LISBOA JAN/FEB 2020

This post is a bit longer than my others. There was just so many special things on this trip. It’s taken me almost 6 months to get to this post though. Lisboa was the last trip before the world went flipping bonkers, so remembering this trip is a bit bittersweet. The previous few trips were with friends, so this was the first solo trip in a year. It was good to be on my own again. Lisboa was a perfect place for a solo excursion. I had wanted to visit years ago when I lived in Cairo, but never made it. Decided over an extended holiday for Chinese New Year that this would be a great opportunity for a long flight to Europe. I planned this one rather quickly-not a lot of research. First up was finding the hotel. Decided to try an AIRBNB this time. I could NOT have found a better place for this trip. The link below shows the property on AIRBNB

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17937168?source_impression_id=p3_1594176915_rParOzL2zPSMOAbb&guests=1&adults=1

The location was perfect, the host was absolutely lovely and she rushed to help me when things went awry because of a nasty little virus making it’s presence know across the world. This was also a trip that I decided NOT to do a lot of preplanning of what to see and what to do. I decided that this trip would be all about waking up and deciding to just go with the day! I only pre-booked one event that I saw on the AIRBNB. More on that later.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

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Airport to AIRBNB-

Rather than take a ubiquitous UBER, I went with a pre-arranged ride. Minus a small kerfuffle, the trip from the airport into the city was great. It was early afternoon and a beautiful day. The driver was a lovely woman who delighted in telling me all about her city and and made a point of sharing some restaurant and tour ideas.

Took less than an hour to get to the flat which is located in the BAXIA district. Pure bliss! The host hauled my luggage up the 3 flights of stairs. After getting settled in and a small rest, it was time for the first walk about my neighborhood. Now, one thing to know about this location: there are lots and lots and lots and even more restaurants. Most of them cater to tourists and have similar menus but I really didn’t mind that. I found one just at the corner near my flat. I prefer to eat outside and Lisboa restaurants excel at arranging lovely outside spaces for sitting and enjoying a meal and people watching. I enjoyed the little space so much that it became my morning place: the waitress got to know me and every morning brought me my cappuccino and whatever fresh pastry she thought I would like. My first meal was a traditional, simple plate of sardines, potatoes and a small salad with olives and bread and wine of course. Then a quick walk around to get the lay of the land. Back to the flat for a much-needed sleep! My preferred time of arrival is early afternoon as this allows for the perfect amount of time to unpack, get a small meal, a quick walk and then a good sleep!

Rather than post my day to day happenings, I shall post thematically. Let’s start with food!

THE FOOD OF LISBOA

Again, I wanted this trip to be a surprise so I did very little research. I would have to say that the food of Lisboa was fabulous. The pastries and breads were everywhere. So many delightful and yummy sweet treats. Diet be damned. No one diets on holiday. The egg tarts were ubiquitous and quite well known but so many other little bits of sugar and dough to try.

As mentioned, in the area there dozens, if not hundreds of small restaurants offering similar fare. This area of BAXIA had rather wide avenues/boulevards so most of the restuarants had an outdoor area and an area for inside dining. Lots of fish, soups, paellas, and other dishes along with the standard western fare of burgers and pasta. I chose a different restaurant each night and ALWAYS had a glass of wine or sangria with my meal. I like to eat a little earlier than most people so I can enjoy my meal in quiet and just people watch. The pastries epitomized Lisboa for me. They far outshine French pastries. Below are pics of some of my repasts.

WALKABOUTS

Lisboa is a city for walking … sort of! It’s hilly, flat and full of complicated streets. But it’s also full of color and discovery. I found GOOGLE Maps sometimes to be helpful, but mostly not. Getting lost really isn’t a problem. If I was in a higher area of the city, I just had to locate the Tagus River and head towards that. And what a river it is! It’s so wide that I thought it was a delta leading into the Atlantic.

CHURCHES

Okay, so yeah, I’m an atheist. But I can fully admit to enjoying discovering old cathedrals and appreciating the beauty inside and out.

Basílica da Estrela was a purposeful walk … a very LONG purposeful walk! But ‘twas a lovely day so I set out fortified by the morning’s cappuccino and sweet treat. This was ab instance that GOOGLE Maps accurately guided me to the church. Once there, it was up a few hundred more steps (winding and twisting and bit disconcerting-at least for me). The few from up top was lovely. Snaps below:

Lisboa has many lovely, small and large cathedrals and churches. On my walkabouts, it was a matter of turning a few corners and finding a church tucked away or right in the open. Most are open for visitors but are also working churches; so necessary to be mindful of services.

DOORWAYS AND WINDOWS AND TILES

I know these are popular architectural features for photographers. A great photographer I am not, and I use an iPhone. I gave up a camera years ago. The tiles of Lisboa are something to see! Truly beautiful! These pictures speak to the beauty of the amazing architecture of this city. Light and color and geometry all at work here.

SINTRA

The first day trip out of Lisboa was to Sintra. One of the must sees in the area. It was an enjoyable day. But honestly it was not my favorite part of the trip. It was a train/walking trip. Lots of tourists everywhere! There is an old fortress on a hill, a palace and an unusual home to explore in the area. I saw the home and grounds and it’s something out of a Dan Brown novel.

FADO

I had not heard of Fado music before my trip. It’s a style of music unique to Portugal and is considered part of the World Heritage. It’s sung to the accompaniment of two guitars. It’s rather heartbreaking music.

Link to a description of Fado:

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/fado-urban-popular-song-of-portugal-00563

The first excursion to hear Fado was on a small, guided walking tour. It was a perfect evening! Slight chill in the air due to an evening shower. The guide was quite knowledgeable and entertaining and really made an attempt to connect with the 3 of us on the tour. We walked quite a ways up to the Alfama area and in amongst the twisting alleyway. I say again: Lisboa is beautiful city! The tour ended at a restaurant. While it was definitely an evening for tourists, the food and sangria were delicious and the music-SIMPLY WONDERFUL!

The second experience, was at a smaller restaurant tucked away in one of the little pockets of Alfama. I had seen a poster for it on a walk and hoped that I could find it later in the evening for my early supper. I was the only one eating at that time... fine with me!

THE FORT AND ALFAMA

As mentioned, I had a had a perfect location. My flat was near the Yellow Square (my name for the Praça do Comércio. I usually decided the day’s events during my morning breakfast. One day landed on a LONG walk to the Alfama District and up to the São Jorge Castle.

Great walk indeed through the ever winding and steep streets and alleyways. So many lovely things to see along the way.

TOMAR AND THE TEMPLARS

I’ve had a long fascination with the Knight’s Templar. Fortunately, Portugal has a rich, Templar history. In fact, once the Templars were “disbanded,” Portugal kept their connection to KT, but renamed them. My second day trip was to Tomar, an area rich with Templar history. It was a lovely trip. The guide was fabulous and there were only 3 of us.

This was NOT the tour company I used, but this site has some great facts about this area. It was nice to get out of Lisboa for the day and it was quite warm!

http://www.templarknights.eu/about-tomar/

AND NOW TO THE BEST NIGHT EVER

AirBnB provides a lot of ideas for visitors-mostly very PRICEY things. However, one event caught my eye: Dinner With Drag Queens. As I looked at the details and then price, I puzzled for a few days whether I wanted to pay a rather high price for this evening. I’m glad I did. I have never had so much fun with a bunch of strangers and drag queens. I have to say that drag queens and those who participate in events with drag queens, have to be the best people out there. And the best sports were the "straight" men. There was a group of guys on a bachelor party trip. What a blast they had! I'd love to share pictures, but I'm reluctant to include pictures of others without their permission.

Obviously, this is a group of fun and tolerant people. The event was in a rather “hipster” area just a ways out of Lisboa, along the river. Most likely, I would not have gone to this area except for the event. Basically, the evening was spent cooking a meal BUT as you cooked you were invited to get made up in drag. You were given a name and then presented to the group.  Much fun was had and after the meal, there was a true Drag Show. The pictures and videos below tell the story.

FINAL REMARKS AND PICTURES

I’m sure there is much I left out. But Lisboa is a truly remarkable city. Full of great architecture and history and wonderful friendly people. I fell in love with this city immediately. I have been to a few great European cities: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Budapest, Florence, Rome and Venice. But Lisboa is truly special.