A stolen passport – what to do when in Lisbon!

Ahhhh Lisbon. Blue sea, marble white pavements, stories of intrepid explorers leaving the port to explore the unseen lands across the sea, the custard tarts, the port wine…..the thieves…..

I’m not going to dwell on this part of the holiday as the rest was fabulous, but yes. I was pick pocketed and unfortunately my theory that my passport would be safer on me than in a Airbnb apartment with no safe, was an incorrect one. More of that later…

But first…Lisbon! A beautiful city with what I can only describe as English weather when we arrived! For the first three days it rained on me and my two lovely friends, but we made the most of it and rode the tourist bus! The rest of the week (and the 5 days when I was still there after that week) the weather was glorious. We stayed in an Airbnb apartment (with roof terrace in anticipation of fine weather) just outside of the main city, in the older part and it was lovely to feel away from the tourist trails when we went home. We could also self-cater which meant lots of wine and lovely food, in the comfort of our own home, so we could safely get our tipsy selves to bed!

So my top tips for Lisbon…..

Hop on, Hop off bus tours – We opted for a 48 hour tour (valid for 48 hrs from the moment you buy) as we knew it was going to rain for at least two days and this would be a good way of getting our bearings and at least seeing everything we wanted to. Worked out in our favour as it really did rain and it taught us that we didn’t want to visit the ‘modern’ part of Lisbon again as its all office blocks and new buildings! Also, handy to find friendly Starbucks when you are wet and freezing cold and in need of a coffee with no language barriers. The tour we chose also got us on Trams for free (which Lisbon is famous for) and the ‘Santa Justa Lift’, which is a lift in the middle of the city that takes you up a few storeys and avoids steep hills to take you to the church I mention below. Its worth getting on the tram that takes you around the old part of the city, as it takes you through areas the bus tours don’t and you are at street level so see even more than from the top of a double decker bus.

We visited a few museums, all reasonably priced. My favourite’s were;

• The ‘Story of Lisbon’, easily found on the main square, that tell you the history of Lisbon through an audio guide that you follow around the room full of artifacts and re-creations of the city and its stories. This includes the 1755 earthquake (that I found out the following week was felt in Cornwall) which led us to visit the ‘Igreja do Convento do Carmo’ (Church of the Carmo convent) via the lift I mentioned above. This was a ruin of a church that ‘survived’ the earthquake and also houses a room full of historical artifacts, including two mummified children (not for the faint-hearted)

• Coach museum – loved this place. We did go to specifically see the coach in which on the 1st February 1908, King Dom Carlos I and his heir, Prince Royal Dom Luis Filipe were assassinated (the tour bus told us you could still see the bullet holes), but it wasn’t there! But, definitely worth a visit to see the absolutely amazing and sometimes ludicrous coaches the royal family and religious leaders used to travel around in!

• If you visit Portugal, you have to go and find out about tiles! The tile museum was actually really interesting, especially the map of the city before the 1755 earthquake, all painted onto tiles (surprise!). The museum was in an old monastery, with its church still part of the building – very golden and worth taking a look at. It also had a great coffee shop, with what we thought were the best custard tarts we found! You will also have a bit of a laugh at the English translations in the museum. Very nice they do it, but the words they use require an English person to carry an English dictionary!
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• I need to take a moment to acknowledge the famous custard tarts (Pasteis de Nata) and the discovery of the best cinnamon rolls EVER! Take a look at these photos and do NOT leave Lisbon without trying at least six of each (I didn’t!) The Cinnamon rolls can be found in ‘A Padaria Portuguesa’ which can be found all over the City.
  

  
• The Basilica do Sagrado Coracao de Jesus. The bible tells us that Jesus walked on water….well, in Lisbon, you can walk on a church roof! For just 4 EUROs each, we were taken through a small, locked door and shown to a spiral staircase that led to the roof and Portico. I was a little terrified in the Portico (DON’T LOOK DOWN!) but it was quite a view outside and an experience to remember! By the way, you can get in the church for free!
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• The Belém Tower (Torre de Belém) was built between 1514 and 1520 by the Portuguese architect and sculptor Francisco de Arruda. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. Constructed on the northern bank of the Tagus River, this tower was used to defend the city. Years later, it was transformed into a lighthouse and customs house. It is situated very close to the Jerónimos Monastery, which is a gorgeous white building – perfect for those holiday snaps with blue skies behind a beautiful building. That is if it is not raining when you visit it, like it was the first time we did! The second time, we were lucky with the weather and its worth the climb up the tower for the views of Lisbon at the top. From here you can see the massive red bridge that looks like the Golden Gate bridge and the statue on the other side of the river that looks like the statue of Jesus in Rio de Janerio!
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• We took a day-trip to Sintra, which you can organize through the tourist info centres, but we used the main train line and did it all ourselves, Very simple to navigate, cheaper than an organized tour and you get to spend more time at Sintra. Take the local bus up to the palace once you get there otherwise walk up a lot of steep hills! It reminded us a little of Disney World as the palace was multi-coloured and had lots of ornate windows and doors, but it was interesting to go inside and soak up some history.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• We also visited ‘Quinta da Regaleria’ on the way, a short walk up a hill from the train station (before you hop on the local bus to the palace). I’d seen this place on Instagram and needed to see it for myself. It’s a garden (more hills) of what we would call folly’s and tunnels and inverted towers, like the ones in these photos. Gorgeous to walk around and we could have spent a whole day there if we had time.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• Make sure you take the time to just wander around the various streets of Lisbon, not just the main roads, but up the hills, close to the castle, out to the older part and wherever your feet take you. Its lovely to see what you can find on your way around and explore a little further.

• Moscatel wine – just try it. Sweet wine – heaven. (PHOTO OF GLASS). I enjoyed this particular glass of ‘Calice de Moscatel de Setubal’ in Sintra, sitting outside a hotel that Lord Byron stayed in when visiting and writing some of his famous works. The hotel was called ‘Lawrence Hotel’ who do a lovely light lunch that we enjoyed sitting in the sun, on our walk down from the gardens, before we made our way to the palace.

And finally…..do not take anything of personal value out in your handbag! I had an ‘over the body’ handbag that I was constantly checking was in front of me, zipped up and secure, like everyone tells you to, and I still got pickpocketed.

It was on a local bus (using them after a long day of walking to get back to the centre) which was very busy and cramped. I was pushed up against a few other passengers and remember saying to one of my friends ‘Would you mind moving back a bit as I feel a little claustrophobic’ (which she did) and it must have happened in the few minutes I was in a crush. I hadn’t even got off the bus before I realized my purse was gone. So careful am I, that I was checking my (totally zipped up) bag for my phone (thank god they didn’t take my phone!) and purse as I was getting off the bus, and realized it was gone. And with it my passport. Two days before we were due to fly home….

Initial panic settled into – called my insurance company, who told me what to do – which turned into a trip to the tourist police station (who told me this happens a lot) and then to the British Embassy the next morning. Application filled in on-line (wrong info given to me by the Police who said I had to go to the Embassy in person) and paid for (£100 paid for by my friend as my credit and debit card had been stolen along with my money and passport – cancelled online immediately) and then a long – FIVE DAY – wait for my emergency papers to come through.

I wasn’t worried about the extra time in Lisbon – bonus holiday in the sun – I wasn’t worried about being there alone when my friends left on the original flight on Saturday – travel alone all the time – but it was horrible having no ID and no bank cards (I transferred money to my friends accounts so they could withdraw EUROs for me before they left and hoped I had enough to see me through) and the fact I had BEEN ROBBED made me a little unsure of my surroundings – BUT I didn’t know when I would get my emergency papers and just had to wait until I heard. Of course, I kept calling the Embassy every day who ensured me it was all going through, but because I was robbed on a Thursday, it would take longer as the Embassy in Lisbon didn’t work over the weekend, and it would take a minimum of two working days, more likely three. In the end, I heard on Tuesday around Midday, went straight to the Embassy to get my papers, booked a flight and left the next afternoon (Wednesday). It was the not knowing that was horrible and unnerving (and the fact I had been robbed – did I mention that!) but the sunshine and extra time in a new city was rather nice – especially as I didn’t have a job to go back for or to call and apologise for my absence!

I stayed in a lovely hotel for my extra days in the centre of the city called ‘My Story Augusta’ which I would really recommend. I paid about £102 per night (so not that cheap) but right in the centre of things, near a Metro station to get to the embassy and airport and close to a lot of the sights. The staff were all very friendly and concerned when they heard what had happened and I was lucky enough to get a room with a small balcony overlooking one of the busiest streets in Lisbon, so I could people watch, but was also sound proofed when I wanted to go to bed!

While I was enjoying my bonus holiday days, I did witness two other bag snatches and met someone else at the Embassy who had the same thing happen to them. So, I wouldn’t say, don’t to go to Lisbon, but please go aware that it has a reputation for pickpockets and bag snatches and prepare yourself.

To get over all the drama, I need another holiday…..on to Cornwall 😊