After a very noisy night due to the garbage collection and a low flying helicopter, we decided to get an important job completed first before we explored the city a little. We had to book seats on the train we will catch on Friday from here to Faro. I was able to buy the tickets through an Australian website before we left, but was unable to reserve seats. We accomplished that with minimal fuss and now feel confident we will be able to catch this early train. We will need to leave our apartment before 7am. I think we might have the place to ourselves at that time.

We are staying in the historic district of Pombalina (downtown Lisbon) so only a few (very steep steps either down or up) to some famous sites. This is photo was taken in front of the Figueira Square.

Ginjinha or simply Ginja, is a Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja berries, (sour cherry / Morello cherry) in alcohol and adding sugar together with other ingredients including cinnamon. Ginjinha is served in a shot form with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the cup. It is a favourite liqueur of many Portuguese and a typical drink in Lisbon. This particular shop is famous as being the first establishment in that city to commercialise the drink that gives its name to it. In the 2000s, the business was in the hands of the fifth generation, but not now. We watched as a man went in and bought a shot, swallowed it in one sip, then left.

We enjoyed a meal of ‘typical’ Portugese tapas for lunch. One was beef and the other fish, with lots and lots of chick peas, which I loved, and which Mick left on the side of the plate.

The pastries looked very tempting, so much so, that even after we had enjoyed our tapas lunch, we had to try some of the local specialities.

As you could imagine, we needed a rest after all that.

We ventured out into the evening and went back to have a taste of the local cherry brandy at €1.20 each. It was quite sweet and we had to wait our turn.

We found a bar to sit and rest our weary bones and we tried Vinho Verdes (green wine), which was not green! It means young wine and it was slightly bubbly, and very drinkable. It was dry wine with a similar taste to cider, or so we thought.

Dinner was next at a local family restaurant very near to where we are staying. The meat was fantastic and cheap, as was the house red wine.