FINISHING UP LISBON - ODDS AND ENDS

A little street entertainment.  

No, not me.  That girl on the pedestal.  "Like a statue"! Sweet music plays and she moves so gracefully!  Fun to watch.

When we got back from Cascais we went to an interesting restaurant.  Food just ok but building was very interesting.  Casa do Alentejo specializes in Alentejo cuisine and is located on the second floor  in an old dining hall.  The Moorish-looking building is a cultural and social center for people from traditional southern province of Portugal.  

This looked like a library and a little game room.

This is a little taverna downstairs which also had a little outside eating area.  

The following day Sharon had a down day and I had some things to do so I took Sandy out to Belem where there are a number of sites - the Coach Museum, Jeronimo's , the Belem Tower, etc.  and I thought she could spend a full day in the area exploring and I could get some necessary things done.  I had not been to the Monument to the Discoveries so I took Sandy there first before she set off to explore on her own. 

In 1960, the city honored the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator by rebuilding this giant riverside monument, which had originally been constructed for the 1940 World Expo.

The 170 foot concrete structure shows that exploring the world was a team effort.  The men who braved the unknown stand on the pointed, raised prow of a caravel ( a type of ship) about to be launched into the Rio Tejo.

These are two models which show the entire monument.  Front and one side.  

In the lead is Prince Henry the Navigator holding a model of a caravel and a map, followed by kneeling kings and soldiers who christianized foreign lands with the sword.  Behind Henry on the west side are the men who financed the voyages - King Manuel I , those who glorified it in poems and paintings, and at the very end , the only woman, Philippa of Lancaster, Henry's British mother.

The marble map in the pavement is a gift from South Africa  and it follows Portugal's explorers as they inched out into monster infested waters at the edge of the world.  

The greatest thing about this monument is the elevator.  You can ascend 6 floors and you only have to walk 1 flight to reach the top where you can get some fabulous views.  I never tire of looking at them.

The April 25th bridge.  The monument on the far side is the Christ of Mercy.  It is fashioned after the monument in Brazil and was built with donations after WWII contributed because Portugal stayed neutral   during that war.

OK!  Similar but different!

I directed Sandy to the tower of Belem and walked toward the bus stop just as the fountain went off.  

One day we headed out to "Modern Lisbon".  We took the metro from Rossio Square to the Oriente Train Station.  Oriente means "facing east".  It is a very impressive building and it is the transportation hub tying trains from Lisbon to the Algave and Evora area in Portugal.  It also is a metro stop and major bus terminal. 

I snapped some pictures of various subway stops along the route.  The tile work is so interesting.

The building was designed by a Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrave,  From the Oriente Metro station you notice right away that the theme here is the sea.  That was the theme of the 1998 Expo.  Just about everything in this area is named for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.

Feels like a large clam shell!

As you walk out you view the Vasco da Gamma Mall.

The design of the mall seems to have been inspired by the main shopping hall of a luxury cruise ship.  In  the summer water cascades down the glass roof.  Unfortunately it was winter so we didn't get to experience that.  I also forgot to take a picture of the inside of the mall which is too bad.  It's very beautifuol.  We took a lot of pictures from a small terrace in the mall, looking back at the station.  Like being on the deck of a ship!

Of course we had to find a WC.  Despite what I would consider pretty self evident signage we had two men walk in to the ladies loo.  Perhaps they were just attracted to women.  

As you turned to head to the "hers" you saw this tile work.

This was the men's.  I know you're glad you have me to help you with this.  

This was taken from a terrace on the opposite end ot the mall ( actually the main entrance) and it looks out on the Grand Entrance to the 1998 World Expo.  Ahead you see the esplanade and the 155 flags of those countries which were represented at the fair.  The flags are alphabetical.  

The Vasco da Gamma bridge, Europe's longest bridge is in the background.  It opened in 1998 to connect the Expo grounds with the south side of the Rio Tejo and to alleviate the traffic jams on Lisbon's only other bridge over the river, the 25th of April Bridge.  The bridges towers and cables are meant to suggest the sails of a caravel ship.  We walked down the riverside promenade just enjoying a beautiful day.  The promenade is called the "Caminho dos Pinheiros:The Way of the Pine Trees".  

After our stroll we headed back to the mall for a bite to eat.

That night we went to a restaurant , Cervejaria Ramiro, that had been recommended as probably having the best seafood in Lisbon.  We got out of the taxi and looked at their "window displays"  Tanks of fresh shellfish.

And displays of others.

A plate of barnacles.  The waiters don't speak much English but are very fun.  They give you an iPad which has the menu.  They only have shellfish - clams- lobsters - prawns and shrimp and other less familiar fish.   Although there is some type of ham appetizer.  Sharon likes shrimp and I knew they had shrimp in garlic sauce which everyone raved about so I knew there was something she would enjoy.  I have to admit there is nothing else on the menu except bread which they bring you.  Served warm and buttered.  No potatoes, no salad, no vegetables.  Fish and bread.  Oh!  and a steak sandwich which they encourage you to eat as dessert.  I would have gotten one to share with everyone but no one else was interested and I knew I couldn't eat it alone and it was 39 euro's.  A little steep to eat only half.  A young man sitting at the table next to us had two while we were sitting there.  A growing boy out with his mom and dad.

 

We ate our selections but were still a bit hungry so we ordered one giant prawn.  I forgot to take a picture of it when he brought it over to us, raw.  I guess that was to get our approval.  In a few minutes it appeared on our table and I forgot to take a picture until we had already devoured half of it.  Oh!  It was delicious.  Like lobster but not quite as rich.  

It was a fun night.  Someone described the sounds in the restaurant as the waiters are scurrying about and yelling orders like an orchestra playing and then breaks as a little bit of silence is enjoyed.  It was fun, the food was great and it made for a delightful evening!  Even Sharon liked the shrimp.

The next day Sharon was under the weather and I was planning on sending Sandi out on her own but decided it's no fun to be alone in a strange city so I got ready and we headed up to the Sao Jorge  Castle.  I was going to wander around the castle area and wait but decided to go in instead.  The miradoura's are worth seeing multiable times.  Not only did I get to see the views again I got to see one of the peacocks "strut his stuff" .  There was a group of school children there and maybe he was trying to impress them because I did not see any females around. On second thought maybe he was trying to impress Sandi and me.  That's undoubtedly what happened.  

After the castle we decided to explore an area that I was quite sure I hadn't been to before.  It is the part of the Alfama which was not destroyed by the earthquake.  It is definitely not a grid.  It is an area that   at one time was the sailors' quarter and dates back to the age of Visigoth occupation from the 6 to 8 centuries A.D. It is a neighborhood of tangled medieval streets and one of the most photogenic areas in Europe according to the guide books.  

The wall on the right is part of the old fortified wall and once marked the boundary of Moorish Lisbon.   These great stones were stacked here a thousand years ago.  

Around the corner and you see the beginning of the  "real" Alfama.  It's described "as a labyrinthine street plan which was designed to fustrate invaders trying to get up to the castle.  What was defensive then is atmospheric now.  Bent houses comforting romantic shabbiness, and the air drips with laundry and the smell of clams".

The locals decorate with little shrines using their favorite saints to protect their families.  

There is still a public bath and laundry in the Alfama.  Until recently, in the early morning hours, the streets were busy with residents in pajamas, heading for these public toilets.  Now the Aflama district is congested with immigrant laborers ( mostly Ukrainian and Brazilian) who came during the construction boom.  In just a couple of generations the demographics have changed from fishermen's families to immigrants and young bohemians.

We peeked down this little alleyway and decided to go see what the building was at the end with the pretty facade.  

We studied the sign and then saw a brunch menu so  pushed on the door and it opened.  A nice young man met us and told us it was a hotel and they served bunch everyday.  We decided it looked like a lovely place to have a bite to eat.  

Before sitting down to lunch he gave us a tour of the hotel common area and the dining room.  The hotel has only 6 suites each decorated differently.  This was an old home at one time and two friends, a Spaniard and Portuguese man decided to refurbish it and live in it but during the renovation they decided it was just too big for them so they decided to make it into a hotel instead.  It would be a wonderful place to stay.

Breakfast is served here to the guests.

The Arabian room which is a private dining area and can accommodate 10 persons.

A lovely outdoor patio area. 

We had the most delicious brunch.  We shared two dishes from the menu.  They were highly recommended by the young man who had greeted us and given us our tour.  We had a club sandwish that was made with a special bread(very thin) and the sandwich had turkey, ham, tomato, lettuce, cheese and a fried egg and some special mayonnaise.  The other item was scrambled eggs with a special Portuguese sausage. Wow!  

Great surroundings and great food!

I had a restaurant and a square that I wanted to find before leaving the Alfama so I asked the young man where they were.  His directions sounded easy enough.  Well, Sandi and I being directionally challenged had to ask directions twice before we finally found the restaurant.  It was not our fault which I'm glad to say.  The young man had told us to go out the hotel straight up the path and take three lefts.  He forgot to tell us take a right at the end of the street of the hotel and then take three lefts.  

While wandering and asking for directions we ran into a young girl who spoke English but was from Toronto not from Lisbon but had just been to a little place where the waitress spoke perfect Engish and she walked us back there.  A cute hole in the wall.

They were all so nice I wanted a picture of them and then someone came along and voluteered to take a picture for me.  

Sandi and our new Canadian friend.  She was traveliing around Europe and I think was just a little lonesome so she walked with us to the restaurant.  It looked nice and very local so we made a reservation for Friday night.  There's a recommended fado place nearby so after dinner we will just go there and listen to some music for awhile.

We got a little distracted with our new friend along so we missed some of the Alfama sites but decided we'd go back early and show Sharon the area.  

We made it to the bottom of the hill and walked along the water and came across a neat tile store which attracted my attention.  We walked in and found that the artist was working that day as his shop assistant was sick.  I liked his work - and found a tile that suited me so purchased one.  It's very neutral and modern  I should have taken a picture of it but forgot.  I didn't forget to have my picture taken with the artist however.  He was a bit reluctant because apparently he's not supposed to take pictures because of some  copyright thing since he does a TV show here in Lisbon.  Oh well,he succumbed   to my charm  :-).

Poor Sharon has got a bug and so she hasn't joined us on the last few outings.  We were hoping she's be able to join us for dinner on Friday but she idn't think she ought to.  So Sandi and I headed to the Alfama to explore the twisting street some more.  

It was rainy and icky but that didn't stop us.  

Wonderful fado was coming from this house.  Notice the portrait of the Pope on the door.

 St. Anthony.

We found our cute little bar where we had stopped to get directions in the afternoon so we decided to stop and have a little glass of wine before dinner.  This young lady who works here was so nice and so happy that we come back.  

She told us the story behind this very special liquor.  It actually started as a port but when the French were invading Portugal this particular port was buried to keep the French from drinking it.  It was discovered years later and it had been sitting so long it turned into a liquor.  She let us taste it.  It was very sweet but very nice.  

Time for dinner and we headed to a Rick Steve's recommended restaurant - Restaurant Santo Antonio de Alfama. The food was very good and the staff was very friendly.  Loved the decor.

They brought out some fried potatoe skins with a wonderful dipping sauce.  We ate the whole thing!

The cooks were upstairs so I stopped to chat and take their picture on my way to the WC.

After dinner we went to another Rick Steve's recommended places to listen to some amateur fado. It was definitely amateur night although there was one gentlemen and another woman who stopped by and I think they were pro's.  Although the music wasn't great the place was fun!  It was very small and packed.  

That's the cook singing.  She wasn't too bad

This was the wine - too bad!!!!!!!.  We paid 20 Euro for bad music and bad wine but we had fun!

We left around 11:30 and got home at midnight.  

On our last day we were going to go on a walking tour in the morning but that didn't work out.  The guide didn't show up.  It's a tour where you just go to a designated place and the guide meets up with the group and you pay him or her a small fee.  I think because its off season they probably don't do it all the time. Who knows.  Anyway Sharon and I are kind of hit with a bug.  Sharon's home bound and although I planned on going on the tour I 'm not feeling too well either so probably worked out for the best.  I came back home and packed and finished this blog while Sandi went out again.  

It's our last night in Lisbon so wlll go out someplace for our last meal.  The cupboard is bare!  Tomorrow we fly to Barcelona.