Visiting Castelo de São Jorge was my favourite activity in Lisbon! The castle was built in the 11th century and sits on a hilltop overlooking Lisbon and the Tagus River. As with all the best things in Lisbon, we had to walk up quite a few steps and hills and steps to get there.
Streets and roads narrowed as we walked up towards the castle. Lines of laundry were strung across windows and doorways including these giant undies! I wonder how the owner would feel about them being ‘internet famous’?
The entrance to the castle was filled with recycled sculptures and ruins. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was nice to see something quirky.
We were greeted by this cobbled courtyard filled with olive and cork trees, stone seats and doorways. I’d never seen a cork tree before — the inside is tough but the bark around the outside is soft… well, it’s cork.
Did any of you ever play the game Myst? I use to love it and standing in this spot reminded me of being on that island. I never did finish the game but I’d like to go back and do it one day.
We made our way up to the top of the castle and explored its perimeter walls and tunnels. I took so many photos up here but I’ve only picked a handful to share.
When we approached the castle I heard a strange crying noise. At first I thought a cat was trapped somewhere but it got louder and louder as we walked towards the castle grounds. I later realised it was peacocks! They were sat in the trees, occasionally clambering down to show off their tail feathers. Peacocks are definitely extroverts.
After I’d taken a million of photos of peacocks, we began our walk back to the apartment. Rain started hammering down just as we’d set foot on steep cobbled roads. Not your average UK drizzle either, it was big drops of cold ploppy rain. To cut a long story short, this lovely lady welcomed us into her home to dry off and wait for the rain to stop. She was so kind to us she deserved her own post.
Not long after we dried off, we got caught in the rain again. D’oh! 🙂
We never got the time to visit here, but it looks amazing. I wish we made some time for it on our last day, as we kind of just wandered around waiting to head to the airport haha!
I love peacocks, though they do terrify me a little haha!
xo April | April Everday
To make the most of it I think you’d need at least half a day or longer, especially if you plan to walk there from the centre of Lisbon. It’s quite a walk but there are lots of beautiful sights along the way. Oh and there’s a cafe and a castle at the restaurant too, which is a bonus!
Ah I love these photos and wow what a view, I bet it was lovely wandering the streets until the rain came. Thanks so much for linking up #MondayEscapes xx
Lisbon streets are just as pretty in the rain… albeit a bit slippery.