A great hostel, a lot of walking, Miradouros of Lisbon

One of the famous trams

Getting into Lisbon was no problem, the bus #91 took me straight from the Terminal to Rossio Square, right outside my hostel... I stayed at Rossio Plaza, which is truly one of the best hostels ever :)  The staff is nice and helpful, they take you out an night to local places that you would never find in the dark and narrow streets of Lisboa...  The best part of the hostel experience is the fact that they cook you free breakfast each morning!!!  As a traveller you can appreciate home made food because you don't really get to eat it that often... It is always some combination of cereal and buttered bread or the most edible piece of food on the menu... But at Rossio Plaza, they insist that they cook you breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs with fresh toast, orange juice, coffee, tea, cereal.

Fountain on Rossio Square

First, if you don't like to walk on your trips DO NOT go to lisbon!!!  The metro only brings you from the suburbs to the center, and from there you have to walk everywhere... To make matters worse everything is uphill, steep streets, stairs, and because they haven't tortured you enough, coble stones...  I told my dad that if he wants to lose 5 lbs, don't go to the gym, go to Lisbon for 2 weeks!

I loved it though, it adds alot of character to the city... First I visited the Convento do Campo, and old church that is extraordinary because it was destoyed in the great earthquake of 1755... The convent was in ruins and the church roof collapsed...The people in power decided to leave the convent the way it was.

A view of Alfama from Miradouro da Santa Luiza, one of the many viewpoints offering a spectacular view of the city

When in Lisbon, the best way to see the city is to take the very old and creecky trams around town... These transportational dinosaurs have been around since the early 20th century and take you up and down the streets of Alfama, Baixa, Chaido neighborhoods in style :)

Lisbon is situated on a series of hills, and there are plenty of points throughout the city offering great views of the many neighborhoods.  Magnificent viewpoints called "Miradouros" offer spectacular views and have bars and restaurants in the area allowing for a great place to relax and enjoy the view. The most popular one is the Miradouro do Castelo at the castle de San Jorge(highest point in the city), the Miradouro da Graca at the Largo da Graca (tram #12 or #28). The Miradouro da Santa Luzia overlooks the Alfama district and the mouth of the river Tejo.

At night we decide to check out the local nightlife, and the locals suggested Barrio Alto(High City)... They were right!  When we arrived at around 1 am, the people spilled onto the streets of the neighborhood, drinking and partying, a very good time indeed :)