For the Christmas week this year we met up with the
Norman-Banerjee family in Lisbon, Portugal. Last year we met them at roughly the same time in Barcelona…I’m liking this trend. We stayed at an Airbnb in the very cool Alfama neighborhood of the older part of the city, just below the São Jorge castle. It’s known for its crazy windy narrow streets and stunning city views. Hidden courtyards with wine bars pop up as you make your way through the maze.
We arrived on 12/20 many hours before the Normans, and we were able to leave our bags at the Airbnb but not fully check in, so we explored. Wandering down through the Alflama we of course immediately ate pasteis de nata then stopped for a coffee/beer at the Miradoura das Portas Do Sol. From there we hopped in a TukTuk for a touristy ride around the old city. Our guide took us past Sé de Lisboa (oldest cathedral in the city) and up to the highest viewpoint (Miradouro da Senhora do Monte). We then ambled through the Baixa neighborhood, from Arco da Rua Augusta and Plaça Comercial (lovely lunch on the square), and up the Rua Augusta.
After the Norman fam arrived and we settled in we all headed over to A Severa to take in a delicious dinner and hear some Fado. Fado is “a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor.” It doesn’t sound particularly uplifting but it was truly a delight. We chose this restaurant in particular because our friend Daniel’s cousin, Nadine, performs there, so we got to see her! The crowd got really into it, singing along to the peppier tunes, and the accompanying guitarists were incredible.
This evening was also our first chance to appreciate Lisbon’s magnificent display of city lights (I particularly like the peacock theme on Rua Augusta).
On 12/21 the Norman’s had a morning meeting so we had a leisurely start and then met up with them at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara and strolled through the
Bairro Alto and Chiado neighborhoods. This area was teeming with beautiful squares and good window shopping (instruments, old books and maps). We also checked out the Church of Sao Roque, where I learned what a “riot of babies” could possibly be (see photo below). We also stopped by the Cervejaria Trindade, a former monastery turned beer hall (and the tiles tell the story!) with the most insane shellfish/mollusc display I’ve ever seen.
That afternoon Sally and I met up with family friends Mary and Miguel Fawkes for a hot cocoa and cake at Kaffehaus (Viennese style) and then poked into a few lovely shops (the wool products at Burel are pretty much indescribable). The day finished up with a tapas-style dinner at Taberna Bairro do Allivez - one of the many restaurants owned by celebrity chef José Allivez.
On 12/22 we started the day at the Portuguese school of equestrian art. The description of the tickets was incredible unclear, but they weren’t very expensive and I’d been told that it was a cool experience, so we went for it…and I’m so glad, it was indeed very cool! You got to walk around the school and stables, watching them groom/tack-up, warm-up, etc. We were able to meander through the barn and say hi to the horses. Then we crossed the street and watched a short part of the relatively casual performance (the riders/trainers were, of course, dressed in their finest, but there was no pomp and circumstance like in Vienna). I much preferred this over seeing the Spanish riding school performance in Vienna. To be able to glance behind the scenes was really fun. Furthermore, these horses were not morbidly obese like those in Vienna, and the equestrians themselves all seemed to be enjoying themselves - smiling, giving the horses lots of affection.
From there we made our way down the hill to eat lunch at at Pasteis de Belem (the birthplace of the pasteis de nata). I was worried this was going to be touristy with poor-quality food/service, and a let down. I couldn’t have been more wrong on the latter points! Yes, touristy, but service was top-notch and the pasteis were fresh, warm, and heavenly.
After that we checked out the Monastery of Jeronimos. This has a beautiful, towering Gothic cathedral was built in the 1500s (another UNESCO World Heritage site!) and contains the tombs of explorer Vasco da Gamas and poet Luís de Camões. Attached are the cloisters replete with the expected covered walkways, hidden gardens, and ornate Manueline decorations.
Next we went to the top of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of Discoveries) and enjoyed the huge world map. This monument is meant to celebrate the “Age of Discovery” when Portuguese explorers “conquered” the world, so the actual gist is controversial, but it’s a beautiful structure and offers great views across the Tagus river and Lisbon from the top.
From there Sue and I walked back the almost 5 miles across town (got to see quite a bit!), enjoyed wine and fries on Plaça Commercial, and made our way home for the evening.
That night we all had a fancy dinner at Via Graça, which had a spectacular view of the city and an impressive wine selection!
On 12/23 Sally and I were delighted to show Sintra to the Normans, since we had enjoyed it so much in October. After lunch on the downtown square we headed up the road to the Quinta da Regaleira gardens. Kids and grownups alike delighted in exploration…and this time the well and “waterfalls” were very wet (again, compared to the fall!).
We also Moorish castle ruins atop the hill of Sintra, built in the 8/9th century. This was absolutely gorgeous and well-worth the incredibly windy drive up and down! Also—yep, you guessed it!—a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Dinner that night was at casual L’Ape (still up in La Graça), which had lots of suggestive (or more) art, dancing wait staff, and decent food.
On 12/24 we were delighted to learn that the aquarium was open. It’s the largest in Europe and did a really nice job. We bought joint tickets to also ride the “Cabineria” - a gondola along the river. That was an out-and-back so rather random but nice views and it’s always fun to be swinging through the air.
We had Christmas Eve lunch outside in the sun on the square at Portas do Sol, and a quiet evening at home (David and Chad made seafood stew and risotto) before expecting Santa’s arrival. That night we ate very strange Portuguese traditional Christmas cakes. One appeared to be a fruit cake (center, below) but had toppings that looked like avocado, onion, tomato. We uniformly detested it, in spite of the salesperson at the shop telling David it was her absolutely favorite.
Christmas Day came in wet and windy, which was actually perfect because it gave us all permission to just chill after a busy week. I, however, can only “relax” for so long so eventually coerced Sally into going for a walk with me. We had a delightful time exploring our neighborhood in the rain…it was pretty quiet! I was charmed by the graffiti. I went on another walk myself that evening and the city had suddenly come alive, with everyone out and about and enjoying the Christmas Day.
That evening another chill dinner at the house with board games (Exploding kittens, anyone?).
On our final day, Boxing Day/St. Stephen’s Day, we all went to the Gulbenkian museum. It contained loads of ancient Egyptian relics, lots of interesting furniture and table sets, and a tiny bit of art from the Renaissance.
We had great Indian food at Cinnamon for lunch, and then Sally and Nora explored the windy, narrow streets of the Aflama. We came across musicians on random church steps, quaint cafes and wine bars, secret staircases, and sweeping views. Obrigata, Lisboa!
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