ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE SOMERS RECORD (05-30-24)
Part of my services as a respected journalist is to report on experiences I think my readers might themselves enjoy, while trying not to misuse phrases like, "respected journalist." I've had Portugal on my short list of vacation destinations for some time now, so maybe the list was longer than I thought. Lisbon is a great choice for any world traveler. It's clean and safe and there's plenty to do, see and eat. We rented an e-bike on 24-hour hire so we could spend an evening in the Alfama district, which is the soul of Lisbon. Its narrow cobblestone streets and cafes have a strictly European character. They eventually all start to look alike, but we navigated things deftly with only the use of a compass, knowledge of the movement of the stars, our raw courage and of course a Google Map GPS.
I always recommend seeing a European city by bicycle, as long as you feel like you can find your way around. Once you're on it you don't have to deal with fares, and you can go door-to-door without having to walk to a subway or bus station, or the site itself. All that will turn you into a statue before you see your first statue.
First we visited the castle of St. George, impenetrable by any force that does not possess 15 euros. It is a formidable Moorish structure whose oldest occupancy dates back to the 2nd century. It has since been used by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, Portuguese and now, tourists. Those who scoff at us for not riding a conventional bicycle have not seen the hills you have to go up to get there. If you do conquer them the views are amazing, and you can climb up and around the parapets to see the entire city below from several vantage points. The place is also home to an ostentation of peacocks, which you can hear a mile away, because one sounds like a Siamese cat in heat on steroids that just lost its best friend, amplified through a public address system. We also got to meet some cute baby pea-chicks.
A miradouro is a Portuguese lookout point, and there are several in the hills of Lisbon. We found the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, a scenic overlook not to be overlooked. Good views of the castle, the Tagus River and the sea of orange-tiled roofs below make it a selfie wonderland.
Our dinner reservation was at a famous Fado spot in Alfama. It was worth the wait, and the passionate crooning of the various singers accompanied by the expert picking of the 10-string Portuguese guitarra, bass and guitar were melodic and easy to like. Fado ("fate") music is a traditional genre, with serious themes of melancholy, love, the plight of the poor and the draw of the sea. I pictured myself as a Fado singer, singing sad songs lamenting the loss of the Choco Taco and the cancelling of "Blue Bloods." I might have made a career of it if more things rhymed with "Choco Taco."
The next day we rode around the city and visited the world-famous tile museum. My favorite exhibit was a large wraparound mural of the city made entirely of tile. It was imposing and beautiful, and showed exactly how we would get lost on the way back to our hotel. We ended up back at the waterfront area of the Tagus River to return our bikes. A ride on the Bica funicular is a colorful way to get you up into the Bairro Alto district, the heart of nightlife in Lisbon. Daylife wasn't bad either, and we stopped for coffee at the historic Luís de Camões plaza to people-watch.
It's worth mentioning that you wouldn't stop JUST for the coffee, which is an abstraction they don't understand too well in Portugal, and Europe in general. I don't know what people do to wake up in Portugal, but whatever it is does not involve a decent breakfast or coffee. If you want a perfect fried egg, you may have to wait until somebody sticks it on top of your steak for dinner. French toast, English muffins and Belgian waffles are almost unheard of in France, England and Belgium. I remember that when we ordered coffee in Greece that wasn't espresso we were treated to a muddy solution that looked and tasted like it came from the bottom of the crankcase of a 1968 Ford Fairlane. Anyway, back to the hotel we took the subway, which was clean and easy to navigate, and takes an ordinary credit card, a concept that deserves some credit.
There was so much more to see, but we had to limit our itinerary to two days before continuing our journey. Fly on with me next time to the scenic islands of Portugal.
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