In September we headed off for an Iberian adventure to Portugal and Spain. We knew that we were going to Spain; the immense question was what path we would take to get there? Since neither of us had been to Portugal before that was the natural choice. We are so glad that we chose Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city to flank both sides of our trip to Spain.
We were struck by the similarities that Lisbon shares with San Francisco. They are both hilly coastal cities with large inland bays. Lisbon also suffered a catastrophic earthquake which forever changed the city’s landscape. While they both have modern subways systems, they also share a historic transportation love for cable cars. The Ponte 25 de Abril is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada on the left bank of the Tagus River (Rio Tajo) is almost a replica of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge spanning from San Francisco to the Marin Headlands. In fact it was designed and built by the same team of builders and architects. The Lisboan’s also seem to share the same laissez-faire, almost bohemian, live and let live, love of originality that San Franciscan’s have. We met many wonderfully friendly people on our trip who shared with us a glimpse into the life of this fabulous city.
The Portuguese are a hearty stock, proud with many cultural affects that set Portugal distinctly apart from the rest of Europe. Language is one of them. While in character the written word looks Spanish, the sound and pronunciations are something totally different to my ear. There is a strong guttural forwardness reminiscent of Russian, finished with a lyrical up sounding – osh or – ish at the end of many spoken words. I was rightfully corrected a few times, when I made the mistake of saying “gracias” when I should have been saying “abregado” for thank you. Other than that proud tendency, they are very welcoming and helpful to travelers, unlike major destinations like Rome or Paris who have been too overrun by us tourists to care. Lisbon offers an approachable and gracious reception.
On both visits we stayed in or near the swanky tree lined shopping area of Avenida da Liberdade. It is almost a park-like setting with statues, fountains and outdoor cafés. At night the canopy of the Avenida that offered a shady respite from the sun during the day, lights up with a jovial atmosphere and the cafés transform into live music venues. From there the public transportation made it fairly easy to get anywhere we wanted to go. Getting around on foot is pretty easy too and far more enjoyable to see so much more of Lisbon’s old-world charm. The Portuguese are well known master craftsmen in many architectural disciplines and artistries. Everywhere we walked the sidewalks, plazas, and promenades were covered in calçada Portuguesa or Portuguese pavement as it is called. Rather than the plain cement that we are used to, their pedestrian walkways are simple to ornate mosaics made mostly from latté beige to slate black 2 inch square cobblestones. Some of the designs are really beautiful and polished with a sheen only years of foot traffic can provide. I discovered that the uneven surface is not always fun to walk on without a good pair of shoes, but gorgeous none-the-less.
We explored all of the must see sights of central Lisbon on foot from the Praça Dom Pedro IV, Elevador de Santa Justa, and Arco da Rua Augusta to the waterfront. We then meandered through the Alfama is the oldest district of Lisbon with its tiny pedestrian only streets and staircases. Then we continued up the slope to the Sé de Lisboa the 12th century Latin-cross-shaped cathedral and from there in 90 degree heat managed are way to the top of the hill to the Castelo de São Jorge a 10th century Moorish citadel and ruins of the former Portuguese royal palace . The hike almost did me in, but the views were worth it!
In my travels it seems to me that there are several English words that are universal and love certainly caps that list. As we entered the courtyard terrace overlooking the city and river we discovered an art installation inspired by the famous Pont des Arts Bridge in Paris where people would write messages of love on a padlock, clip it to the railing of the bridge, and then toss the key into the river. It is a beautifully romantic gesture to hold onto the lasting love that we find in this world through each other and then commit to a simple but elegant action to celebrate it. In large letters the word “LOVE” was fabricated in metal mesh in the center of this exquisite medieval courtyard and like the bridge, locks with notes of affection were attached to it. Being taken by the moment we gave the artist 5 euros for our own lock to write a message that we then clipped to the affectionate display.
Lisbon has a burgeoning food scene built around many traditional recipes centered in the Restauradores neighborhood dedicated to the experience of enjoying food. The streets are lined with indoor and outdoor seating and with such competition the food is very good and super reasonable in price. We had a favorite restaurant where they remembered us and sat us at the same table that then became ours for subsequent visits. The waiter liked us and brought us liqueur shots on-the-house pre and post meal. I’ll try anything once, even though it is hard for me to order fish when any other meat is on the menu. So, I took the plunge to sample the Bacalhau, a traditional Portuguese dried and salted cod dish that is reconstituted with vegetables and a nice sauce. The idea of eating old fish when the bounty of the sea is at your doorstep is perplexing, but I know that it comes from the days before refrigeration as do many other European food preparations. I can say that I tried it and then the next night we ordered a scrumptious chateaubriand meal for 2. After dinner a good walk up to the Bairro Alto neighborhood for some imbibing with the locals offered an evening of entertainment. If you journey to Lisbon a must try treat is the fabulous Pastel de Nata. If you like sweet custard with a crème brûlée like quality wrapped with the buttery flakiness of a honeyed croissant then you will love these delicacies! They are best enjoyed with an espresso to cut the sweetness.
On a venture out to see the 16th century Torre de Belem, which is an imposing tower that received seafarers from other kingdoms back in the day, I have found my happy place. There were small refreshment carts serving various things along the waterfront and one of them caught my attention with a whiplash inspired double take. “Wine with a View”, was the name of the cart. They served sparkling, red, white, and green wine and offered a folding chair facing the river to patrons sampling their offerings. Green wine or Vinho Verde is ubiquitous in Portugal, but hard to find elsewhere. Although I think it is gaining popularity, at least in our household. Vinho Verde is a new or fresh harvest white wine that has minimal aging and is drunk young like its French red counterpart Beaujolais Nouveau. It is a lovely dry, effervescent, easy to drink wine that we certainly enjoyed on our trip. We then wondered around the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Explorers), the Jardim da Praça do Império, the Palácio de Belém, and the impressive Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site build in the late Gothic Manueline-style of architecture prominent in Lisbon.
Further afield we crowned our trip with a visit to the hilltop hamlet of Sintra. It is a resort town in the foothills of Sintra Mountains, about a 30 minute drive from Lisbon toward the coast. A longtime royal sanctuary from the summer heat, its forested terrain is studded with pastel-colored villas and palaces. The village offers the opportunities to buy local artisan craft works in wood, fabric and pottery, among the other tourist tchotchkes. Since I am not one to pass up a visit to a castle that is in sight and in spite of Chris’s better judgment to attempt it in the heat, we hiked up to the Castelo Mouros. Lucky for us the guardhouse halfway up to the castle had a café with ice cold beverages so that we could cool off and catch our breath. This Moorish Castle was built in 10th century when the Caliphate of Córdoba ruled over the Southern Iberian Peninsula. This was a military stronghold where you could clearly see ships heading into Lisbon from the sea. The Caliphate lasted for here for another 200 years before the King Afonso Henriques the first King of Portugal drove the Muslim rulers out during the Crusades in 1147 AD. We explored the ramparts and towers of this colossal fortress. Hoisted high above the varied towers flew each of the 11 flags of Portugal from its foundation to the republic. Its current flag waved above the tallest tower, the castle keep. The views were pretty spectacular and encapsulated our thoroughly enjoyable trip to Portugal. I know that we will return to see even more of this dynamic country.