Lisbon, Portugal - Day 1

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Our day began at Hotel Convento São Paulo near Estremoz, Portugal. We all slept fine last night, but Andi was not pleased this morning to find tiny black ants crawling all over his feet and legs. The only spot in our hotel suite where the internet works is while sitting on the ledge of the window, and Andi was positioned there this morning sending an email from his computer.

I’m not sure if the ants crawled in through the window, or if they were all over our room, but Andi got me out of bed this morning and said we needed to pack up right away. “There are ants biting my legs. We need to leave NOW,” following by, “I hope these aren’t bed bugs.”

Yikes! Why did he have to say that because now I was in a panic! I hopped out of bed, frantically ripping back the covers and checking the sheets for little specs, and then proceeded to pack up our bags and toiletries in haste. Luckily, we’d only planned to stay at this hotel for one night, so I hadn’t unpacked much. The four of us were ready and out the door in under 20 minutes.

In all actuality, our bed sheets were clean and no one else had any bug bites on them. I think Andi was attacked by ants, not bed bugs, but his comment definitely left me itching the rest of the day.

Breakfast was included in the price of our hotel stay, so the four of us walked through the hotel lobby to the Ermita Restaurant breakfast area. No matter where they are, the wide selection of food hotels offer for breakfast are always a treat for our family. This breakfast buffet had bacon which made Aden a very happy boy. Other offerings were croissants and breads, yogurt, fruit, cereal, sliced meat and cheese, and scrambled eggs which I was very happy to see. I much prefer eating protein in the morning vs. the “coffee and pastry” culture.

The kids and I wanted 10 minutes of internet, so we sat in the lobby after breakfast to hit publish on a blog post & download Netflix episodes to watch in the car today while Andi paid our hotel bill. I hate confrontation, so I would never complain about a service even if it was the worst in the world. Andi has no problem providing honest feedback, so he kindly let the front desk manager know about the ants in our room when she asked if we enjoyed our stay. She apologized about the ants, of course, and offered us a 10% discount. Because this is such an old building and the in-person experience wasn’t quite as glossy as the online photos made it seem, I’m guessing she’s used to receiving complaints about the hotel and giving discounts.

Nevertheless, we can now say we’ve stayed inside an old convent. It really was a beautiful property, albeit old, as you’d expect an 11th century monastery to be.

From Hotel Convento São Paulo, the four of us drove 30 minutes to the Portuguese town of Evoramonte. The host of our last rental recommended we stop at the historic castle here for amazing views. Perched on top of Serra d’Ossa, Evoramonte Castle was hard to miss. Andi navigated our car to the top of the mountain and through the gate of the walled castle. Except for a couple having their coffee outside a campervan, we had the entire castle grounds to ourselves. I would have loved to stay and walk around for a while, but we had an olive oil tasting appointment scheduled nearby at 10:30am.

We made our way down the mountain, Google leading us along a road that felt like a goat trail. “Googled in 27 countries…” Andi murmured under his breath to no one in particular. Nevertheless, we arrived to Herdade da Fonte Santa on time for our olive oil tasting appointment.

Inside, the four of us were greeted by a lovely young woman named Daisy who welcomed us to Herdade da Fonte Santa, the maker of Mainova wines and olive oil.

After quick introductions, Daisy invited us to hop into an old pick-up truck to take a safari through the vineyard and olive groves. This is the second time we’ve been invited on a “safari” in Portugal (the first time at the strawberry tree museum last Friday), so I knew not to expect lions and elephants in the pastures. I think Portuguese use the word safari to mean “adventure” or “off-road” ride.

Daisy was so energetic and fun, filling us with lots of information about the wine and olive oil making process. She took us to visit the farm animals that live on the property with the groundskeeper, and to a 2,000 year old olive grove that was existing on the land when the owners of Mainova purchased it about 10 years ago. Before that, the land was abandoned, so the story remains a mystery why these olive trees were planted in a circle so many years ago.

Now, of course, the owners have planted more olive trees in the traditional patterned rows for their olive oil production. The Mainova brand prides itself on its organic farming practices, and the importance of caring for this land.

After the safari tour, Daisy brought us back to the main building for an olive oil tasting. Four pretty blue dishes were set out for Andi and I, as well as a charcuterie platter of local black pig sausage, goat cheese, nuts, and crackers with olive oil, of course.

To taste the olive oil, Daisy encouraged Andi and I to each pick up a blue glass, and cup it in the palm of our hands with a twisting motion. The friction of the glass rubbing in our palm warmed up the olive oil, and allowed the aromatics to release. We smelled the oil, and then drank it — Wow! The first oil tasted smooth and peppery. I immediately wished I hadn’t taken a huge swallow — a very peppery flavor finish.

We continued to taste the oils and discuss the flavors of each one. Some of the oils were more mild, and had hints of coriander. I wish the olive oil in the United States tasted this flavorful. Andi and I were bummed we couldn’t buy some to take home with us today. Alas, we won’t be able to carry a bottle of olive oil on the plane (since we don’t check bags) and even if we could, neither of us want to lug it around the next few weeks.

We thanked Daisy for the amazing tour and tasting. Back in our rental car, we drove 1 1/2 hours to the Lisbon Airport. We aren’t scheduled to fly out of Lisbon until Friday, but Andi wanted to return our rental car today vs. having to find somewhere to park it in the city. We stopped for diesel one last time as we neared the airport, and decided to grab something to eat for lunch at the nearby PANS fast food restaurant. The menu options were terrible choices, so we settled on chicken wings, fries, and mozzarella sticks and somehow got a mis-order of onion rings, too.

Returning our rental car to the Drive On Holiday airport location was a simple process. “That went better than I thought,” Andi said, as the four of us stood outside and waited for an Uber ride afterward. I think we were both relieved to have returned the rental car in one piece after covering so many miles the past three weeks.

Next, we took a 30-minute Uber ride from the airport rental car location to our new airbnb located in Lisbon’s Campo de Ourique neighborhood. Andi rented our family a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment for the next two nights.

It was kind of a weird check-in process as the owner met us at the door, and showed us where everything was located in the apartment. Typically, airbnbs usually have a lockbox with the key, or a keypad, so we never actually meet the owner. This guy was very thorough, showing Andi how to use the washing machine and the oven. The apartment was very well-equipped, and clean, so I suppose he took great pride in his rental. It was nice! I appreciated the attention to detail.

Andi wanted to explore our new neighborhood, but Tory, Aden, and I needed a minute to decompress. Andi decided to go walk around alone while the kids and I unpacked our bags and vegged out on the sofa. I desperately wanted to get started on our laundry and take a shower. Our clothes reeked like incense & wood smell from the convent hotel, and I’d been itchy all day after Andi mentioned bed bugs.

When Andi returned to the apartment, he said he was pleased with its location. This Lisbon neighborhood isn’t touristy at all. In fact, there were many locals out and about, engaged in a card game in the park, having beers at the neighborhood snack bar, and kids playing at the playground.

Next order of business was haircuts for Andi and Aden. Aden has a thing about not wanting to cut his hair while we’re traveling, but his hair is so thick and grows so fast. He and Andi made a deal that once we reached Lisbon, they would both get haircuts together. Andi found the perfect barber, he said, right down the street from our apartment.

Andi said they had a nice experience at the barber, and the price couldn’t be beat — €8 each for two haircuts and a beard trim. Much better than the $25 I pay for Aden’s haircut back home!

Aden wasn’t pleased with his haircut, of course, complaining the barber cut his bangs too short. They were a little short (don’t tell Aden!), but I reminded him they’ll grow out in a week. “I can’t even look at myself in the mirror,” he told Tory.

The kids said they were done adventuring for the day, and wanted to order Glovo for dinner tonight. Ordering take-out is convenient, of course, but it’s kind of silly to do when there’s so many restaurant options outside our front door. Andi convinced Tory to walk with him down the street to McDonalds. They returned a few minutes later with two burgers, fries, and McFlurrys.

Since Tory and Aden wanted to stay in for the night, Andi invited me on a sushi date. One of the best-rated sushi restaurants in Lisbon, called Shun, happened to be located a few blocks away from our apartment. Andi and I walked there around 7:30pm. We saw a few people enjoying dinner and drinks on restaurant patios, but otherwise it was a quiet walk there.

Inside the restaurant, we were the only customers except for two other ladies. Andi and I got a little nervous when the waiter handed us the sushi menu. There were only two choices listed, and both were basically a version of “chef’s choice” saying talking about going on a culinary adventure with a mix of flavors, textures, and creativity. Andi reiterated that this restaurant had glowing online reviews, and said we should give it a try. We ordered two miso soups, the cheaper of the two tasting menu options, and hoped for the best.

Fortunately, our meal ended up tasting delicious and was the perfect amount of food. Shun is a place for the adventurous sushi eater — no California rolls or edamame served here! The flavors, as touted, were incredible. I actually have no idea what type of fish we ate as our waiter didn’t speak much English, but it all tasted fresh with bursts of unique flavors.

After our meal, Andi and I returned home to the kids wrapping up our first night in Lisbon. We are here for two full days before departing Portugal on Friday.