Lisbon

A city of sun, smiles and …

I am not sure we should have gone on this trip just yet. We were running out of time, i was heading to the point of hitting the ‘no fly list‘ when we just up and decided to head off to Portugal while the sun was still up. I’m sorry Portugal, you hadn’t been in my bucket list but i’m glad that the very persistent Francesco talked me into coming over. The journey to you was a bit much with the flight having been delayed for 3 hours.

That, coupled with me being almost 28 weeks expectant (yes, i wasn’t exactly ripe for delivery however; i hope my other mamma’s will agree that this is the time you want to just laze around and not do anything! Then again, that feeling lasted throughout the whole pregnancy). Top that with a toddler who cannot sit still spelled a recipe for disaster. Good thing i had downloaded enough Masha and the bear for the duration of the flight.

It was nightfall when we arrived leaving less to see, but I didn’t mind too much. By that time I just wanted to crawl into a bed and snore the fatigue off. Is it just me who did a lot of that while expectant? After an endless uphill and downhill search for our rental home, we stopped by the side of the road, which had very little parking space. If anything, I’m pretty sure we were parked on the road. Funny story – we are on the main road with a queue of cars behind us waiting for the green light. They start honking, and we got frustrated because the guy in front of us didn’t seem to get the hint. So we squeeze out from behind him and onto the next lane, only to realize the car had been parked there. And this was not the first time this happened! Oh Lisbon, the funny stories I have to share about you…

It was quite chilly for a summer night as we waited outside with me clutching onto Jenny afraid she may go around playing and tumble down the steep countless steps ( seems to be the norm, the steps i mean). A panting and heaving Fran walks back saying we would need to walk the rest of the way.

I have never felt so sorry for this poor man as i watched him struggle with one excessively large and heavy suitcase after another. And we weren’t done yet as he then had to climb up another couple flight of stairs to get to the penthouse. Word to the wise: If you will not be travelling light, please make sure your accommodation is accessible by car and that they have an elevator. Then cross your fingers and hope it will still be functional when you arrive 🙂 All this means it that most places we saw and drove through in Lisbon were uphill. The last thing you need after a long flight or any journey at all is to have to sweat off the last of your energy reserve on pulling heavy luggage uphill/stairs.

Anyway, morning broke and i got a better view of houses decorated with colourful tiles called azulejos. Compactly built with kitchens overlooking balconies or other, which to be frank i found to be intrusive. I could see into our neighbours kitchen and them into our living room with our other neighbours managing a peak into out bedroom. Then again, if you live alone a chat, drink or two with your ‘balcony buddy from time to time could lessen the loneliness.

It was a warm sunny day but my now swollen feet weren’t as thrilled as they seemed to be struggling to stay within the confines of my string sandals. The streets weren’t as crowded as I had anticipated, what with it being summer and all. The night before’s dinner was a simple panini which left me famished and all I could think of was how to make those hunger pangs disappear and fast!!!

Sweet surprise…

We somewhat leisurely (there was only so much rushing poor me could handle) made our way to Uncle George Cafe which seemed to have good online reviews. It was small and cozy with pictures on the wall. Plastic bird nest decorations hanging from the ceiling and mellow jazz music in the background. With two gentle friendly faces behind a counter showcasing pastries- most of which i hadn’t seen before. So i went on to make an order only to realise that they only accept cash! This is one inconvenience that you will come across a lot while in Portugal. So have some cash on hand people!

Theresa detects my disappointment- or perhaps it was the sad looking 2-year-old seated by the window with her pink teddy. But she then offers for me to proceed with my order and make the payment tomorrow. And this took me by utter surprise! Because not even in my home town have I had the grocer agree for me to pay later even though she knows I live less than 100 meters away!

Jenny wanted a coconut brioche and Theresa’s sincerity was yet again proven when she told us that we can order them though they weren’t fresh. They were non the less delicious with a mild coconut scent and slightly sweet, soft crumb.

Fran had a toastie with ham and cheese which seems to be on all menu’s in cafe’s around here. The coffee was unfortunately quite weak considering we ordered their strongest brew. A short walk around the city, play hide and seek around monuments here and there. The never tired Jenny fearlessly joining street dancers (you’ve gotta love children’s easy going ways sometimes) and it was now time for some coffee and dessert.

Indulge my sweet tooth

There were many dessert options that i liked and would definitely recommend you give a try. My favourite being a moist coconut macaroon half dipped in chocolate. Yes, i fell oh so deep into temptation here! The plan was to buy a few and save them for the flight back home however they didn’t make it to the airport. 

I think one if not the most popular food item that Portugal is known for is Pastel de nata. A custard tart encased in a carefully crafted layered golden brown pastry. It makes quite a few people’s mouth water but as i am no big fan of custard desserts (never say never because i might just come at you with a recipe with it one day) i often just nibbled on the edges and passed on the filling. They also had these very thin almond pralines that had me ordering more before the waiter had taken a few steps back from delivering our other orders.

For breakfast we bought bread the night before instead of going to a cafe just so we could go at our own pace. This i believe proved to also be cost effective as we had an apartment and not hotel room. It also gives children plenty of room to run around while enjoying that homey feel.

In some, if not most pockets of this beautiful city it feels like time stood still. Buildings and remodelado trams that seem to have withstood the test of time still stand or run. I believe most would recommend you travel on the remodelado trams compared to a bus or car for sightseeing as you can run into some major traffic while other areas just being convenient for walking.

Portugal does have a rich history and was once a nation to be reckoned with. Then again other countries seem to be taking a few queues from her as she takes in more and more visitors seeking a new home away from home.

I will splurge at a flea market so don’t take me there. Well, you can if you have a few hours to spend and don’t mind an earful on how much I wish I had more space in my luggage for this and that.

And if you’re not shopping or sightseeing, chances are you are resting your now throbbing feet sipping ginjinha or ginja as others would call it. And for my fellow part-time non-alcohol drinking, readers let us toast to some chilled guaraná as we plot our next escapade.

When we were done at the famous Oceanario, it was getting late and as we had a flight the next morning that meant eating ‘light’. I’m laughing just reading that because i know what we intended is not what we actually did. We went to Pizzeria zero zero which was quite close by and i won’t even lie, we stuffed our faces! The lighting wasn’t the best so i did not take any pictures; or maybe i was too hungry to wait. Oh well, we had a margarita pizza for Fran and a four cheese pizza for me with Jenny having spaghetti with bolognese sauce.

Break away from Lisbon

The upside to renting a car while in Lisbon is that you can tour neighbouring towns which are just as popular. We took a 30 minute highway drive to Cascais which was very relaxed situated on the riviera. There are a lot of luxury hotels and you can also tell from the architecture of homes in the area that it is home to wealthy families who don’t mind commuting to Lisbon for work.

There is a small square filled with restaurants and souvenir shops, a beautiful garden with a carousel and a small shoreline to be enjoyed during the summer months.

Lisbon boasts some very charismatic restaurant designs. Another that i found to tag at me was located a stone throw away from Oceanario.

We will be visiting Portugal again and I will be updating this post with more tips as we didn’t really get to see much this time around. But do visit and feel free to let us know what you ate, saw, and just liked or otherwise! Happy travels!!!