Lisbon

Met up with my mum in Lisbon over the weekend, staying in a place far swankier than my normal hostel digs -- oh the luxury, oh the waste! But it was great to catch up with her and do some sightseeing with her. Here she is trying to work out how to do something on her camera in the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos:





There's a really nice walk you can do from Alacazar to Belém, which takes about a half hour to 45 minutes. The idea is to start off by the docks, where there is a lovely little strip of cafes and restaurants facing the river, have a big lunch and then enjoy the view as you amble between the river and the park. Even though it was quite windy with a bit of rain, there were still a fair amount of people making the most of the intermittent sunshit, including these pretty laid-back fishermen that I saw along the way:



And at the end of the walk, you can rest a while in calm and tranquil centre courtyard of the monastery. The sound of the water trickling from the fountain, the beautifully carved stone walls and the cool marble seats all make for a soothing respite.



However, the thing that interests me most in Belém is the Pasteleria, where you can go nuts on seriously the best custard tarts ever -- creamy, sweet custard that's been baked to a caremlised perfection inside a case of flaky, feather-light pastry!! The place looks tiny from the outside and there's almost always a line of people waiting outside, which is why these guys need to make such big trays of tarts!