Lisbon Impression
03.05.2019
“Lisbon is older than Rome”, says Nelson, a little after he has taken us into his “blue donkey” to drive us to Belem. We think in this case he may be right, as right now all our roads simultaneously went to Lisbon. We spend three hours with Nelson. He shares with us some curious details and historical facts about the places he chose to show us on our way to the quarter right opposite Alfama, where we were staying. He is happy for us as we seem to have chosen a great starting point for any future exploration trip across Lisbon streets and mysteries.
“Alfama is the city’s first quarter, its name comes from the Arabic for ‘fountain’ and it is here that the influence of the Moors, who conquered our territory in the 7th century, is most strongly felt. The Arabic influence is not just in the ceramic tiles along the walls and doorways, but also in some of the tastes of Portugal”, Nelson chatters on, and talking about tasty and tastes, he points at a low-rise squatted building with a dome! He emphasizes this is the “must”place to have a bite at, as it has gathered world cuisine under its domed roof. The market Mercado da Ribeira Timeout was once a market for spices brought from India…500 years ago. Now it is something else, we’ll get to that later. On our way we pass the Belem Tower, built as a gateway to Lisbon from the ocean, and also to protect the nearby Jeronimos Monastery. At “Prasa do Imperio“, where the monastery is located, Nelson spares us 30 minutes free time. Today the magnificent building with its exquisite architecture doesn’t function as a monastery. It was erected on the very spot Vasco Da Gama and his companions spent the night in prayers before sailing off to India in the morning. Its construction celebrates the success of the Portuguese sea-farer on the map of the Great Geographical Discoveries. All this has been told to us by Nelson. I break his historical tale with a question generated by hunger. For years now, while reading travel notes of the period, I’ve felt hungry for sardines. So I asked Nelson…Where he would take us to try some sardines? He smiles a little and winks at George “Are you coming again in June? Sardines are most delicious then, they are fat and juicy. June is also a good time to be in Lisbon, because of the St Antonio Festival, where various city quarters compete in singing and dancing. It is a24/7party till sunrise. Celebrations start on 13 June and last until the end of the month.” Later we’ll read that St Antonio is a patron saint of lost items, love and marriage. What a metaphorical message, you find items when in love, only to lose them in marriage; it happens sometimes. We’re going to repeat Lisbon in June and come back with a pot of basil. During the June festivities the pot of basil is a gift for someone special. So we’ll come back with two pots.
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While travelling with Nelson we pass by a large building with an austere, streamlined silhouette, again in Belem. Our eloquent guide tells us another story, about a man who supported the fascist doctrine, but at his death bed, he repented and begged forgiveness with a good deed that was let to happen in the future. The man bequeathed his whole wealth to a health-related cause. His money was put to good use by founding the Institute for Oncological Disease Research. Nelson’s sense of humour is truly charming. Upon approaching the 25 April Bridge, that was built by the company which had erected the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, he directs our attention to the right and adds: “This is the National Electric Company. It’s national but privatized by the Chinese”.
“Our land is ancient. It was inhabited by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, then conquered by the Moors in the 7C, but we redeemed it back in the 11C. Portugal was founded in 1143. We had our own kings until the 19th century. And their queens dearly loved Obidos. Do you think you’ll have time to see this village, it’s an hour and a half away from Lisbon?” Here we waved goodbye to Nelson and his smile, glib tales and at times funny recommendations, which made a substantial part of what won us over for this particular journey. We liked the capital of Portugal. What is more, we loved it.
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The first person we meet in Lisbon is Kleber. He’s waiting for us at midnight to hand over the key to the small, pretty, white-painted studio on the ground floor. From Portella Airport to his place we get a Uber taxi which costs 7 euro. The first impression of Alfama is mesmerizing…Windows reaching the ground, ceramics on the walls, colourful houses, steep, narrow streets and lines of washing hanging in charming disarray ( no attempts whatsoever at arranging the clothes in any order). But it is something else that steals our love during this first night encounter with the city. It’s the music coming from the little ground floor rooms that have been turned into Fado music boxes.
Lisbon, in our first minutes there, reminds us of a charming middle-aged lady of experience, wearing a gypsy skirt of multiple patterns, with a youthful manner and a sweet, melancholic voice. Lisbon seems to have a boho air, seems to live in multi-colour patches…its quarters resemble little pieces of multi-colour fabric, with their own manner, lifestyle and street traditions.
Еnjoy yourselves! You’ve chosen a place for a great experience. Well, I’m leaving you a few recommendations for places to eat, dance, walk and some museums to see. Here they are, on the cupboard. If you have any problem, call me.” Seconds later Kleber closes the door and disappears behind the corner. We happily relax in a conscious state of serenity. We are ready for new excitement, as each new place excites differently. Kleber was such a good host as to invite us to call him in case of problems, yet a little later his mobile turns up to be in a “call the subscriber later” mode. Three minutes after we have started unpacking, we find out there is a hitch with the toilet door. However, not only have we read the old Bulgarian folk tale about the nevolya (help in emergency), but we also know how to call it. After some heavy pushing and pulling, we manage to open the door. And in the next three days we completely forget about Kleber. His home is already ours, The Sneakers’. Our address is the ideal starting point to get immersed in the atmosphere of the authentic Old Lisbon. The Lisbon that paints owner’s portraits on the walls of their houses.
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I opened the jalousie windows in the flat with the worrying realization that we are virtually in the street, which made my imagination run wild! George is always having huge fun with the plots my fear conjures up. Anyway, we didn’t get abducted, and not even at lunch time did anyone join our table. On one of our three days there, our lunch, in full view of the passers-by, only attracted the interest of the tourists, who certainly enjoyed the view of two lovers drinking beer and eating fish out of three fish cans (three fish cans – 13 euro. And they were delicious, too).
The night we arrived we first look for food. Now George is a man of enviable height (he obviously ate a lot of vegetables when he was a kid), and I have been a hearty eater since the age of 3. The first establishment for a very, very late dinner that pops our way is one with a definite underground feel – slightly secretive, hidden behind heavy curtains, now pulled open. Inside there are young people, noisily laughing at the stories they tell. They gesticulate, drink port and look in each other’s eyes, while exchanging words. There are no mobiles on the tables. “Salmoura“is a little tavern with two halls on Rua Dos Remedios 98. Six people work there – five cooks and Philip the owner. He serves the guests himself and starts conversations about their tastes and preferences. The menu is not large, but it offers a different approach to food. Apart from delight, food is also a surprise. We love surprises and let Philip choose the dinner on the first day and lunch on the second. Thus we try squid and octopus, served with sepia ink dressing, and also wild boar with a pomegranate sauce. Philip’s little restaurant has no sophisticated design, but exudes the cosy atmosphere of the kitchen at home. Many ingredients are home-made, the place is unique in its own style and all these create its own story. “Salmoura” is a history we’ll get you involved in with our next travel notes.
On our second visit to the tavern we take part in an improvised liqueur tasting. Bottles of home – made liqueur change hands across tables, guests exchange opinions on the taste Home-made stuff: Poevo (poezho) with added mint and oregano during the process of ageing, Canelo – cinnamon liqueur and Corriandro – with a strong taste of coriander. And, of, course, Ginjinha. It is the national welcome drink. Morello cherry liquer was first made by old village ladies and to these days is exempt from excise taxes, so it can be made and sold freely in shops and restaurants. It is always advertised as being just brought from the village house of a sweet Portuguese old biddy, who is a master of cherry liqueur.
From Philip to Pulga…
Up the steep winding streets of Alfama, as early as the first night in Lisbon we also find Miss Pulga. We are climbing up, when a group of people, obviously just as impressed and leaning on the wall of a house with a door open again at an unsocial hour, make us stop too. We take a glimpse through the half open door and can hear more clearly the music coming from inside. We don’t know why they call fado a sad music, but if melancholy creates such excitement and emotions on people’s faces, then we want that fado can be listened to everywhere. There is a moment when it occurs to us that there is no room for us in this tiny bistro, but, quicker than our fleeting moment, Miss Pulga has caught us by the hands, as we are about to move on, and is leading us to the only interior table with benches all around it. She deftly nudges several people to squeeze themselves closer together and finds room for George and me. Noone is grumpy, everybody is enjoying themselves. In a second, while we are looking at all the tiny glasses on the table, two more appear plus a bottle of port. We don’t have to finish the whole bottle. In the end the bill is calculated on the basis of “How many glasses did you have, boy?”
Miss Pulga’s bar is run by two ladies – Pulga being something of a stage name; after all to manage a bar in the urgent manner of this big woman with a deep voice, is a certain artistic performance. In aid of Miss Pulga is a friend or neighbor, we never managed to find out. This lady sings, cooks sausages on a improvised electric frying pan. She literally sets them on fire.
The menu is nothing much, but, oh, the port and the music… An Unforgettable and enjoyable experience. The local people can stage a real spectacle with their live performances. There goes don Carlo, who is an Italian by origin, but after years of visiting Lisbon and Alfama, has fallen in love with the music and has devoted his life to Fado. The total area of Miss Pulga’s bar is no more than 20 square meters, with three tables altogether and enough room to hold many people who enjoy their closeness. Fado is an exceptionally beautiful music that proves sadness is beautiful sometimes. Before we leave, everybody is singing and most people are dancing. I remain a little tense, anxious not to be called on the stage. “And now for you will sing …. Yana!” Carlo is curious to learn where people like us, with no talent for singing come from, but when he hears “Bulgaria” he seems to wish he had a hat and take it off in a gesture of respect. He talks about our opera singers with a lot of warmth and appreciation.
In the end, we recommend that you get to meet Miss Pulga. She certainly has a colourful personality. The locals love her, despite her seemingly peculiar character ( she would put a finger to her lips and glare at you if you talk while someone sings). People sing and dance with her at any moment she happens not to be carrying plates with burned sausages and bottles of port. A wonderful woman. Еnthralling. People like her, who can feel a room with their presence, are few and far between.
We come home exhausted. So knackered we have a good mind to sleep away all the few mornings we shall have in Lisbon.
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But we don’t oversleep and welcome the new day with the famous Pastel de Nata, eating more of them every day. This traditional dessert, as popular as Lisbon sights is made with roasted mille feuille and egg custard will tempt us at any time of day. Loaded with carbs and sugar, we feel the call of Alfama.
Lisbon is situated on seven hills, which surely entitles it to seven different Miradouro signs. Like many other visitors, we too start climbing up to the beautiful views. On Saturday, without having that planned, we reach the large Lisbon market over the Pantheon – feira da Ladra. The miracles the Portuguese make from cork! From coasters to skirts, jewellery, bags, shoes. They are also masters of leather goods, and obviously collectors of old records, most of them of Fado singers. Old books are placed in baskets and many people gather around them to look for their stories among all that are left there. Sunny, bubbly, smiling … This is how we saw this market. We get a belt for George and a leather cap for me. From leather ware craftsman. Feira da Ladra turns out to be 5 minutes away from our flat, but, as well-trained tourists, we find it the long and hard way. After the market we set off climbing the little streets to the first miradouro. Each of them has a name (for collectors’ knowledge).
Financial notes on the first night and part of the new day; a little shot of ginjinha – 1.50 euro; a glass of port – 2 euro at Miss Pulga’s , Pastel de Nata – 1.50 or 2.00 euro, dinner for two – 20 euro, liqueur tasting at Philip’s – smiles and joy, leather cap – 12 euro, espresso, cappuccino and fresh sweet orangejuice – 5 euro total from a little shop in Alfama.
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In the afternoon we head for the lower part of Alfama, at the end of which is downtown and the Commercial Square. We never reach the Museum of Beer, as Fate sends Nelson our way and we find each other very pleasant people. A 2- hour tour of central Lisbon and Alfama on a tuk-tuk motorbike costs 50 eur., 75 for 3 hours. We opt for changing the course and riding to Belem, and Nelson decides to give us the third hour as a gift and shares his favourite spots in Lisbon. For a long time our guide had been a web-designer. Years before we meet him at the Fado Museum, he substitutes web- projects with kilometers of tales about Lisbon. We too talk to him about what we do in Bulgaria, at which point he smiles widely and reveals the reason for his own requalification. In short: “I take a project. I complete the task, make hundreds of changes, and in the end I get to hear how I have to wait for my payment and show some understanding, as at the moment the client is having some difficulties or is investing in expanding his business”. George and I had a good laugh, guess why. At the end of this journey Nelson leaves us at the beginning of Bairro Alto, near one of the most popular tram tracks – people always gather there to take pictures. The street is nearly vertical at its top end, and on the way down leads to the bank of the Teju river.
From there, we trudge on to Mercado dе Ribeira – Timeout market. It’s a huge hall with industrial design, nut without the feel of rigidity and coldness, owing to the wood used in the interior decorations. It’s a cooked food market with finely calibrated service. No queues. Every eatery, apart from the menu, also offers a special gadget customers get upon paying for their order. The thing emits a light once ordered food is ready. 10 – 15 euro per person is enough for the enjoyable, delicious food. Add another 3 to 5 euro for a drink.
The next day we walk to the Square of Commerce and from there through the Arch of Triumph along R. Augusta ( pedestrian zone) we reach Rossio Square with the fountain, then up and up again past the Hardrock café and designer clothes stores… Our final destination is Edward II Park. The only public transport we use in Lisbon, and that only once, is bus 736 from a bus stop on the outskirts of the park to the Square of Commerce. A ticket for two costs 5 euro.You can buy tickets at a vending machine or from the bus driver, who will not get mad at you if you don’t happen to have loose change.
If you love walking, that will give you a truly rewarding and meaningful experience of Lisbon, as you will get to meet its people – smiling, gregarious, playing football across the doors of opposite houses, or having forgotten about their washing, engaged in a lively conversation with the neighbor next door. As we already said, the clothes lines add to the impressions of the city. There is a lot of colour there – in the houses, as well as in the people.
Our second evening also includes a walk along the Teju. The promenade is romantic and alive. All the people around have taken a seat at the only café, next to the ferry port, on wooden racks, on the sand; Every one contemplates life according to his personal wish – with wine, with dance, with music, with a loved one. The same evening we cross the river on a ferry and dine in Almada, on the opposite shore.
We get back to the flat. We still find it funny, recalling how, having ordered paella, we goggle at the huge pot of rice and crabs ( big enough for at least five people). We fill the backpacks for the road. Alfama – Portella Airport and with a rent-a –car to Obidos, and then all the miradouros from Peniche to Cabo da Roca.
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We returned from Lisbon at the end of March. Now it is May and we are still there, listening to Portuguese music at home ,at work, and in the car. We are in love. With each other. And with Lisbon.
