SQ26/25 SIN-FRA-SIN A380 Biz & Suites: Frankfurt Xmas Markets & 2 Weeks in Portugal

[yflyer]

Very elegant bathroom, with shower stall and no tub...



All fittings spotless and looking brand new...



High quality Acqua di Parma toiletries...



The shower stall...

[yflyer]

Daily breakfast at the Ivens was served in the Dining Room on the lower ground floor.



There was a small selection of cheese, fruit and cold cuts...



...and an a la carte menu which prioritized quality over quantity.



We enjoyed our breakfasts here...



A la carte smoked salmon...



Organic eggs with sausages...



The staff were happy to do eggs exactly the way guests liked them...



As with everywhere else in this hotel, service was top notch: warm and sincere.

[yflyer]

Overall, we were very impressed with The Ivens. The attention to detail in every aspect of the design and decor was remarkable, and the staff were excellent. The only negative might be the size of the rooms, which tended to be on the smaller side, but that was probably due to building limitations, and as a couple we found our room very comfortable to stay in. We loved the central location of the hotel in Baixa, which was a great part of Lisbon to stay in if you were a visitor.

[yflyer]

We spent some time wandering around Lisbon. From the Ivens, we walked to the Mercado da Ribeira...



This was, on one hand, a traditional market...



...with fishmongers...



...and meat sellers...



But there was also a large adjoining food hall, the Time Out Market...



...with a huge selection of restaurants and F&B options in a casual setting...



There were also large screens setup where diners could eat as they watched the World Cup...

[yflyer]

We ordered Ginjinha and pastis de natas...



Tasty...



Later, we also sampled beef tartare...



...razor clams...



...and pork...



...all washed down with Port and Tonic...

[yflyer]

From the market, we walked to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara...



...with it's sweeping views of Lisbon and Castelo Sao Jorge...



One of the old attractions close by was the Elevador Da Glória, and old tram-style funicular that ran a short distance up and down the steep hill all the way to Av. da Liberdade...



...but sadly, when we were there, the funicular was not operationg, and looked to be in a state of disrepair...



We proceeded along the steep route on foot instead. Thank goodness we were headed downhill to Av. da Liberdade, and not uphill like some other folks were...



Back in Baixa-Chiado later in the day, we saw groups of street performers entertaining the Saturday afternoon crowd with music and acrobatics...



Lisbon was such a lively city!

[yflyer]

The next day, we headed out of the city for a full day tour of nearby Sintra.

Our first stop was Pena Palace, whose architecture and history were quite fascinating.



The site of the Palace used to be a medieval chapel and monastery, before the chapel structure was extended and rebuilt in the romantic style to serve as the summer residence of the Portugese Royal Family.



Predating the even more famous Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany by 30 years, the Pena Place was built in an eclectic and mindboggling range of architecture styles including (According to the wiki page...) Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance styles. Go figure...



Visitors could walk the Palace grounds...



...and tour the interior...



The history of the castle and it's occupants were all intertwined with the rising and falling fortunes of the Portuguese Royal Family...

[yflyer]

As part of the Sintra day tour, we also visited Quinta da Regaleira, a palace and a UNESCO Heritage site, built between 1904-1910, in a bewildering mix of romantic and neo-gothic styles...



Among it's features was an inverted tower, or initiation wells, which looked like a well with a winding staircase to the bottom...



From the grounds of the Regaleira, I could see, in the distance, a Moorish Castle...



The Moorish castle was perched high on a mountain top, but alas that was not part of the tour.



We stopped for lunch in the town of Sintra, a small and charming town full of narrow winding streets...



You could actually make your way up to the Moorish castle from Sintra.



It was just a 45 minute walk up to the castle.



"I wish we had time to go up...", I lamented to Mrs yflyer.

We had a simple lunch at a small restaurant close to the centre of Sintra. We had octopus...



...and lamb chops...



As we ate, we watched the World Cup match between Belgium and Morocco...

[yflyer]

On the drive from Sintra back to Portugal, we made a brief stop at Cabo da Roca...



...which marked the most westerly point on continental Europe...



By then, the weather had turned quite grey and windy...



The beaches here were apparently great for surfing...



We made a brief stop at the exclusive seaside town of Cascais...



...which was all decked out for Christmas...



Seagulls everywhere are the same...always out to get your food...

[yflyer]

Back in Lisbon that evening, we headed to bar Toca da Raposa, a very popular cocktail bar located along a quiet street in the Chaido neighbourhood of Lisbon.



Inside, the bar was dark and intimate, with the centre of the bar dominated by a huge rectangular table and bar counter...



The menu here was refreshingly original and playful, with cocktails named after animals and sea creatures.



The bartender that day was brilliant...observing her preparing cocktails was like watching a dancer in performance...

Needless to say, the cocktails were wonderful as well, all expertly done...

[yflyer]

After a couple of drinks at Toca da Raposa, we headed to B A H R restaurant at the Bairro Alto Hotel for dinner.

There were great views from the terrace of the restaurant...



As it was quite cold that evening, we dined inside, in the main dining room...



The menu...





Our starter was Percebes, also known as Goose neck barnacles. These were a delicacy, as the barnacles were mainly found on rocky beaches, where the waves are strongest, and require very skilled fishermen to harvest them, under very dangerous conditions. I had wanted to try these for a long time, and was glad to finally have the opportunity.



They were really delicious!

For our mains, we had the Carabineiros, Portuguese red prawns and rice...



...and the wild turbot...



Both were wonderful.

There was a nice selections of wine by the glass...



We paired these with a white and a Rose wine, respectively...



We had space for some dessert as well...







Finally, a glass of 15 year old Madeira wine...



An excellent dinner, with warm attentive service to match...

[yflyer]

I started our last day in Lisbon with a morning run.

My start point was the Belém Tower.



From there, I headed along Tagus river, back towards the hotel...



This was a great route, popular with runners, walkers and cyclists...



I passed the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument, built to commemorate 500 years since Henry the Navigator's death, as well as Age of Discovery, where Portugese explorers sailed across the globe.



On the ground, the tiles showed the dates when the Portuguese arrived at different countries and continents...



I learned that the Portuguese came to Malaya and Indonesian Archipelegao in the 1500's...

[yflyer]

I continued my run along the waterfront...



...I continued towards Ponte 25 de Abril...



...watching as a Cruise Ship passed under the bridge...



Not a lot of clearance between the top of the ship and the bridge!



Eventually, I reached the bridge...



...and passed the eateries at Docas...





I continued towards the Lisbon city centre...



The final killer uphill stretch...



...back up to Baixa - Chiado...



This was a great running route! Total distance that day, just over 8km.

[yflyer]

For our last meal in Lisbon, we had lunch at Taberna da Rua das Flores, a simple, rustic, tavern specialising in local Portuguese dishes...



The menu was presented to us on a large chalk board...



The wines here were very drinkable...



...and reasonably priced...



An oyster to start...



We sampled a local speciality, stuffed tripe sausage, Tripas Entarinhadas...



...then calf liver...



...which was amazingly tender...



The Portuguese have a feijoada dish which is similar to, but not identical to the Brazilian version...



This was served with rice...



...and really hit the spot!



Shots of strong coffee to end...



A very satisfying meal!

[yflyer]

There was one last thing Mrs yflyer had to do before leaving Lisbon...



We headed to a bacalhao shop...



I stood outside, but there was no escaping the "aroma" of preserved cod...



"You're going to bring that home with you?" I asked, with an incredulous look on my face...



Thankfully they were able to cut it into blccks, and vacuum pack the pieces so that no smell could be detected. Phew!