Walking in Portugal

A very pleasant tour with 226Km (+/-140mi) of secondary roads, some dirt roads and also crossing some small fishing villages.
This time I did it in 4 days but it can be done in more days in case one wants to be more relaxed and enjoy the landscape or spend some time having a drink somewhere nice.
The route is mostly flat. All the Algarve region is knowned to be quite flat with some exceptions, naturally.

David Monteiro

The Mouraria is one of the most typical quarters of Lisbon.

It is said that the Mouraria is the birthplace of the Fado and here also we can find the “Café da Garagem”.

The “Café da Garagem” is located in Teatro Taborda building, built for the “Sociedade Taborda” (Taborda Company) in 1870, therefore this a 19th-century theatre building.

Since 2005 the building is occupied by the “Teatro da Garagem”, a theatre company founded in 1989.

Within the space of the theater works the “Café da Garagem”, a coffee with a magnificent view over Lisbon and a fabulous terrace.

The great peculiarity of this coffee shop is the existence of the panoramic sunroom and terrace which can be seen in the photograph. During the summer gives us a protected location from the heat and during the winter is even more spectacular because it gives us the possibility of having a magnificent view and be protected from rain and cold.

I particularly like the cakes they havehere. Do not forget to try the Apple Pie ... is different ... very good.

Location: https://maps.google.pt/maps?q=38.714808,-9.132858&num=1&t=h&z=20

Have fun.

David Monteiro

 

Are you planning to visit Lisbon in one day?

You know the answer: that is impossible.

However, what to do when a day is all the time we have to get to know Lisbon? Of course we will have to make the most of the available time.

Morning

- One monument visit: Jeronimos Monastery - this monastery is classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built by King Manuel I in 1502 and it took about 100 years to be built. Is the maximum exponent of Manueline architecture, also known as the Portuguese Baroque.

- One tasting: Pastéis de Belém - as a result of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, in 1834 the convents and monasteries were closed. Was in this context that someone went to a sugar refinery close to the Jerónimos Monastery and put a few cookies on sale, these cookies are today known as the "Pastéis de Belém" and they must be the better worldwide known Portuguese sweets.

- The first walk: Baixa and Chiado - are two typical neighborhoods of the city and good representatives of the society of 18th and 19th centuries. Start by the view from the Viewpoint of São Pedro de Alcântara and walk downhill until the Camões Square and after this walk along the Garrett Street and end at Rossio. It is certainly a beautiful journey through Portuguese Romanticism and also a good opportunity to visit Baixa (downtown), the neighborhood that was built after the great earthquake of 1755.

- The second walk: Alfama and São Jorge Castle - Alfama is a medieval district and has been inhabited since the foundation of the city so it is here that we can find the oldest buildings in the city. Walking through the narrow streets of Alfama and observing its inhabitants is to know the typical Lisbon. Start your walk at the São Jorge castle and hence find the Miradouro das Portas do Sol from where we can see the roofs of Alfama, the quarter where we will walk until Terreiro do Paço.

Note: using a city map will help you making sense of all this names I’m mentioning.

Afternoon

Having walked in the morning, for the afternoon I will suggest more cultural moments for the afternoon, so I will propose a Museum and the Oceanarium visits.

- Museum of the City: it was easy to propose a visit to the Museum of Ancient Art (Museu de Arte Antiga), which is the most common suggestion you will find in terms of visits to museums. However, I believe that this Museum, being an excellent Museum, does not offer something unique to those visiting Lisbon, here you will find excellent pieces that could be in any major European Museum but not necessarily Portuguese pieces. So I will propose a visit to the City Museum, a small museum, whose collection is not something extraordinary but has the particularity of being a very nice space and the collection is Portuguese, this is a truly Portuguese space.

- Oceanarium: is the second largest aquarium in the world which is by itself a sign of being something that you can hardly see elsewhere and has an extensive collection of marine creatures. It is located at Parque das Nações, which is an ideal area for a late afternoon beer and to end the active day.

After dinner

The visit to the city will not be complete without a stroll through the area of nightlife where you can have a drink and hear some music.

Of course there are several areas in the city where this may happen but without complicating too much the explanation I would say that is in the Bairro Alto where you can find more diversity of bars.

Personally I love bar “Pavilhão Chinês" (Chinese Pavilion), one of the most beautiful bars I know.

Join the fun in Lisbon.

David Monteiro