It took about ninety minutes to get from Evora to Lisbon, and once at the bus station the nearest metro was a short walk. We bought a couple of metro cards, loaded them with euros, then headed into the city center.

We came out of the metro to street level and felt that familiar disorientation of popping into the middle of a new place. Your eyes are guided by what they see not what you expect. But the disorientation recedes soon enough, maybe too soon.

The center of Lisbon is the Baixa, which runs between the Paraca do Comercio, a giant square on the waterfront, and the Teatro Nacional, which is adjacent to a couple of large squares. (This is also the area rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1755.) We got off the metro at Baixa-Chiado, near the middle of the middle, and it was just a few minutes walk to our apartment.

The Lisbon Short Stay Apartments Baixa (on Rua dos Sapateiros 158) checks the location box. And as it turned out, it checks a lot of boxes. The friendly receptionist welcomed us in a room that had a Halloween theme laid over the hotel's signature bold theme. We were offered port to drink and pastry to eat while we did the needful. The unconventional decorating scheme flowed down the hallways with wall-length mirrors, big art, and bold color choices. I peeked into another room, it was keep-me-awake highlighter yellow. Our apartment was a small one-bedroom with kitchenette and dinette. A corner unit on the top floor with five windows looking out to the narrow street and adjacent buildings. A bit of construction noise came thru which I remind myself is a good thing, evidence of growth and maintenance. Our room was the one color I wouldn't choose, black. So black you couldn't find the tv hanging on the wall or the clothes in the closet because the closet was all black and lit by a small lamp that cycled through the color wheel as you stood there. Kinda fun, kinda annoying.

We ate Indian for dinner then wandered the narrow streets that run between the castle and the water. Lots of cafes, lots of people out enjoying the beautiful evening in what appears to be an interesting city.