Portugal June 2019
Going to Portugal was a last-minute decision. But, it turned out to be a good one.
Lisbon is what happens when San Francisco and Old Montreal have a baby. Get yourself a sturdy pair of non-slip walking shoes. Those uphill walks in downtown Lisbon are very tricky especially on a wet day.
But, each walk was worth it. Every turn that my friend and I made in Lisbon offered a pleasant surprise. We walked all the way up to Castelo de São Jorge. Along the way, we found out it was Portugal Day. So, we sat down for a plate of every Portuguese’s favourite, grilled sardines, while watching a football match between Portugal and the Netherlands on the tele. They had the tele outside and all the diners were closely watching, loudly cheering and booing, collectively expressing their pride and disappointment during the game. During the meal, we had a lengthy chat with a couple of tourists from Mannheim. It was one of those conversations that make travelling such a worthwhile activity.
Lisbon definitely feels Old World to me. Up to this point, I’ve only ever been in the New World. There were obvious differences on how this city was planned compared to where I currently live. First of all, it seems like everywhere you go in the city, beauty awaits. Meanwhile, in my current city, there only seems to be a handful of spots scattered around the city that were carefully contemplated upon. But, to be fair, designing the New World takes more effort because it has a larger landmass. It takes 6 Lisbons to make 1 of my current city. And, the Old World is called old for a reason; it’s centuries ahead when it comes to city-building.
Apart from the abundance of beauty, there was also an abundance of affordable yet delicious eats in the city. There is a breakfast place that we frequented near our hotel. $10 got us a couple breakfast sandwiches, a couple of drinks and a couple of pastéis de nata. It’s a custard tart and the most famous one is in the district of Belém. Pastéis de Belém doesn’t look different from the other pastéis de nata in the city but it tastes different, definitely richer and milkier. I think they roast the milk first before they mix it with the other ingredients. But, I’m no cook, so don’t take my word for it. I do eat a lot, though.
We also went to Sintra. Start early if you want to hit every spot in this mountain town. You can buy a bus ticket that lets you get on and off anytime, anywhere in Sintra in the next 24 hours. We started our journey in Quinta da Regaleira. It’s said to be haunted and I kinda believe it. The whole estate is rife with symbols that would suit any Gothic horror film. But, I can also imagine how its affluent residents entertained themselves here back in the day. There’s a space for everything: meditation, gossip, and playing hide and seek, though I think no one dared to stay outside at night time.
Our last stop in Sintra was Castelo dos Mouros. Unlike the Quinta, the Castelo is medieval. Most of what’s left are the walls. I’d recommend going regardless, because the walls enclose lush vegetation and the walls lead up to lookout points so lofty I was too scared to look down. It was very windy up there too. But, the view was worth the slightly scary trek. From where we were standing, we saw Palácio da Pena. It’s that colourful palace you see whenever you Google ‘Sintra.’ We didn’t go to the palace. We didn’t have much time. But, standing atop ancient ruins lights an existential fire within you, and all you can do about it is sit down, be quiet and allow your senses to take in and remember as much as it can, because this moment doesn’t happen every day. No picture can do justice to this moment.
I wrote so much here but we were only there for 3 nights. We didn’t really set out to do so much; the city (and nearby Sintra) itself offered so much. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with Lisbon. We will go back.
