods.
Tzatziki and pita, saganaki cheese, and chicken souvlaki. All fantastic.
Tzatziki and pita.
Saganaki and honey.
Chicken souvlaki. Sorry, I didn’t feel like rotating the picture.
Tomorrow, I leave Lisbon and head north to Porto.