You don't see many obese people in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital sits on seven steep hills, which keep the pastry-loving locals slim and give them the cardiovascular capacity of mountain goats.
The city is a delightful, if underrated, destination. The salty setting, lofty topography and clanking trams are all reminiscent of San Francisco. Lisbon even has its own Golden Gate Bridge. Spanning the Tagus river, the brick-red Ponte 25 de Abril will have you checking the Global Positioning System on your mobile phone to confirm you're in Iberia, not California.
Exploring the City of Light is a breeze. Forgo the expensive double-decker tourist buses and head to the shopping district of Martim Moniz, terminus of the No28 tram. Regarded as national treasures, the vintage bumblebee-yellow streetcars follow a precipitous route that incorporates many of Lisbon's best-known sights and plenty of fascinating nooks and crannies that don't rate a mention in any guidebook.
Trams have been a feature of the city since 1873, when the first horse-drawn cars were introduced. 'Electricos' arrived in 1901 - two years before work on the tramline between Kennedy Town and Causeway Bay began in Hong Kong. These days, there are only five routes; a far cry from half a century ago, when passengers could choose from 24 lines.
No 28 is part public transport, part fairground ride. The rickety roller-coaster run can be completed in under an hour but the trick is to spend a day hopping on and off as you please. For one thing, it's almost impossible to take decent photographs from inside the moving vehicle, and besides, one of Lisbon's highlights is visiting the many miradouros, or lookout terraces, situated across the city.
The first stop of interest is Largo da Graca. Walk uphill from the Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora and follow the aroma of freshly brewed coffee until you come to an open-air cafe with spectacular views, heart-starting espresso and a cabinet crammed with pasteis de nata, Lisbon's legendary egg custard tarts.
