Lisboa & Porto '23

10 Septembro

Mama and I started our first day in Lisbon with an homage to our American roots—at the McDonald's in Praça de Figueira. Something about gluten-free burgers paired with local Portuguese soups felt more reliable than the lane of touristy cafes and (eye-catching) souvenirs down Largo São Domingos, so we settled in for a McSnack before doing the quintessential injured-girl activity in any new city: a hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tour. We engaged in less hopping and more sitting, listening to the historical facts interspersed with Portuguese songs I wished I could Shazam.

Our first "hop-off" was at the Jerónimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, construction of which began in 1501. As we disembarked, an inauspicious drizzle began to fall and left us eager to stand in the entry line, but without umbrella or raincoat. We scoured a local museum gift shop to find rain protection, but in vain. Luckily, the warm and resourceful Rita of the gift shop came to the rescue and provided us with an elegant solution! She kindly gave us two complimentary Maritime Museum bags and, paper cutter in hand, opened them out to become useful (if questionable) plastic-bag ponchos. (When a pair of street vendors approached us with an offer to buy 5-Euro ponchos just moments later, you can bet we felt superior as heck in our extremely flattering alternative.)

The monastery was stunning, with painstaking Moorish architecture that included not a single column with the same carving as another in the complex. 

We spent the afternoon there before going into the small town of Belém. We couldn't brave the line outside Pastéis de Belém, but settled in for some Dão and live music across the street instead.

We then hopped back on toward the Torre de Belem, which was soaked in sunlight at golden hour! Warming hues reflected off this World Heritage Site, "gateway to Portugal," and handy place from which to shoot cannons. Cork purse souvenirs and brigadeiro ice creams lined one side of the tower while a lone busker graced the other side, as the whole enthralling scene was bathed in saxophone and sunlight.

We ended the day with a toast at A Ginjinha, a "historic open-fronted bar for a pip-spitting crowd sipping local ginjinha cherry-like liqueur." The cherry cordial is scrumptious, and might just become a Gill girl staple!

11 Septembro

We started Monday by paying our respects at Igreja de São Domingos, which was built in the 13th century and has been rebuilt multiple times, including after the earthquake in 1531 and a fire in 1959. We then set off through the Praça da Figueira for Cafe Nicolau at Anuvi's recommendation! A long line was made worth it for the delicious brekkie, cute souvenir stores on the way, and reminder that Europe is slowwww and #chill. 

Post brunch, we stumbled upon the Arco da Rua Augusta, in the Praça do Comércio, which is by far the most imposing thing I've seen in a while. The sun was beating down but nevertheless we persevered to soak in the magnificent square and view of the Tagus.

Having had a so far sufficiently unproductive morning for Mama's standards, we browsed some art at Soma Ideas and soon set off for the Castelo de São Jorge, a castle that's been around since the 8th century BC?! The hill on which it lies served, at different times, as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors...before the Portuguese won the day. It was definitely a big #win because the views up here were so exhilarating I (almost) skipped my cup of afternoon coffee! 

We gazed down at our hotel and far beyond before departing for our evening activity, after being serenaded by a baritone with accordion, singing down from his second floor balcony.

In the early hours of the evening we caught a mesmerizing fado performance that had me in tears at the first song. The music was so moving for someone who doesn't understand the lyrics that I can't imagine how it would be if I spoke a word of Portuguese!

After this musical adventure, we used the last hour or so of sunlight to walk down the Rua Augusta again and soak in the city before turning in early in preparation for tomorrow!

12 Septembro

Mama and I woke at the crack of dawn today to board our bus to Sintra, a town about 14 miles from Lisbon, to the northwest. The town is home to at least five major palaces, and other small castles and royal chalets. We went in pursuit of Pena Palace, which our wonderful guide Bruno told us was constructed by King Ferdinand in 1838 for his wife, who tragically died in childbirth before she could ever lay eyes on it.

What a sight it was to behold. We'd truly never seen anything like it in our lives, straight out of a Disney movie with the dreamy Portuguese countryside in the background. The vegetation around the approach of the castle was unique and evocative, transporting us to another time, in tandem with the petulant mist settling over the mountains as we ascended.

Mama and I made our way through a tour of the inside of the palace, and when I constantly got separated from the tour group I found myself scampering through other groups whispering "excuse me, pardon, obrigada, sorry," and squeezing through already narrow passages made narrower by tourists, trying to get by. (Apparently, this behavior made me quite well known among the visitors of the day: as we left the property I heard a tour guide point at me and say, "Look, it's the girl in black who was always running late!" An apt description, to be sure.

For lunch, we retreated to the charming town of Sintra itself, to have a bite at Cafe Paris, browse Portuguese-made lace stores, and sample ginja served in dark chocolate cups (it tastes delightful and I hope I'm able to have it again).

After lunch, we zoomed to Cabo da Roca, which forms the westernmost part of continental Europe! What could be more American than going as close as possible to New York while still being on the Eurasian landmass? You tell me. 

Next, we drove to Cascais, a cute municipality with a population of 200,000 where Portuguese nobility used to build their summer homes. Cristiano Ronaldo is continuing the tradition by building his 20 million-Euro house there too! We surprisingly didn't run into him as we perused a local museum and popped some pão de queijo into our mouths over the marina.

Back at the ranch, we rested a bit before launching back into intrepid souvenir-perusing and exploration. Tonight we visited Lisbon's Alfama neighborhood, where the fado art form originated! Mama was sure that we could walk into any establishment and music would be playing, but I was skeptical. I should have learned by now never to doubt my mother. As soon as we set foot in the area we heard the strains of Portuguese guitar, and settled in for a hearty dinner and live show. Three musicians alternated singing, performing one or two songs at a time. The house act is comprised of a woman in her 70s and a man about my age, who often perform duets together. An 18-year-old drops by to perform twice a week alongside her undergraduate psychology degree. Seeing folks across generations keep this important (and beautiful) art form alive was heartening, and a fulfilling way to end a jam-packed day.

14 Septembro

We started our day with a drive through historic Porto and parked at the National Soares dos Reis Museum, founded in 1833 to educate Portuguese students about the fine arts. With its well curated Portuguese paintings and sculpture and the gorgeous blue-and-white tiled walls, it was a dream come true (particularly given Mama's aesthetic preferences). We passed the hottest hours of the day there taking in Soares dos Reis and his contemporaries, through gallery after breathtaking gallery. We highly recommend their small and thoughtful collection!

When the hottest hours of the day had passed, we popped into Livraria Lello, known for being "the most beautiful bookstore in the world." After a visit, we can confidently confirm that we agree with this assessment. A stained glass ceiling and window coverings suspend over a red staircase that looks like melting lava, like something out of Harry Potter.

After the first tawny port of the day, we ventured out to the stunning teal Fonte dos Leões, Mama's new favorite fountain in the world! 

After a visit to Igreja do Carmo, a cathedral smattered with striking tiles on the outside, we were eager to make our way to the river for sunset. We headed into the Ribeira neighborhood and soaked up some views before crossing the striking Ponte Luís I to the south side of the river, Cais de Gaia.

We let the sun's rays sink into us until the very last moments of its setting. Then we zoomed over to Via Catarina in search of new luggage, and came across a set of beautiful, wide streets and a historic local market, Mercado do Bolhão. We found a newly opened restaurant, Herdade 1980, and enjoyed wonderfully prepared sweet potato and spinach dishes, alongside the tawniest of ports. Mama's sleek new suitcase in hand, we slid back to the north side to turn in for the day.

15 Septembro

We started today at the Sé Cathedral, one of the city's most important Romanesque monuments. Built in the Gothic style, it has a continuous Azuelo mural interspersed between the walls of stone.

We headed back to the Livraria Lello area and met up with a wild Priya for lunch! As she got back to work, Mama and I then hopped on a bus to complete the route of the bus we'd been on yesterday. We explored Gaia, south of the river, and finished a complete loop before ending back in Ribeira Square.

From here, we were to catch our rabelo boat, used for centuries to transport people and wine down the Douro River. We took a cruise to see the 7 bridges that cross the Douro, including the Maria Pia Bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel!

After the boat ride, we showed Priya around Praça do Infante D. Henrique before the sun went down.

16 Septembro

Today, Priya, Mama, and I ventured to the stunning Douro Valley, one of the protected designation of origins of wine, famous for port in particular. Despite the rain coming down for most of the day, views from the ride were too breathtaking to capture in single photographs, but here's one of Vila Real, a town on the water that we passed on the way.

The journey took about an hour and a half by bus, through verdant undulating hills cut with terraces for the viticulture for which the region is famous.

Our first stop was the Régua train station, whence departs the fabled "Train to Nowhere" that meanders through the Douro valley with no particular destination. 

Our carriage for the day, however, was decisive about its designated destinations. The first winery we visited was Quinta da Roêda, the farmstead on which the company Croft has its holdings. We learned that the word quinta ("one-fifth") is used to refer to a farm in Portugal because one-fifth of the profits of such farms were reserved for the owners of the estate, a fifth for the church, another fifth for the bishop of the church, a fifth for the town, and the last fifth to pay those who worked the land.

We sampled a rosé and a ruby port before wandering the property. My quickly wettening hair did not stop me from finding a few vantage points and dreaming about sitting there, glass in hand, on a sunnier day.

For lunch, we stopped at Casa Dos Barros, a small family-run winery and lodge in the small town of Sabrosa. Somehow, Mama caught a whiff of the knowledge that this property neighbored the house in which Ferdinand Magellan was born! We peeped in at his birthplace in between courses of our traditional Portuguese meal, and sampling sessions of 20- and 30-year old aged tawny wines.

The third stop was our collective favorite, at the Quinta dos Castelares, the only farmstead in Portugal to produce certified organic wines. The guide there, Armeliano, showed us the massive chestnut wood wine barrels used to make port here, some holding 12,000 liters of wine and costing $50,000 USD!

We sampled a series of chestnut-aged wines along with the best olive oil we've had and a medley of honeys—rosemary, chestnut, and heather. Rosemary was the clear winner, and we returned to Porto with soaking wet clothes and satisfied tummies.

Back city-side, I took Priya for a quick glimpse at the west side of the Douro before calling it a night!

17 Septembro

Priya and I started the day at McDonald's Imperial, voted the most beautiful McDonald's in the world! With its art deco stained glass and bright chandeliers, it was worthy of this designation in our book as well.

Post breakfast, I took her for a jaunt to Fonte dos Leões and Igreja do Carmo before we boarded our train to Lisbon. This featured views of beautiful rolling countryside and a few small towns like Coimbra that we passed on the way. Some stations were quaint and idyllic, a tiled feast for the eyes.

 

Pulling up to Lisbon, we realized in the nick of time that alighting at the stop before Santa Apolonia (our original station) would render us closer to our hotel—unfortunately, the nick of time today was when the train had already rolled to a stop at Oriente, and we didn't know how much longer the stop was. Having made a contingency plan in case one of us got left on the train. One suitcase in each hand, time slowed down as I leapt off the (very steep) stairs from the metal train onto the platform. Mama followed suit and three Gills and five bags had somehow made it off at Oriente! Hearts "pitter-pattering," we strolled gleefully to our hotel to prepare for the evening. 

We started at Miradouro de Santa Luiza, a tiled patio with a pleasing view of the southest side of the city and the river Tagus.

We spent the evening meandering through allies of Alfama, dipping into fado shows and gelato shops, and soaking up the vibrations of the city by night.

18 Septembro

We started today at Simpli Coffee Chiado, an excellent rec from Mafalda for beautiful coffee, a stunning square, and colorful photo ops.

We stopped off at the Miradouro Largo da Academia before browsing our respective shopping haunts in Chiado. I pottered up to the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo, created in an old cathedral and connected to the Ascensor de Santa Justa, which offered sprawling views and a wonderful passageway onto the famed elevator in the middle of Lisbon.

While Priya headed to Castelo de São Jorge, Mama and I headed to Beco das Artes, a small handicrafts store in Alfama that sells delightful ceramic earrings. From there, we whooshed to Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, known for the best view over the city available to those who visit Lisbon.

We then headed back to the Chiado neighborhood, eager not to anger Priya, who had made us a lovely rooftop reservation at Mensagem. We enjoyed a traditional Portuguese dinner (minus the faux pas of ordering port too early in the meal) before wandering the streets of Baixa in search of gelato and music.

19 Septembro

We started our last day in Lisbon with brunch at Folks Coffee Brewers, a wonderful oasis (with fabulous oat milk coffee) in the middle of Baixa. Another great find by Priya, this afforded us the opportunity to reflect on what a lovely trip it’s been, how the weather was on our side, and how much history and color Portugal has to offer! We spent most of the morning in Praça Dom Pedro IV.

Our plan for the last day was to soak in vibes, so Priya and I headed to Manteigaria, often listed in the same breath as Pasteis de Belem as the best place to try pastel de nata in Lisbon. Although we didn’t try the latter on this trip, we’re wont to agree that these are likely to be the best pasteis in town, with their flaky crust and subtle undercurrent of cinnamon. Entranced by the vibe here (and the simplicity of the menu), we sat down to enjoy two cafés (for € 0.80 each) at this sidewalk establishment. 

Meanwhile, Mama took in views at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. 

From there, it was off to Garrafeira Nacional, to hunt down my favorite tawny port, made by Fonseca. We happily found it and wrapped up some last-minute souvenir shopping before heading to the airport! It’s been a lovely, sunny, and memorable trip and we all seem to have fallen in love with Portugal as a travel destination. Nos vemos pronto, Lisboa!

o fim, até a próxima vez.