Lisbon/Portugal

17.7.2024 Lisbon

I booked the last available spot on the "Lisbon by Land and Water" tour through Royal Caribbean at short notice. A ride in an amphibious bus appealed to me.

We set off shortly after 10 a.m. Our vehicle was waiting right at the terminal. It was very different from normal buses. The passenger area had no windows. But the weather was ideal for driving with the top down.

The bus squeezed through many narrow streets of the rather crowded city. Then we drove to the banks of the river Tajo. We drove over a ramp into the water at full speed, causing it to splash. And suddenly our bus was a boat with which we could quickly overtake sailing boats.

We enjoyed the view of Lisbon from the water. At some point our bus climbed back on land and we drove to the impressive sailor's monument "Padrão dos Descobrimentos". We were allowed to stay there for half an hour and were each given a "Pastéis de Nata", a delicious cream tart that is popular in Spain.

We enjoyed the return trip, during which we also passed by "Quake - Museu do Terramoto de Lisboa", a museum about the great earthquake that once destroyed much of Lisbon. I would have liked to visit it, but it was too far from the ship, which left much too early today.

So I ended the day with music and dinner. I had bought "Pastéis de Nata" for the ladies of the string trio, which they were very happy about.