Lisbon...

...was not our favorite European city.  After our adventure to Italy we came home to London for a couple of days before going back to the airport to head to Portugal.  This might have been the most random trip we have booked since arriving in London.  Many people said we would love Lisbon and that Portuguese people were super friendly.  However, this was not our experience.  We did enjoy exploring Lisbon and Sintra (a quick day trip from Lisbon), but we were not as enamored with Portugal.  Lisbon seemed to be very run-down, covered with graffiti, and stuck in the "this is what the city was like before the 1755 earthquake and fire that destroyed our city" mentality.  While picturesque in certain areas, we were ready to come back to London after a few days.  Here is our adventure through pictures.

An arch from Rua Augusta looking to Commerce Square (dedicated to the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake).

The entire city has black and white tiles that were laid by prisoners.  

View of the Lisbon houses from Elevador de Santa Justa.

About to enjoy ginjinha (zeen-zeen-ya) - a cherry cordial that is sold to enjoy at the moment.

From the base of the Pena Palace - we had already hiked up a big hill from the train station to the center of Sintra, taken a bus to the entrance of the palace, and taken one final bus up the hill.  Then we still had to climb a few hills and stairs to reach the palace.  The views were spectacular!

Josh and Caitlyn climbing down a set of stairs from an outpost.

At the top of the palace.

View from the Moorish Castle looking to the Sintra and the Atlantic Ocean.

This picture sort of shows the severity of the wind gusts.

Pastel de nata - a Portuguese custard delicacy.

Caitlyn really enjoyed the custard part. 

Even though we did not enjoy Portugal as much as other countries we visited, we are still glad we went and were able to explore Lisbon and Sintra.  While we won't rush back to this country, it was great to see a different style European city to the more historic ones we have visited.