08/03/2022
By binternet
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Lisbon in love<

Lisbon is a city of miradouros (viewpoints). Everything happens seen from above from the roofs and steeples overlooking the Tagus, this golden river. Built on seven hills, the Portuguese capital can be explored on foot and by electrico (tram). A city to survey the nose in the air but also the eyes riveted on the ground, for the art under our feet, the cobblestones of limestone and basalt drawing mosaics which tell the story of the caravels, the ships, the voyages. They date from 1755, after the earthquake. The cobblestones are black and white, black like the habit of Saint-Antoine, patron of the city, protector of marriage and conjugal happiness. San Antonio has its church in the Alfama district, next to the Sé cathedral. We get married there on San Antonio Day (June 13), we come to pray and light a candle in his name. Lisbon has everything of a city to do as a couple, both rich in history and sites to discover through its districts. The Alfama, the Mouraria, with steep streets, whose soul is dedicated to fado. Intendant, the new place to be. The docks, quays of Alcântara and the monuments to the memory of navigators, monastery and palace in Bélem. The houses of antique dealers and the cafeterias of Bairro Alto where you can taste um bica and pasteis nata, cinnamon flans. When the sun shines, a white light irradiates Lisbon and makes the facades of azulejos, these decorated earthenware tiles, sparkle. Strolling through Lisbon hand in hand is a must; between the parks with exotic trees, the outdoor drink kiosks, the open avenues, the covered market of Cais do Sodre and its food truck stands, there is no shortage of ideas. With always this feeling of a city open to the elsewhere, the distant. At random on a winding street, the gaze inevitably plunges towards the river. Lisbon is an island, in short. A creative island, we speak of Lisbon's artistic renaissance with numerous cultural spaces, street art, architecture and contemporary art. On the return of happy days, treat yourself to a restaurant-fado in the Mouraria or a cocktail on the rooftop, the Portuguese night is as beautiful as the day.

Walk on the heights, Alfama, Mouraria and Intendente

Romantic, 18th century Hotel Solar do Castelo, wing of Sao Jorge Castle. Its courtyard lined with ponds and azulejos makes you want to linger there for breakfast, its rooms with flowery bedspreads, that of sleeping in. This hotel is a good starting point to discover Alfama and Mouraria, old neighborhoods kept in their own juice. Start with a visit to the castle, stroll along the ramparts, enjoy the 360° view of the city from the garden, finish with the permanent exhibition on the history of Lisbon, a building guarded by peacocks roaming freely. Pass the enclosure of the medieval village, take the rua dos Segos lined with murals, it leads to the largo Portas do Sol, a pretty square where tram 28 goes down to the city center, in Chiado. Saturday morning, take a trip to the “Feira da Ladra” flea market, not far from the hotel. It is behind the Sao Vincente de Fora Church-Convent. Flea and flea market, this market is full of finds, enough to revisit the history of Portugal through objects from everyday life, postcards, LPs, trinkets, linens... but also bric a brac and garage sale. The dome of the National Pantheon looms below. There we will see a tribute to Vasco da Gama, the first navigator to arrive in India by rounding the Cape of Good Hope and to Luis de Camoes, a poet of the same period. Amalia Rodrigues, the diva of fado who was despite herself the figurehead of the dictatorship, is buried there. The fado museum retraces his career, a few steps away. There are objects dear to fado, the Portuguese guitar, the shawl, but also documentaries and audio-visual aids to better understand how this popular song from Lisbon and Coimbra could also be a weapon of resistance against fascism. Then take the 28 in the direction of Prazeres to go and put a candle in the San Antonio church (it protects your loves) and see the Sé cathedral next door. It overlooks a belvedere decorated with azulejos, as romantic as one could wish. The 28 in the other direction, direction Martim Moniz, leads to Intendente. Rehabilitated since 2012, this district has become the stronghold of new bars, trendy thrift stores, for example Retro City, cultural cooperatives like Crew Hassan where to browse the vinyl collection, veggie lunch and dance in the evening. Good vibes! For dinner in an authentic fado house, head for Mouraria, the district where this music was born and with it the saudade and lament of sailors gone for a long time. La Severa, prostitute and singer of the 19th century, has become a legend. Her statue sits at the entrance to the Rua do Capelao alley where the Casa Maria da Mouraria is nestled, a doll's restaurant popular with locals for its home cooking and quality fado. “Portugal sings when it feels like crying” says a traditional fado. Saudade, saudade.

Trip to the water's edge, to the docks, Alcântara and Belém

On the 28th we stop largo do Chiado, in front of the A Brasileira café and the statue of Fernando Pessoa, the poet of intranquillity. Go down the rua do Alecrim to reach the seaside. On the left is place do Comercio, invested by exhibitions, the voluptuous ones à la Botero, for example. The pier has a history: it is here that ships loaded with gold and spices from the colonies landed. On the right, another atmosphere, we arrive at Cais do Sodre, calm during the day, very lively in the evening, nightclubs, sardine bar, café Tati and its live jazz concerts… At noon, join the mercado da Ribeira, covered market with its Portuguese specialty counters, and its “A vida portugesa” corner where you can buy reissues of vintage objects. Then take the 15E bus in front of the station in the direction of Belém and stop in the Alcântara district, Calvario station to go to LX Factory. LX, code name of Lisbon. Factory for the cultural factory side. A former industrial wasteland, this space is a hippie village where you can stroll along the cobbled path to see art galleries, Portuguese designer boutiques, a restaurant-canteen with industrial furniture, a bookshop-cathedral with thousands of references in English, French and Portuguese. On Sundays, a mini flea market unpacks its treasures. You can find a boiled cardboard suitcase with crossing labels; what could be more emblematic for this country of sailors who gave a universe to the world? Take the 15E back to Belém, ten minutes away. A district of monuments and greenery overlooking the Tagus. You can sit in the grass to taste a cinnamon flan bought in a cone here, at Pastéis de Belém, the best pastry shop in Lisbon. To reach the bank, the tower of Belém or the monument to the discoveries in homage to navigators, take the underground at the level of the Coleçao Berardo museum. It is opposite the monastery of Jeronimos. Built by Manuel 1st, the building is known for its exotic frescoes in the refectory which relate the era of the great discoveries. Without forgetting not far from there the National Palace of Ajuda, residence of the kings then of the presidents. Baroque.

Stroll through chic Bairro Alto, Lapa and to the north, Marques de Pompal

Lisbonne en amoureux

One morning with beautiful blue skies, go up Rua Misericordia at Largo do Chiado to reach the Bairro Alto district, on the heights, opposite the Sao Jorge castle. The pretty airy street becomes the chic rua Pedro V then rua Politecnica. Antique dealers, concept stores and gazebos litter the walk. Another kind of flea market, the Pavilhao Chinese, a Portuguese counter-style tea room, Macau or Goa. The owner, a modern-day navigator, collects objects from all over the world which he puts on display: military headdresses, toy soldiers, dolls, teapots, etc. For a break, the botanical garden offers you the shade of a century-old yucca or an Australian palm tree. The caravels of yesteryear were filled with exotic trees which have thrived here, thanks to the tender climate. The rest of the stroll will take you to Lapa at the Jardin da Estrela, less wild, larger, more family-friendly with its refreshment bar and ponds. What would Lisbon be without its gardens? Rua de Sao Bento, we come across the Amalia Rodrigues casa-museum, the last resting place of the diva. Aficionados will be delighted to see her bedroom, her dressing room, she loved haute couture, the creations of Jean Patou as well as the diva of the Orient Oum Kalsoum. Moreover, contemporary to each other, the two stars knew each other. To the north, in the Marquês de Pompal district, the Edouardo VII park leads back down to the chic avenue de la Libertade. The park offers greenery as far as the eye can see and at the top of the coast, a beautiful panorama of Lisbon. But the highlight of the neighborhood is the Calouste Gulkenkian Museum, an Armenian collector born on the shore of the Bosphorus. Passionate about art, he acquired beautiful Egyptian pieces, which he even loaned to the British Museum. Many marvels from the Far East, Japan, China, sculptures from the Middle Ages, paintings from the Italian Renaissance, even Portuguese art. The jade of Samarkand and the costumes of the 18th century Ottoman Empire make us tourists dream. Everything in Lisbon brings us back to travel, by caravel or plane.

Practical notebook:

Go :

Sleep there:

Dine there:

Chez Eleven, new Portuguese cuisine, with bay window overlooking a park. Portuguese sea, according to the chef's suggestion, cheeses from all over Portugal. Around €36 per dish. Rua Marques de Fronteira.

To do :