Thursday evening during a storm, I arrived sans umbrella and sopping wet at the door of an old building by the train station in Lisbon, Portugal. Pushing open the big wooden door, I went inside to find a beautiful black and white tiled floor and a dark wooden staircase lead by an old iron hand rail. I shook off the rain and followed the sound of voices up the stairs.
Arriving at the top of the second floor, the voices became clearer; people were laughing and talking behind 3 doors, not knowing which was the right one, I knocked on the one that the voices seemed to be coming from loudest. I heard a man, excitedly say, “we have a knock at the door!” The door opened and revealed a smiling, tall, blond man, whose persona radiated happiness. He welcomed me in and introduced himself Danny from Germany, his wife Sutchi from India, and Theresa the South Africa born but more so Portuguese, apartment guardian. After getting settled, I joined the others in the living room where we sat all afternoon drinking tea, smoking and talking, while it poured outside. An American, a German, an Indian and a Portuguese/South African all passionate about travel, culture and connecting with people… you can imagine it was quite the special afternoon. The Airbnb apartment had 3 rooms, each rented out nightly, so it felt like a hostel but much more cozy and clean.
What I love so much about Lisbon is how simple, honest, and raw it feels. The people are kind and helpful, the lifestyle is humble and without excess, and the food is so pure. When you order a fish, you get just a fish, cooked as it is and just off the boat. ” — Danny
Finally, after warming up and enjoying getting to know my roommates for the weekend, I wandered out to explore and find dinner! First I went to see the water, although it looks like an ocean the water in Lisbon is actually a river. None the less, it more than satisfied my longing for the ocean while looking out over the dark water at the twinkling lights of the Ponte 25 de Abril (the bridge which connects Lisbon to Almada) and the lit up statue of Santuário Nacional de Cristo Rei.
For dinner, I went to the Time Out Market, where each item served has been tested for flavor and quality before being offered in the market. The market itself is incredible, a giant indoor hall with food stands all around the space and seating in the middle. To have an authentic Portuguese dinner, I got a dish of cod, spinach, sweet potatoes and a little pastry filled with chicken. It was all delicious!
Day 2, was spent wandering the streets of Alfama, the original part of the city of Lisbon. It was a dream… I spent hours getting lost following stray cats down tiny streets, visiting churches, passing laundry hanging from windows, and smelling the orange trees scattered through out the stone side walks. I visited the Pantheon and sat on the steps in the sun for a snack before continuing in search of a market which turned out had actually been turned into an art exposition.
Realizing I had been so focused on finding every street with a tiled wall, which is every street in Lisbon, I had forgotten to stop for lunch. So, I decided to head up the hill to one of the highest look outs called Miradouro da Graça for a drink and a bite to eat. Once at the top, I explored the church, set up my camera timer to take some self portraits in a beautiful old window, and then found a table at the open air cafe outside the church. I ordered a happy hour beer and some little chicken and spinach tapas. The sunset was incredible, I stayed watching it until it was completely set. Some people were playing guitar on the church steps while others sat drinking beer and smoking at the little cafe or on the terrace wall overlooking the city rooftops with the bridge on the horizon.
Walking down the hill in the dark, a tram passed me with its lights on and I popped into a few little shops of my favorite kind: an art prints shop, a hand made local goods shop and a vintage clothing shop. I went in all three and found little goodies in each. In the art prints shop, after chatting with the the girl working who was also one of the artists, I bought a postcard to add to the collection of travel postcards I keep on the back of my front door in Paris. None of them explicitly show the city they come from, but more so capture some part of the culture or just have some fun & funky artwork.
Because in Paris, Mexican food is n’importe quoi, I figured that maybe the latin influence of Portugal would provide a better burrito. So I went in search and found a Mexican restaurant not far from my apartment. “A table for one please!” If you are a millennial and want a challenge: go to a sit down dinner, alone, without your phone. Read the history of the restaurant on the menu, people watch, get a starter to munch on while you wait for your dinner, chat with people around you if they’re willing! You will survive, I did.
On my walk home I explored some streets and passed a bar with a guitarist; I walked past, then did a double take and decided to go inside! The guy playing was so talented and I stayed for a beer and chatted with a friendly group of people. Turns out that the way people party in Lisbon is in the streets in front of the bars, rather than inside the bar itself and particularly on my street. It felt so festive and fun even though it was just a regular Friday night!
Day 3, to start off I stopped for a coffee and a Pastéis, which is a traditional Portuguese custard tart! The recipe was created in the Monastery Jeronimos in Lisbon during the 19th century and later sold to the owners of the restaurant Pastéis de Belém. Today this restaurant is the number one place to get these delicious little morsels in Lisbon. Fun fact: the recipe is a secret, only 6 people in the world know! Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the iconic restaurant, but I can tell you my Pastéis was heavenly none the less!
I then went to the Mercado de Lisboa to grab some fruit for my adventure to Sintra!
Day 3 was magical. I took the train from the center of Lisbon about an hour North West to the town of Sintra to visit a few of the palaces and gardens that I had heard were like those out of fairy tails. Sintra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, considered the Portuguese Riviera, and is one of the wealthiest municipalities on the Iberian Peninsula. The area has a history dating back to the Romans, the Christians and the Moors and became the part of the country where royalty and nobles resided.
The Pena Palace was incredible, it feels like it was designed by doctor Suisse on acid! But in fact was the work of King Ferdinand in 1838 to turn what was the remains of a monastery into the summer residence of the Portuguese royal family. The yellow, red and blue walls, the tile and stone detail and the location on top of a hill in the middle of a forrest, it is like nowhere else in the world! I think better than the palace however were the gardens, a series of ponds wind up an adjacent valley. There were ferns and green moss and swans and it just felt like a fairy tail.
a pleasant valley, between cliffs that rise into the heavens… curved in graceful hills among which one can feel the murmur of the waters… everything, in fact, will enchant and perfume the environment with its fragrance and fruit”
— The Renaissance poet Luisa Sigea
Syntrae Aloisiae Sygeae in Paris (1566) and Madrid (1781)
I traversed Sintra by bus which was also a beautiful experience as you pass so many old palaces, tiled fountains just off the road, and lush green forests and rivers. The Portuguese poet Luís de Camões (1524–1580) even referred to the mountains of Sintra as ‘a mythic land ruled by water nymphs.‘
The second Chateau which I visited was the Quinta da Regaleira. This property has seen many owners but it is the vision of owner Carvalho Monteiro and Italian architect, Luigi Manini that gave way to much of this places’s mysticism. Much of the Gothic, Roman, Renaissance and Manueline architecture that you see today is from their construction between 1904 and 1910. All throughout the property there are symbols relating to alchemy, masonry, the Knights Templar and Rosicrucians (a spiritual movement from the 18th century).
Once inside the property, I went directly to The Initiation Well. I had seen a photo of it years ago but had no idea it was in Sintra until doing some research on what to do there. And let me tell you it was way better than the photo… it turns out that if you dare to descend the 27 meter deep staircase, there is a network of tunnels underground leading to multiple secret spaces. You have to go to find out. Ironically the Initiation Well was never actually used as a well for water, but rather as a ceremonial space that is linked to Tarot mysticism. No-one really knows what type of rituals took place in the space, but while exploring I definitely felt some magical vibes or energy, or whatever you would like to call it. I wandered the gardens, climbed a tower, circumnavigated the palace, and then with nightfall headed back for the train to Lisbon.
Upon arriving in Lisbon, I wandered from the train station and discovered a Christmas Market in a big central square called Praça D. Pedro IV! After getting a 4€ dinner in the grocery store, I went back to the market for a cup of hot wine to finish my day!
Today I woke up early, and took the bus to LX Factory, a series of warehouses in an industrial area since turned into shops, cafes, bars, co-working space, a bookstore, galleries and more. I arrived just as the Sunday market opened. Vendors set up stands with their craft, second-hand clothing, locally made goods, food and more. It was such a lovely way to end my weekend in Lisbon!
I’m on the plane about to land in Paris! Bisous and until the next adventure!
— Lola