Last cruise, one of my sisters and her husband came to visit me. The voyage had some wonderful ports, including Rome, Gibraltar, Malaga, Nice, and Lisbon. Due to extra rehearsals for mystery theater and parades, I was only able to get off in port with them once. Luckily, we still had plenty of time to enjoy together on the ship. I enjoyed showing them around the ship, my home for 6 months, and introducing them to my friends and cast mates.
Sister came to visit!
Our final port and only day to play on land was in Lisbon. It was my first time in Portugal! We took a cab to Commerce Square, walked under the Rua Augusta Arch, and continued walking to find food. We sat at a lovely little outside table for lunch. My sister heard that cod fritters were a local specialty, so we both tried them. They had two variations, so we ordered both to compare. They were tasty, though not good enough for me to need again.
Arch in Lisbon
After lunch, we started walking towards Alfama, the oldest district in Lisbon. On our way there, we came across the St. Jorge Castle. We circled the outside, did a bit of shopping in souvenir shops, and then made our way down the hill to Alfama.
Once there, we continued strolling, found some nice local pastries, and then I had to head off to find a cab back to the ship. They stayed in town, and walked all over the city. I’m a little jealous of all that they saw that day, but I was able to return to Lisbon today!
Commerce Square
Today, I got off the ship with a Serbian friend, started again in Commerce Square, had lunch outside, and walked through the city before stopping at a park café for a drink. Although we didn’t really stop at any tourist destinations, I had a lovely, sun-filled day.
Lisbon is an interesting city. The architecture is beautiful, with many buildings covered in painted tiles. However, there’s a lot of graffiti all over the city. It makes for an interesting contrast. Some of the graffiti is actually really pretty, but most of it just makes the city seem dirty. Although it’s not my favorite port, I think I’ll enjoy going back next cruise.
waltzing on water 
Hi: How great one of your sisters came to visit. Nothing like family to give one grounding and TLC. Interesting your reaction to Lisbon. I had a similar one. It seemed dark to me. Now, I was there in January, so that may have been a part of my feelings of that City. I did, however like the coastline. You are nearly half way through your second voyage. Some journey I must say. xxxxxx
I enjoyed it much more the second time, when the sun was out. It has some beautiful aspects. This contract is going well! I love seeing the world.