#59 Olá Lisboa
If you choose the right time and airline, one can get from DC to Lisbon in six hours and fifteen minutes. That’s great but the coffee and pastry shops were not even open. Nor could we check in to our hotel. We did see the sunrise over the metropolis of Lisbon, but we were a little too grumpy and tired to start exploring.
After a nap and shower, we stepped out to explore the area of Eduardo Park and Praca Marques do Pombal. A huge central statue of a revered politician is surrounded by a hectic traffic circle. A lot of the tourist hotels are in this area. The cobblestone mosaic sidewalks present beautiful patterns up and down the steep streets. We made our way down and up the hill to the Barrio Alta neighborhood to find our first Lisbon Restaurant.
Cultura de Hambuergesa was a fun place with a local take on the famous dish. We enjoyed a fresh green salad dotted with cheese and avocado. The hamburgers were huge and did not disappoint. For a night away from Codfish and Pork, this is the place. You will have to use your GPS to find it in the narrow alleys.
We made ample use of Uber in Lisbon when we didn’t feel like walking up the many hills later at night. The fare from the restaurant and nightlife areas back to our hotel was never more than ten Euros and usually less than five. The Euro exchange rate is quite favorable at nearly one-to-one. Figuring out the pick-up point is a little dicey on the busiest streets so it might be best to walk a block in either direction.
We enjoyed a good night’s sleep and breakfast before our first tour. The coach tour of Lisbon began under a gloomy, rainy sky. Our first stop was the Jerónimos Monastery in the area of Belem. The UNESCO World Heritage site is a marvel of Manueline (Portuguese Gothic) architecture. It was built in 1502, and features magnificent stonework and ceramic tiles. The tomb of explorer Vasco da Gama, is found at the entrance of the church.
The major perk of visiting the cathedral is the proximity to the bakery Pasteis de Belem. This iconic bakery features the famous local treat of flaky puff pastry surrounding a warm creamy custard filling. This would be one celebrated food item that absolutely lives up to its exalted hype. Don’t miss it warm, cinnamony goodness. You will find them all over Lisbon but this claims to be where they originated.
Pasteis de Nata
From there, we visited the two famous monuments along the Tagus riverfront. The Belém Tower is possibly Lisbon’s most iconic monument, where it served as a beacon to the many explorers who departed from this site in the 15th and 16th centuries. It appears as a fairy tale Castle along the riverfront park. Very close by stands the massive Discoveries Monument. It is shaped like a ship with 33 people aboard, led by Prince Henry the Navigator. The other figures are personalities related to the Portuguese Age of Discovery, such as explorers, poet Luís de Camões, and painter Nuno Gonçalves. On the ground leading to the monument is a large mosaic compass with a map of the world tracing the routes of Portugal's heroic explorers of the sea.
The Belem Tower
Later that evening we arranged a real treat. Our expat friends Kelly and Steve secured us a reservation at their favorite house of Fado: O’Corrido. Fado is a Portuguese musical genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon Al Fama District, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado is sung by women and characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. It resonates with the sentiment of resignation, fate, and melancholy.
The venue O’Corrido, was a warm and welcoming place. The owner doubles as the Portuguese guitar player and his wife as one of the expressive Fado singers. The menu features a moderately priced fixed meal along with a four-part Fado show. We enjoyed some excellent regional Vinho Verde wine along with our meal.
Each singer had her own unique style and mode of expression. The two guitarists accompanied with both jaunty and plaintiff tunes. At several points the Fadistas sang together in a lovely harmony. The four of us thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and show. By the time our Uber came to pick us up, it was after midnight. I think they were still singing inside!
We planned to wake up early and grab an early breakfast before a day trip to Sintra to visit the Pena Palace. This popular UNESCO World Heritage site is a national monument located near the coast. The castle expresses the 19th century Romantic style of architecture with towers of red and gold. The site gets crowded with tourists so I advise leaving Lisbon early for the thirty-minute drive. The entry guards control the queue to manage the volume of visitors in the palace.
The Pena Palace in Sintra
Surrounding the palace is the Pena Park, a forested area completely surrounding the Pena Palace, spreading for over 200 hectares of uneven terrain. The park was created at the same time as the palace by King Ferdinand II. The king ordered trees from diverse, distant lands to be planted there. The park has a labyrinthic system of paths and narrow roads, connecting the palace to the many points of interest throughout the park, as well as to its two gated exits. We took advantage of the park and after our castle tour, we walked the path back down to the entrance.
Garlic Shrimp at the Time Out Market
On our return to Lisbon, we hopped off in the downtown area. As part of our prep for our Portugal trip, we checked out what Phil Rosenthal did in his Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil on his visit to Lisbon. We decided to have lunch at the Ribeira Market, Lisbon’s main market since 1892 and recently a top food destination when it added a food hall managed by Time Out Lisboa magazine. Rick Steves also visited there during his Lisbon segment. It’s a lively place with communal tables packed with tourists. We managed to snag a counter seat at one of the stalls where they prepare fresh seafood right in front of you. The experience lived up to the high recommendations that preceded it.
Pre-dessert granita of tomato mousse and mint
On our last night in Lisbon, we booked a table for the Michelin Star restaurant, SÁLA de João Sá. Located along a busy street in the Baixa district, chef João Sá, showcases contemporary cuisine with roots in organic Portuguese products. We chose a tasting menu with wine pairings that we found to be quite reasonably priced (for that kind of experience.) We were able to book well in advance online and I recommend the restaurant which competes with several highly rated establishments in Lisbon. The dishes were both imaginative, attractive, and tasty.
We were able to secure another 4 Euro Uber back to our hotel. The next morning, we planned to board a coach to head north to Porto and our Douro River Cruise.
More to come in my next installment.
