On our first day we checked out an outdoor artisan square, where there were shops, food stalls, and even a dj booth (sans dj unfortunately, but the potential was there..) We had a delicious lunch from the vendors who served both local and foreign delights in this colourful and eclectic hang out spot.

With only a couple days to spend in Lisbon, we decided to hitch a ride on the big yellow tour bus to maximize sight seeing while minimizing exertion. It was a great way to cover ground and see Lisbon's top sights - including the The Eduardo VII Park overlooking a spectacular view across Lisbon.

We hopped off the bus just in time to visit the Torre de Bélem - a quadrangular tower erected between 1515 and 1520, which serves as one of Portugal's most bad-ass landmarks.

We were staying in the hip and happening Barrio Alto neighborhood, where funky bars and cute restaurants line the narrow, sloping streets.

On Saturday night we headed out to celebrate Lauren and Shannon's official birthdays (and my faux-birthday!). We ate at a delicious restaurant called Chapito, which overlooked the river and city at sunset, then headed back to our hood to determine which bar made the best Caipirinha!

Every night a street party develops in Barrio Alto as people overflow out of the bars and into the streets to chat and mingle. This is the view from our apartment's window, which was conveniently located in the middle of all the action!

The next morning we made our way to the famous bakery cafe "Pastéis De Belém" named after the iconic Portuguese egg tart pastry they serve, among other delicious fresh baked delights!

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the tour bus while taking in more Lisbons sights.... and catching a few quick zzzz's now and then.

There are some pretty amazing pieces of "building-art" covering the facades throughout Lisbon!

We stumbled upon a little park near our apartment where we got a view of the city as the sun was setting.

By Monday morning we had said goodbye to Tom, Paul, Lauren and Dave, leaving Shannon and I behind for one last day in Portugal. We rented a car for the day, and drove to the nearby beach town of Cascais. We explored the cute little town's mosaic streets, and picturesque beach inlets, before having lunch overlooking the water.

We stopped at another much bigger beach near Estoril for a bit of sunbathing and swimming before heading back into Lisbon for our last night night of al fresco dining.