Three Days in Lisbon are Not Enough!

Lisbon definitely falls into the shabby but chic category.

There is a real sense of dynamism here which seems

to be a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, to start up costs

and supportive government policies

It should not have come as surprise to us that three days wasn’t enough time in Lisbon.  Both Lisbon and Porto have been Monocle’s poster children for urban gentrification and progressive local government.  This was combined the features of a one of Europe’s oldest but now faded trading empires: a beautiful port with a hilly shoreline; elaborate and still solid buildings constructed with the wealth of derived from international trade routes to South America, Africa and India; and finally a mix of ethnic groups that came to call Lisbon home.

Lisbon is built on seven hills above a pretty harbour

and this was a great opportunity for Kate and I

to train for Corsica.  The narrow streets were home to

lots of cheap restaurants where we could refuel after

a pack walk.

We had booked an Air BnB in the slightly shabby but rapidly gentrifying Chiado district. Newly renovated apartments were mixed with some very basic and rundown apartment buildings. Vacant and graffiti covered buildings sat next to smart concept stores and as you walked to some of the stylish eateries in the area you were casually approached by locals offering to sell you the best local “green”....a lot!

A few minutes walk uphill from our apartment put us in this small park
the Miradouro de Santa Catarina which is flanked by bars and plenty
of opportunities to buy weed for those

so inclined.  It was busy every night of the week!

Our apartment had been renovated about 12 years ago and its condition was both testament to the builders and to Pedro (the owners) sense of style. Two bedrooms, quality furnishings, a well-appointed kitchen and water views over the harbour made for a pleasant stay.

The Pharmacia was one of the bars flanking

the park.  Great setting and good food

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Within at 10 minute walk we ate at:

The Pharmacia, a Bar/Restaurant set high on the hill overlooking the harbour.  A Museum dedicated to modern medicine, it also had nice alfresco dining and a good menu with local wines. It is popular so you would need to book during the peak of summer

 Agua Barba a fish restaurant nestled in in the gully that contains the funicular running from Rua Boavista to Largo Calariz. Great seafood in a casual setting.  My BBQ octopus and chick pea and was outstanding

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Mexican food seems very popular in Lisbon and we ate at Taqueria Pistola y Corazon a hip (is that an acceptable term? If I have to ask that question am I hip?) Mexican restaurant on Rua Boavista which offers only enchiladas and soft shell tacos. They also include a Sunday all you can eat menu that ensured the restaurant was packed all day and had a great selection of tequila.

The Mercado de Riberia was packed with tourists and locals. A great

selection of food but is was difficult to find a seat

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The Mercado de Riberia , a 'Time Out' Market Place, a converted market hall operating under the Time Out brand that had previously just associated with the ‘whats on’ magazine seen in most international cities. The market
     hall provides a concession space for restaurants and food retailers, a number of who have full restaurants in other locations.

      

     

     

The sous chef proudly showing off his wood fired oven which

contains some of our fish.  The head chef is apparently a celebrity

in Portugal

We also ate at Tasca da Esquina, another seafood restaurant but this time in a modern building in the suburbs. It was certainly a higher end offering and one of the best reviewed restaurants in Lisbon, far from the tourist centre of town and popular with the locals.  Well worth the 10 euro cab ride.

     

The walls of the Moorish Castle in Sintra. It was an

easy and cheap train ride from the city.  We decided

to walk up and avoided the majority of the crowds.

    


One of our days in Lisbon was spent doing a day trip to Sintra to see the UNESCO listed summer palaces and the Moorish Castle. We had a pleasant walk up and down the hill to the Castle and enjoyed the cooler air of the hills.  It is a pleasant and easy train trip with local suburban trains taking about 40 minutes from the centre of Lisbon to Sintra.

Kate and I were preparing for the GR20 and we spent the early morning walking up the hills of Lisbon with our packs. While out we covered much of the city and the major sites all while Ada was still asleep! On our last day we spent the day wandering in the city looking at any number of clever, stylish and local retail stores.  Little wonder Lisbon is considered one of the top 25 lifestyle cities in the world.  

Embaixada consisted of a number of concessions focused

on Portuguese design, fashion and culture

and my favourite, small batch gin.

Our stores favourite included:


Embaixada, a concept store in a grand three story house designed by one of Lisbon's leading 19th century architects. It has had various roles including that of an Embassy and a Palace. Kate should have purchased a pink wool coat for herself here!

Real Slow retail another concept store that was close to Embaxida in Barrio Alto.  We curated with some great gift ideas.  I picked up some well priced good quality, brown suede shoes for myself.

Some parts of Lisbon are like time has stood still

and Casa Das Vellas Loreto was one of those

places

Casa das Vellas Loreto, a candle store that has been operating since 1789 and has moved from producing them for religious ceremonies and seems to now have a broader market without having changed at all.  So much for re-branding budgets

There was no shortage of attractive retail options.

Having spent the last 7 years in India and the UAE

it is always a pleasure not to see the usual international

brands and products that are the stalwarts of most malls

A Vida Portuguesa, a store stocked with all manner of Portuguese products including sardines, anchovies and mussels along with an eclectic mix of shave cream and sketching chalk using modified tailors chalk.