Vacation time – First Stop: Lisbon

After a week in Lagos in February and 9 days in Albufeira in early April, I returned to Portugal for a  vacation with a friend from San Francisco. Our plan included 4 nights in Lisbon, 3 nights in Porto and then 4 nights in Barcelona.

Taxi drama 🙂 !

My arrival in Lisbon began with a mildly unsettling taxi incident. My taxi driver, who I now suspect was just borrowing the taxi,  got lost, did not have or use GPS but kept asking me to use my phone, and turned off the meter at 11 euros (a big no-no) when we were stuck in traffic that was far past the hotel and the time at which we should have arrived at the hotel.

Then he got grumpy and agitated. He kept saying, no problem lady, 20 euros, no problem. But I balk at paying double the price for a ride that took double the time.  I told him that I would not pay 20 euros because it was too much. When we finally arrived and he asked for 20, I offered him 15. He got mad and instantly drove off without accepting anything, and I was left holding the money and staring after him!

The hotel gem: Casa do Jardim

When I entered Casa do Jardim in the Principe Real area, Bruna’s smile and warm welcome banished any misgivings about anything. Since I was early for check-in, she stored my luggage and marked up a map with information that I used for the next few days.

The bad news, as the man who carried my luggage said on the way up the stairs, was that the room was on the fourth floor, with no elevator. The good news was that it was a huge, light and bright room with a fantastic view, a kitchen area and a small terrace, great for morning coffee and evening drinks. Climbing four stories was worth it! And it was good training for the hilly streets!

Lumi Rooftop Bar

When my friend arrived, the first thing on the agenda was to go to a rooftop bar. Just an 8-minute walk downhill, we found Lumi which has a beautiful rooftop, unfortunately by reservation only. Since we were both tired after our flights, we stayed and ate inside, which was still lovely. The best thing was the tempura green beans, which we then had as often as we could in Lisbon.  The oxtail croquettes were very satisfying and flavorful. The unknown dish was Roasted Codfish a bras, a local specialty of codfish on top of shoestring potatoes into which we mixed an egg. The food was great, waiters were better. I took this photo after I asked if the waiter (second from the left) was on the menu! Trust me, I did not mean it how it sounds!! But they were fun, as you can tell!!

Hill Walking in Alfama

The next day was our first of many where we walked up and down hills. For 10 days, we averaged 9.2 miles per day. On the other hand, we took full advantage of all the treats such as pastel de Nata or Belem, more tempura beans (at Timeout Market) and several other traditional sweet pastries such as Travesseiros, a signature dessert of Sintra. My Lisbon friend purchased them for us at Piriquita, the bakery which invented it in the 1940s. Like the recipe for pastel de Belem, the Travesseiros recipe is a secret.

We devoted day 1 to the historic area of Alfama and the old city center, walking first to the waterfront and then into the Alfama district, up the hill to the castle. We stopped at every Miradouro to enjoy the different views. The light in Lisbon is beautiful, as are the tiled buildings and spotless streets.

Bruna recommended Atalho for dinner, just across the Principe Real park in the old building and looking out over the botanical gardens. The two women sitting beside us recommended Incendi wine and the meat dish, both of which they ordered, both times they ate there. We ordered a Waygu beef appetizer and a steak main course with a side salad, which was quite enough food. The restaurant provided cozy red blankets that kept us warm as the evening cooled.

Sintra is worth yet another visit

The next day, my friend from Lisbon drove us to Sintra where we visited the Quinta de Regaleira, Sintra and she bought the travesseiros for us. Note that to visit the Palace de Pena and other sites, it is better to buy a ticket in advance and go early. There are long lines at every attraction but they are all worth seeing. Even better would be to stay in Sintra for 2 nights.

We drove to Cabo da Rocca, the very windy westernmost point of Europe. We managed to not get blown off the cliff. The wind didn’t stop us from having a picnic at Adraga Beach but the waves prevented me from even sticking my foot  in the water to test the temperature.

Hot chocolate and tea warmed us up at a cafe with a beautiful view of the dunes beach and the sea before driving along the coast to stop at Boca del Inferno in Cascais.

By then 2 of us (and it wasn’t my Lisbon friend) were tired and elected to not stop in Cascais. Back in Lisbon, we looked for a nearby spot for tapas. Not finding the first 2, sheer luck with perfect timing got us a table at Tapisco, mentioned in the Michelin guide. Again we ate tempura beans and these were the best! We ordered 2 other dishes, pork and mushroom risotto which matched each other perfectly.

The West End

On day 3 we visited the end of town with the LX factory, the Tower of Belem, the Monument of Discoveries and of course, Pasteis de Belem. I learned 2 secrets that day. There is an underground passageway from the Monument of Discoveries to the Jeronimos Monastery.

And a secret from the previous visit to the Monument – the map in marble in front of it, where you see the years embedded on the map as Portugal discovered the world. I was there two weeks before with a Portuguese tour guide, and her pride in telling the role of her small country in opening the world is well-deserved.

And at Pasteis de Belem, there is always a long daunting line. The secret is that is for take-away. Just beside it is the entry for eat-in. With something like 240 seats, if there is ever a line, it moves very quickly. We sat on the terrace and had a simple lunch with their famous custard tarts for dessert.

We ate dinner that evening at Timeout, a large food hall by the Cais do Sodre. It showcases the chefs and restaurants, first on a temporary basis then full-time, that would appear in the Timeout magazine. The head chef from Tapisco occupies the first spot that we saw. We walked the entire place and looked at every menu. It was the tempura beans display that sealed our choice. They were good, but only 5 beans per order! It’s a fun place and a good stop.

And that is a quick overview of the Lisbon portion of the trip. With perfect weather, beautiful light, clean streets and friendly, polite people, Lisbon is definitely worth another visit.