Tram and Amsterdam

Tram 28 has a reputation as a “must do” for tourists in Lisbon, as it showcases (or at least passes by) many of the primary sights of the city – St. George’s Castle, the Alfama district, and the Lisbon Cathedral, to name a few. Unfortunately, it seems that a number of the tram operators are unaware of TripAdvisor’s recommendation. Two nights ago, Mindy and I tried to catch tram 28 from the stop right near our apartment in Chiado. One of the transit drivers there (same company but driving a bus) told us that the tram 28 was no longer heading downtown from there, only the other direction. He recommended picking up the tram at a later stop. It was late, so we didn’t pursue it. Last night, we went to Martim Moniz square where – according to TripAdvisor – we would be able to pick up the tram at its starting point and probably get a seat. There, a tram driver told us that tram 28 goes nowhere near Alfama from there. He suggested tram 15. When I asked him about “the famous tram 28” he looked confused. So when we got on the famous tram 28 from Martim Moniz this morning, and then ultimately passed through the stop right near out hotel where “the tram 28 doesn’t go anymore”, it was hard to tell if the locals were just having a laugh at some tourists’ expense. After all that effort, too bad that the trip wasn’t as impressive as the reviews made it sound.

With our final tour of the city complete, we ventured off to find breakfast (Mindy had been doing her research); Sama Sama Lisbon was a hearty treat!

Our chef was Irish, so I don’t suppose we can consider this Portuguese fare, per se…

Taking advantage of the bright sun on our last morning here in Lisbon, we wandered along the river and back to the main square…

…and back through the main promenade to our apartment one last time.

Like so many international destination cities, Lisbon’s metro connected easily to the airport (Toronto finally has a rail link, though not the subway). We were on our way to our next destination: Amsterdam!

A quick jaunt to Amsterdam for 17 hours would not normally be worth it, but we haven’t seen our friend Paul since our wedding, dinner will have to do for now! (I love the Netherlands and look forward to another real holiday here.)

Paul picked us up and took us to a restaurant on the water (a little outside of Amsterdam) just as the sun was setting.

Good food at de Dikke Muis; even better company.

Eventually we parted ways and headed back into Amsterdam for the night. It was cold and late. So we deferred sight seeing to the morning, when I did a quick tour of some of my favourite sights along Damrak and the nearby canals.

We even found time for some traditional Dutch cheese tasting (and buying)!

Eventually, we directed our feet back to Amsterdam train station, Schiphol Airport, and ultimately back home.