It’s not London, Paris, New York or Rome and it doesn’t try to be. It’s Lisbon and it’s cool. It came to my attention a number of years ago when my parents managed to get themselves on a flight that had a long lay-over in Lisbon, enough time for them to quit the airport and have an explore. I can remember both came home surprised at how much they enjoyed the off-the-radar Portuguese capital which has since remained in my mind, even if mainly as the place Mum bought those crazy shoes she never wears. We were in an even better position to discover Lisbon’s fruits as we’d been invited to stay in the home of a Portuguese friend we’d met while working at the animal sanctuary in Ecuador. So while most travellers go in search of ‘local haunts’ and ‘local experiences’, we were equipped with Andreia, local and all round great girl. So for us and Iza, another sanctuary volunteer visiting from Poland, it was all systems go!
I realise I’ve used the word ‘cool’ to describe Lisbon which is not a word I’m usually a big fan of. This time for the sake of accuracy, however, I went so far as to look it up in a thesaurus and have concluded that ‘cool’ is definitely appropriate. Some of its synonymous? ‘Stylish’, ‘chic’, ‘sophisticated’, ‘trendy’, and ‘happening’. Of all those words I think I’d choose the last - ‘happening’ - as most fitting. Lisbon has a unique energy that many other cities don’t. You see it in the people, the street buskers, and in the nocturnal street gatherings. It’s everywhere and gives the city an appealing edge. Andreia certainly didn’t lack this energy and, teamed with her German-born Portuguese friend Anna, gave us the ultimate tour of Lisbon.
So what does an ultimate tour entail? There were a few obvious must-sees. A ride on the famous No. 28 rollercoaster of a tram that heaved and hoed it’s way around the cobblestone maze of the Alfama district. Once off the tram I soon discovered a newfound respect for GPS-less taxi drivers after trying to navigate our way through the rabbit warren Old Town. But with Andreia we weren’t lost. We found deserted viewpoints, watched on as grandmas draped washing from colourful window boxes and lunched in a typical café, all the while smiling as Andreia sipped on a ‘mini’ of beer (a Portuguese tradition that would be difficult to grasp for many schooner-trained Australians). Faced with a challenge, our navigational skills - or, let’s be honest, Andreia’s - prevailed and at dusk we took in city views from the majestic Castle of São Jorge that gazes over the city like a medieval watchdog.
And of course the tour wouldn’t have been complete without an assault on our taste buds. On our first night in the big city Andreia took us to, what she called a ‘local favourite’, a restaurant in a passageway just off the Praça do Rossio, opposite a peep show joint. Sounds nice huh? Well, despite its perhaps unsavory neighbour, it was! Andreia had me eating salted cod, a Portuguese favourite, and had us all drinking green wine, which was…interesting. The following evening it was time to put on our dancing shoes - or in our case, going-out thongs - and hitting the town. This time our taste buds were treated to an Asian spread at the Wagamama-like ‘Nood’, followed by some potent caipirinhas, which very quickly took us back to some of our South American days. We soon discovered that it’s on nights like these Lisbon’s light shines. It felt like the whole city had emerged to play, but the action wasn’t in the bars, I was in the streets outside. We started our evening in a crowded plaza with a bottle of white and the whisper of a saxophone in the background, all the while overlooking the 25 de Abril bridge.
From here we walked to Lisbon’s bar quarter – the Bairro Alto. On the way Sam and I got to know Caterina, one of Andreia’s friends. Caterina was passionate…about windows. ‘You’ve seen windows, but have you
seen windows?’, was her first question. Initially we found this introduction a tad peculiar, but after spending the next half hour picking apart the windows of Lisbon, I understood. Those colourful sills, wooden and wrought iron, draped with clotheslines and creepers, are all just a part of Lisbon’s charm, each a reflection of charismatic people living inside.
So we proceeded with the extra large caipirinhas which seemed like a good idea at the time, but when we woke at 2pm the following morning with splitting headaches we were in deep regret. Luckily for us it was Andreia to the rescue, piling us in her car and taking us to Belem for
the best Portuguese tarts in Lisbon. Usually I’m a bit skeptical when people describe places in this way. So many times I’ve expected great things based on descriptions such as these and have been disappointed. But the Pastéis de Belém was an exception and even though the ovens must churn out thousands of Pastéis de Natas (custard tarts) a day to satisfy the demand, each tart is simply perfection. From the delicate crisp of the pastry to the smooth warmth of the cinnamon dusted custard, by first bite our hangovers had vanished! This place was established in 1837 so I guess they know what they’re doing. The icing on the cake for the day? A free concert at the Centro Cultural de Belém down the road where we were treated to the husky sound of the talented Concha Buika. Just another Saturday night in Lisbon.
After all this we thought it was time to give Andreia a break from tour guide duties so we took ourselves to the train station for the hour long trip to the medieval city of Sintra, famous for its castles. Being a weekend and having left late in the morning we had to pick and choose how we’d spend the afternoon as the place was a swarm with tourists and lengthy lines. We chose the picturesque Pena Castle - a candy cane of colours, and the Quinta da Regaleira Gardens with its mysterious network of secret underground tunnels, enjoying sweeping views of Sintra and its green surrounds from both. To finish up we took a local bus another half hour out of Sintra to the beautiful Cabo de Roca, apparently Europe’s most western point. Here we got a spectacular sunset and, although the icy ocean wind soon had us huddled in the bus shelter praying for the arrival of the next bus, it was well worth the trip out.
On the day we left I told Andreia that I hoped she would come and visit us in Sydney because we’d love to return the favour, ‘but it’s not as beautiful as Lisbon’, I said. I was thinking in terms of Lisbon’s ancient plazas, cobble stoned streets and those amazing castles, not to mention the locals. Andreia disagreed, saying that the modernity of Sydney was surely as beautiful. Thinking about it afterwards I now have to agree. Sydney has some amazing things on offer from its sparkling harbour to its iconic Opera House. But does it reach Lisbon’s ‘cool’ heights?
