Food, food and more food in Lisbon

My last blog about our trip to Lisbon, Portugal.   All about food, which was always freshly cooked and delicious.  And compared to our recent trip to the south of France, reasonably priced too.

We had our favourite cafe, on the Yellow Bus square.   We sat on the quiet side of the cafe, as it was also cool.   The other side, looking out onto another square, was always busy.   I think the outlook might have been better too.   Trees, rather than Yellow Buses and Tuk Tuks.

Walter drank his non alcoholic beer, which was available at all restaurants we went to, altogether three different brands available.   A very happy man.

I sometimes ordered a non alcoholic beer too, but mostly I enjoyed a glass of red wine, much fruitier than I was used to, but very pleasant all the same.  

Cold, sparkling and delicious non alcoholic beer.

And the sparkling water was pretty good too.

On the first night we ordered freshly grilled sardines, with vegetables.   Very good.

Pastries everywhere, which we consumed willingly of course.   The breadrolls were also very good, filled mostly with sliced meat and cheese.   No butter, but the rolls were not dry.    I think the quality of the bread and filling meant that butter was not needed.

But our favourite were the pastries filled with custard.    The Pasteis de nata.   So delicious.   We ate them for breakfast, with our morning coffee and at other times, when we passed a bakery.    It was possible to buy them in boxes in order to take home.    See the photograph above.

On the second day we avoided the restaurants on the main pedestrianised street, in Biaxa.   A man handing out leaflets for a restaurant around the corner, convinced us that his restaurant was the best.   Hunger made us follow him, and he was correct.   It was an excellent family run restaurant.   The view was uninspiring, as the window looked out onto the back of shops opposite, plus cars parked on the side of the street.

Walter ordered a pork dish, which he said was very good.   I was brave and ordered a dish, which consisted of white fish plus shell fish, mostly mussels, cooked in a freshly made tomato sauce.   It was so good.    We were very pleased with our choice of restaurant, away from the busy thoroughfare.

Now the following dish challenged us somewhat, or at least the look of it did.    We went to a restaurant close to our hotel, which was very popular with people who lived in the area.  It was very busy   The receptionist at the hotel recommended the restaurant and the fish dish.

So we ordered the grilled octopus, which came out on a bed of oil, plus vegetables.   It seemed to be half an octopus.  We really had to take a deep breath, and after draining off all the oil, we started to cut it up.   It was very tender, and beautifully cooked.    Very tasty.

I did feel sorry for the poor octopus though.

The last lunch venue found us at the Time Out Market, which seemed on first entering, to be a very upmarket shopping centre food hall.   However we could see that most of the food on offer, was of a high quality and very reasonably priced too.  

We drank our excellent coffee there and ate our desserts, ice cream for Walter and a pastry for me.

An array of smoked hams.

As it was very noisy in the market, we decided to eat at one of the outside cafes.  A tapis type restaurant.    We ordered three dishes to share, plus a glass of wine, for me, and a sparkling water, for Walter ,which came to 40 Euros.    The wine was excellent as was the food, and it was peaceful, except for the waiter, who was not overworked, and kept cleaning our plates away as soon as we ate the last piece of food.    

I think there was smoked ham on the piece of white fish in the photograph below.

Food, glorious, food.    We loved it.

A leisurely boat ride on the River Tagus

We went for a leisurely boat ride on the River Tagus, which was very pleasant.   A little breezy at times but it was lovely to sit in the sunshine and not feel too hot.     The boat ride was part of the Yellow Bus Tours.

We left from the end of the boat terminus, the old and less used end, although some bright green fake grass had been put down to brighten the area up.   The entrance was behind parked cars and not easy to find, especially as the gate only opened when the tour boat was there.   No signs.   

But once on the boat, it was an excellent cruise and very smooth.   No wonder I am looking happy in the photograph below.   There is a view of the Praco do Comercio behind me.

The boat first crossed over to the other side of the river.  A view of the very tall statue of Cristo-Rei.   Christ has his arms out-stretched as if in a motion of blessing the River Tagus.  It is possible to take a lift up to the viewing platform which is just below the statue.   The platform is 82m high, and apparently provides an excellent view of Lisbon.  If one likes heights.

The destination for the tour was Belem, which we had visited previously on the Yellow Bus Tour, and we could have disembarked here, and then caught the next boat back, or caught a tram, but we were happy to sit in the sun, and watch the shoreline as we cruised past.   No traffic, or lines of coaches, or people to block the view.   Perfect.

The Electricity Museum, which was once a power station.  A magnificently restored building, built in stages between 1908 and 1951.  

The Padrao dos Descrobrimentos (Discoveries Monument) is an imposing monument on the edge of the river.   The structure is dedicated to the adventurers and explorers who helped establish Portugal as a 14th century superpower.   The original structure was made of wood, and was the central piece for the 1940 world fair.   The current 52m structure, constructed of concrete, was built in the 1960s   Inside the monument is a small museum and there is a viewing platform at the top.

The monument was built in the shape of a ship, and Walter made a comment that it looked like the figures where pushing each other up to the top and over the edge.   I am not sure that was the idea, somehow.

The Belem Tower or the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower.   It is a Unesco World Heritage site, because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries in the era of the Age of Discoveries.   The tower was built in the early 16th century.   Very imposing.

We then continued passed the boat harbours, and went under the enormously high bridge, passed the buildings of central Lisbon, and back to the ferry terminus, where we headed off to a bar, in order to talk about and relive a truly lovely day.   First the tram trip and then the boat tour of the River Tagus.

A sedate tram tour of two hills in Lisbon

The Yellow Bus tour on the tram was much more sedate than the tours on the buses.   It was also the coolest day, which was just as well given our long wait in the sun, for the tram.

It was a public holiday, the President's public holiday, celebrating the Proclamation of the Portuguese Republic, when the Republican Party overthrew the monarchy, and Portugal became a republic on the 5th October, 2010.  

And the President's speech in a square, a few minutes walk away from the Terreiro do Paco, the square by the River Tagus.  And the start and end place for the tram tour.    Of course the tram tracks went past the square where the speech was taking place, and the road was closed to traffic.   

We, like many other people did not know this, so we queued up, and waited, together with the worried Yellow Bus attendants.    After some time standing in the sun, the attendants told us they were rerouting one of the trams.    They counted off the required number of people for the seats in the tram, and took us to a street corner a short distance away, where we waited again in the sunshine.   The attendant, who was getting very stressed by this stage, told us the tram was not far away but could not get past a car that was badly parked.  

After a total of an hour and a half we gave up, and went off in search of lunch.   It was midday, and we were parched, not having any water with us, and hungry too.    We managed to find a very popular little sandwich place, where we ordered water, orange juice a delicious sandwich and a coffee, and felt much better.

Then we caught the tram we were meant to catch two hours beforehand.   On our way back to the square we saw it moving as we crossed the street. We walked quickly back to the corner, where the attendant, who looked very hot and bothered by this stage, was waiting with a few people from the original group plus a few other people.   How lucky we were to have gone for lunch instead of waiting for that tram.   

So we boarded, feeling refreshed and relaxed.

The trams in Lisbon are very small, single bogey ones, as the streets on the two hills are very narrow and twisty.    The Yellow Bus trams will only allow sitting room only, so it is very pleasant to travel on one.  But the public transport trams are always packed full of people.   A haven for pickpockets apparently.

The Yellow Bus tram.

Our driver was fantastic, and very humorous.  So we had our ear phones for the English commentary, and extra information from the driver.   He also drove the tram smoothly too.

We first went up the hill to the Alfama district, which is the ancient area of Lisbon.   It was also once the poorest area too, but no more, with its trendy shops and cafes.

And what a steep climb up, on narrow streets, winding around the old buildings.   Very picturesque.

There was no way we wanted to walk back down those narrow slippery cobbled footpaths, especially as we would be competing with hundreds of other tourists.   Plus cars.  And having waited so long for the tram we were on, we were also unwilling to get off at any of the stops, have a look around and then catch the next tram.    So we stayed on, and just enjoyed the ride.

A photograph of the Cathedral with a cruise ship behind it.

Then down onto flat ground again, the Baixa area, and then up the hill on the other side.    Not quite such winding streets, but still challenging slopes.    

We stopped outside the parliament building.   Impressive.

We stopped for 15 minutes outside the Basilica da Estrela, but unfortunately it was closed.   Our chance to see inside at least one church.

A beautiful tiled building.

And too quickly we were back at the Praca do Commercio.    A truly lovely tour, very sedate and peaceful, in a tram that ran on rails.  No zipping in and out of traffic.   Great.

And finally, Walter got his tablet back today, although it took two forms plus an email, for the Lost Property company to respond with a telephone number.    A very happy man.

Thrilling rides on the Yellow Bus tours of Lisbon

We decided that on this trip we would take bus tours, rather than focus on individual areas of historical significance and museums.    And we certainly got our moneys worth from the tours, much more than we expected.   Thrilling rides. 

We saw the tours on the tourist map, which we picked up from the hotel.     The Yellow Bus Company, run by Carristur, which was owned by Carris, the state bus company.    The Yellow Bus Company ran open roofed buses, trams and a ferry.   The ticket also lasted for two days, so it was possible to use the bus or tram to hop off on the following day, and to use any tram, plus free trips on the elevator and funiculars.   Great value.

Lisbon now covers seven hills, so it is a very challenging city.   The lower part of the city, Baixa, which I wrote about in my previous blog, was easy to walk around in, as it was flat.  Baixa, with its wide avenues and squares, was rebuilt after the earthquake in 1755.   We were able to walk down to it, from our hotel.   And it was from the Baixa area that we caught our various types of Yellow Bus transport. 

We took two Yellow Buses, going in different directions, with each trip taking about 1 hour 40 minutes.    

The open topped Yellow Bus.

There were always cheerful and bouncy assistants at the first stop, who sold tickets and generally gave advice.   They also helped people queue, which was important as not all people know how to queue like British people.

Our first trip out.   The wife of the couple in front of us slipped into the bus while the assistant was looking the other way, in order to put her bag and coat on all the front seats.   Spanish I think.

Walter looking very happy on the bus.

The couple found that having the front seat was not ideal.   The jack for the ear phones did not work, there was no leg room and they realised that it was very hot there, as it was enclosed on three sides. No fresh air.    So they moved further back.   And we had a perfect view from the spacious seats behind.

The trips were fun, and we had a fantastic view of buildings and landmarks.     The commentary was also very detailed and interesting.  

It was also very exciting as the drivers in Lisbon drive erratically.    We decided immediately that driving in this was a city not for people with a nervous disposition.    Scary.    Cars everywhere, ducking in and out, all moving fast.    People often park where they stop on the road, which then causes traffic jams or sudden swerves.    On an open topped bus one could see everything, and often the bus driver's fast erratic driving and near misses was more interesting than the scenery on either side of the bus.  

The first bus driver drove through three red lights, fast.    The second bus driver used his brakes at the last minute, so we were constantly being thrown forward.   At times, as we went downhill, we thought we were on a roller coaster.    Who wants to go on a ride at a theme park, when the Yellow Bus Company in Lisbon provide the same thrills.

It was impossible to take photographs.   By the time one set the camera up on the telephone the scene had gone, or the bus was going so fast that the photo was blurred, or there was someone in the way.   No standing up either, although some people did so.  Brave people.

We were impressed with the number of police directing traffic on roundabouts and corners.

On the first trip we drove west along the River Tago, past the wharves, most of the area was under renovation.   Should be very nice when finished.   We drove as far as the Vasco de Gama tower, and then back inland to the airport, where we turned left and drove back to the starting point Biaxa.

I managed to take two photographs,

of two interesting buildings, which had been painted with graffiti.

The second trip had more significant buildings and historical features, as it included the port of Belem.    We also drove past the pink Belem Palace, the official residence of the President of Portugal.  The name Belem (from Bethlehem) has been long associated with seafaring and early Portuguese explorers.   We also took a boat ride there, which meant that we could take photographs of significant features, which I will include in the next blog.

We stopped at the monastery, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, where the huge number of coaches was most impressive.   At least fifty of them and hundreds of tourists.  But I managed to get a couple of photographs.

The extravagant monastery was funded on the spices that flowed into Portugal.    Vasco da Gama spent his last night here before his journey to India.   He was the first European to reach India by sea, via south Africa.   His journey lasted from 1497 to 1499.

In 1820, during the Liberal Revolution, all monasteries and convents were closed down.   And in the case of the Belem monastery, they started the Belem Pastries (Pasteis de Belem) which opened in 1837.   The round shaped pastries with a secret filling can only be sold from the shop beside the monastery.    There was a huge queue outside the shop but no photographs due to the bus travelling too fast.    We never travelled back to the shop either, as we were very happy with the Pasteis de Nata, which were copies of the Belem pastries, and available everywhere.    Very delicious.

The ports at Belem were very picturesque, and amazingly I managed to get this photograph without a coach in it as well.

The very high and impressive double bridge, with the road on the upper level and the railway tracks on the lower level, over the River Tago.  

And after the bridge it was a quick trip back to Biaxa.

We did love our bus trips though, great fun, with lots of thrills.

Walking around Lisbon

Home again.   The few days in Lisbon now seem like a dream, a world away.   A different lifestyle and architecture, warm weather and bright blue skies.  Were we really there? But luckily I have a few blogs to write so I can relive our time in Lisbon.

We arrived back home early on Saturday morning, at 2 am to be precise.   This was due to a long delay in the plane leaving Lisbon, and then circling around Gatwick for half an hour.    Our car had a flat battery, due to, and I say this very quietly, us leaving the dashcam plugged in.   Luckily the carpark attendants were able to jump start it straight away.  It was good to get into bed.

My telephone died completely on the Thursday.   Sometimes I got a little life out of it, if it was plugged in, but mostly nothing, even though it was 100% charged.   No matter what I did; such as deleting all unwanted files and photographs and then resetting it, nothing worked.   The phone was finished.   

I confess I am lost without a phone,  no social media, no news, no anything.   Bliss one might say.  But not for me.  Terrible how one relies on a mobile phone, and not for ringing anyone either.   It is all the other bits and pieces on it, that one cannot do without anymore.   

First thing on Saturday morning I researched new phones, on line, and luckily our mobile network had one in stock.   A new Honor 9 phone made by Huawei, an updated version of my three year old phone.   So I spent the rest of the day putting everything back on to it.   Luckily Google saved mostly everything.  But it made me realise why my old phone crashed, technology had become more complex during the past three years.   The bank balance has been depleted somewhat.    But on a positive note, the new phone is pretty good.    

Now a word of warning for anyone who stores their tickets on the phone.   So easy to scan, when entering the airport.   That is, if the phone works.   Luckily we also had printed copies of our tickets.  Phew!

But back to Lisbon.  We did a lot of walking, as always, although Walter, with his dodgy knee, found the pavement stones slippery to walk on, so we tended to not walk up or down hills.   Luckily our hotel, about 30 minutes walk out of the centre, on the street that led to the airport, was only slightly up hill.   We were surrounded by hills on both sides of the road.  I guess the centre of Lisbon is in a valley, with the old city on one side, and the old wealthier suburbs on the other side. 

The walk to and from the hotel, Sete Colinas, was always interesting, but unfortunately no photographs.   We passed the local social services centre, many dodgy and interesting characters plus a few local ladies, a grassy area that was popular for rough sleepers, Chinese shops selling all sorts of household goods, Indian restaurants, plus a few very good cafes.   We always stopped for coffee at one of them on the way down. 

And it was on this street that we were hit by a pickpocket.   On a very quiet morning, a public holiday.   We were walking side by side, slowly, due to Walter's knee.   A couple of elderly people, not watching, or so the man thought.   I felt a presence behind us, looked down and saw a hand in Walter's bag.  I called out, we both swung around, and there was a well dressed man, who tried to assure us that he was getting his tobacco out of his bag, which no doubt was open in order to put in whatever he was going to steal.  We gave him plenty of advice, whereupon he sat down on a fence, in order to think about his sins!   Or more likely his lack of success.

But the man, on his own, would not have had much success anyway.  Although Walter carried lots of items in his bag, his one passport, one credit card and cash was safely behind many zips.  However, if one is targeted by a gang, in a crowd, no amount of inner zips will stop them getting to the cash, as we have found out in the past.  Creepy feeling to know that you have been watched though.

   Luckily there was a cafe just after our bit of excitement with the pickpocket.   We needed it.

The mosaic patterned pavements and squares were fascinating, although they felt very slippery to walk on.    Almost as if they had been polished.  They were often very uneven too, with missing tiles.  The black and white stones used are basalt and limestone, with a lime wash. This technique of paving, was inherited from the Romans, and matched with Oriental style patterns.   Over the years the patterns have matched the areas of the city, for example, wavy patterns for river and beach areas.   However it is a dying art, and very expensive to maintain, sadly.

Two photographs,  one showing a complex pattern, and one showing the craft stall that was selling hand painted items covered with stone paving designs from around the city.   We bought a small place mat with a wavy pattern on it.   

 

The tiles on the sides of some of the buildings were also amazing.

Praca do Commercio  or Square of Commerce, was situated by the Tagos River.  It was commonly known as Terreiro do Paco, or palace yard as there was a palace here until the 1755 earthquake, tsunami and fire destroyed it, as well as most of Lisbon.  The buildings surrounding the square were built after the earthquake.   Very impressive. 

The new buildings, with the ceremonial arch, housed government bureaux which regulated customs and port activities.    Carlos 1 was assassinated there in 1908, as was his heir.   Two years later the Republican Party overthrew the Portuguese monarchy.

The statue of King Jose 1, was incorporated into the square in 1775.

A view from the street, looking through the arch, to the statue and the River Tagos behind the square.  Plus a view of the gallery on either side of the arch.

Walter stood on the pedestrianised street, Rua Augusta, that led to the arch, and thought about the choice of restaurant.   The restaurants were all in the centre of the street, and there were a great number of them, all with delicious looking menus.   Then we realised that it would be expensive, probably not brilliant and dining would be quite hot, even under the shade of the umbrellas.   We then had lunch in a small restaurant, on a very narrow side street, with a view of the back of a shop.   Excellent food.   However, we always enjoyed walking along this street. 

Tuk Tuks everywhere.    Also many smaller ones, self driven, were numerous too.   However I did not fancy sitting in the traffic fumes and competing with the erratic Portuguese drivers.  But they appeared to be very popular with much braver people.

Two cruise ships in the harbour meant extra tourists of course.

The elevator. Elevador de Santa Justa, connected the lower town to the upper town.   The old wealthier town.    The 32 metres high, 19th century elevator, was built of steel and decorated with neo-gothic arches and geometric patterns.  The two lifts were very polished wooden cabins.   The elevator was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  There are now viewing platforms on the top.   I can assure people that I did not climb up the narrow stairs to the very top.   It was all just a bit too high for me.

We did get great views from the lower viewing platform towards the hills on the opposite side of the town. The photo on the left was a view of Castelo de Sao Jorge.   The view on the right could be the convent and church.

A view of a very large and important building, the National Theatre.

At the top of the elevator, we walked to Largo do Carmo, which was a small and beautiful square.   A perfect spot for young artists to draw the church ruins, destroyed in the 1755 earthquake.  The ruined church now houses the Archeological Museum.

A guard stood in front of the National Guard Museum.

The picturesque fountain in the square.

Not far away was another square, name unknown, with beautifully tiled covered buildings,

and another grand fountain.

An ornate theatre.

After walking along a few narrow streets, on slippery uneven footpaths, we found the funicular, or Elevador de Bica, opened in 1892.  An interesting ride down a very steep hill.   The brakes worked well, thank goodness.

A cosy little gin bar.   Ginja, a Portuguese liqueur, is made by infusing ginja berries (sour Morrella cherries) in alcohol with sugar added, and served with a cherry in the bottom of the glass.   The gin sounds delicious but I lost my opportunity to try one.   I have a Morella cherry tree in the garden, perhaps I could make my own gin.

A fascinating city to walk around, as long as it does not involve walking up the winding narrow streets to reach the top of the hills.   We did go up to the top of the old city, but took a tour in a tram, rather than risk being run over by a vehicle or a fellow tourist.   A very popular place.

Sadly there were no pickpockets who wanted my telephone with the charger hanging from it.