Portuguese Voyage - Stop 3: Lisboa (Days 7 - 11) - Slowly Falling In Love with Lisbon......(Last 2 favorite things - END)

Yes... final post of Lisboa! :D

Just like how the Portuguese brought back 'souvenirs' from the countries they colonised, there is one thing I want to take back with me: Mercado da Ribeira!

The market is located opposite the Cais do Sodré train station, at the bottom of the hill of Chiado and Bairro Alto. Mercado da Ribeira is Lisboa's largest covered market. Since 1892, it was a trading ground for fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and flowers. Now, it has been divided into 2 sections. One still reserved for its trading activities from 1892, the other, has been transformed into a food hall by Time Out. 

It is absolutely fantastic! It's like a community that sells local Portuguese and international food, desserts, snacks, Portuguese wines, chocolates, and many others - a foodies' hang out!.

Some may say it is a food court, but, this is way better: first of all it is not in a mall, and most importantly, the people selling the food are passionate about the food they sell. They are not just selling it for the sake of selling. They give importance to the ingredients, the method of cooking, amongst other things.

What I love about it: just like international sports, it is a platform for all nationalities (both locals and foreigners) to share their love of food, sipping a glass of wine (or others) and listening to some good music together - no prejudice, racism, nothing! Everyone just sharing their passion for food. I mean, I even taught a French family how to use chopsticks. A brilliant concept: food bringing people together!

Petiscos (Portuguese tapas)

Some locals may argue it is not authentic Portuguese, but, I have not seen anything like this anywhere else and it is a Portuguese 'souvenir' I would be so grateful for! Lol
Mr. Benjamin Yong - a business idea to consider? :D

Definitely plan at least one dinner here whilst in Lisboa :)

Portuguese Voyage - Stop 3: Lisboa (Days 7 - 11) - Slowly Falling In Love with Lisbon......(Almost ending)

Belém. Due to its location - at the mouth of the Rio Tejo (River Tagus),  it was a site for the Portuguese explorers to set sail - Vasco Da Gama set sail from the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower).

There are a few significant landmarks located in Belém that warrant a visit!

Torre de Belém (Belém Tower)

You can take a city bus to Belém, which is only a 15-minute bus ride away.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries)
In commemoration of the 500th death anniversary of Henry the Navigator

The Portuguese are very proud of their discoveries and zest for exploration that there is a museum, Maritime Museum in Belém, dedicated to all aspects of their discoveries and naval achievement! It is an interesting museum and one of the most important in Europe. Why so? The moment Vasco Da Gama steered around the Cape of Good Hope, completing Bartolomeu Dias' voyage, and docked in Calicut, India - from then on, it was the most GLORIOUS period in the Portuguese history. They monopolised the spice trade, which evoked the jealousy in other European nations. After a century, the Dutch, British, French and Danish finally broke the Portuguese monopoly and colonialism.

*Way back then, Asia, to the Europeans, were synonymous with luxury, exquisite, precious - just like France in the 18th century - unbelievable right?*

The taxes earned from the monopoly of the spices funded the construction of the enchanting Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery). It is one of the most important examples of the Portuguese Manueline style of architecture. The monastery was built to support pilgrims who travelled the region and served as a church for seafaring individuals who embarked during the Age of Discovery.

Captivating isn't it? The details and intricacy of the carvings are fascinating. As you can see, I didn't take many pictures as I was just so mesmerised!

As mentioned in my previous post, the Manueline-style architecture incorporates elements of discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco Da Gama and others. I wonder, could it have come from the carvings of the Indian temples?

Khajuraho Group of Monuments, India

Just a thought......

*Both the Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower were classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1983.*

There are not only landmarks to see in Belém, the best Pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) are found here as well - at Pasteis de Belém.

The tart is not too sweet, not too egg-y and the pastry - flaky and puff-pastry like! They also serve it piping hot, fresh out of the oven...Divino!
If you have time, do explore the cafe - the story of the making of the Pastel de nata is depicted on the walls of the cafe and you can also see how they make the Pastel de nata.

You cannot leave Portugal without having at least one egg tart!

Other things to see in Belém: Praça Afonso de Albuquerque (Afonso de Albuquerque Square)
He captured Malacca in 1511

After exploring Belém, you can walk along the river bank from the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower) to the Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) - a scenic 30-min walk.

The bridge and Cristo Rei in view

Once you reach the bridge, you can walk another 1.5km to LxFactory. It is a former factory area which has been converted to an area with many independent retail outlets, cafes, restaurants and a club - a really cool concept!

The LxFactory is located in the Alcântara area of Lisboa. To head back to the city centre, you will need to take a bus.

Now, why is the bridge called the 25th of April? Let's take a look at a very summarised timeline below:

Please bear in mind this is extremely summarised and more focused on Lisboa :S.

Back to the bridge - there was a revolution on 25th April 1974 that led to Portugal's independence. Hence the name of the bridge - to commemorate the Carnation Revolution. Although it is often likened to the Golden Gate Bridge, it was built by the American Bridge Company, which constructed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, not the Golden Gate Bridge!

I was surprised when I found out that Portugal was under a dictatorship for approximately 40 years. Like most dictatorships, they retard the growth of a country. However, in my opinion, it could have been a reason why Portugal is quite progressive and modern now - the independence from the dictatorship probably jumpstarted their growth to the latest infrastructure, technologies, etc.

Ok, I thought this would be my last post on Lisboa, but it is already wayyyy too long! One more post - that's it! I promise! Just 2 more things to highlight... :D

Boa noite!

Portuguese Voyage - Stop 3: Lisboa (Days 7 - 11) - Slowly Falling In Love with Lisbon......(Part 2)

Why is the title of the post 'Slowly Falling in Love with Lisbon...?' When I first got to Lisboa, I thought, "Yeah, not bad. It's alright!"
But the longer I stayed and explored Lisboa, the indifference => like => liking more => falling! Hahah..

I felt a tinge of sadness when I was about to leave this endearing city... (or it could be because I knew my holiday was coming to an end, and I would return to confining myself within the four walls at work! Lol). On a serious note, it was because I was leaving Lisboa.

Lisboa is cultured, but at the same time, modern, hip and has this cool, 'Yuppie' vibe, whilst still preserving its 'local-ness'.

The Airbnb apartment I stayed at is located in Baixa, on Rua da Prata (Silver Street). The location is excellent - it is walking distance to everywhere.

Santa Justa Lift

Arco da Rua Augusta (Augusta Street Arch)

Statue of King José I, Praça do Comércio

Status of Dom João I, Praça da Figueira

Statue of King Pedro IV, Praça do Rossio (Rossio Square)

Praça dos Restauradores

Avenida da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue)

View from Eduardo VII Park (Statue of Marquês de Pombal)

The affluent Chiado neighbourhood

Chiado

Chiado

Praça Luís de Camões, Chiado/ Bairro Alto

The cool Bairro Alto

Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara, Bairro Alto/ Príncipe Real

The also cool Príncipe Real

Príncipe Real

Príncipe Real

The poorer neighbourhood of Alfama

Alfama

Typical house in Alfama

Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral), Alfama - built on the site of an old mosque
There is an elaborate cloak, embroidered with gold, in the cathedral - stunning!

Panteão Nacional (National Pantheon), Alfama

Feira da Ladra (Thieves' Market), Alfama (near the National Pantheon)
-Only on Tuesdays and Saturdays-

Other than the Baixa, it is uphill almost everywhere!

Uphill

More hills

Hills are a common sight!

There are trams (on the road next to the Museu da Farmácia (Pharmacy Museum)) that transport people up and down. My suggestion: Just walk - it's good exercise (after eating all the good food!) Lol

& more hills....lol

I love that mural so much, I 'brought it back' to my room.

My 'Wall of Fame'..lol

And there are azulejos (tiles) everywhere!

Oldest bookstore in Portugal, Chiado
A side note:There are independent bookstores/ libraries in every corner in Portugal - totally love this!

Heck, even the Miu Miu (on Avenida da Liberdade) is covered in azulejos - a clear way to distinguish that you are in Lisboa!

The azulejos were introduced by the Moors and have become an integral part of Lisboa. The reflection of the sunlight from the azulejos and Rio Tejo (Tagus River) gives Lisboa its unique glow. No camera can capture it, you will have to witness it for yourself :)

The best time to visit Lisboa? JUNE!!! Why? The whole month is a month of PARTY. The city of Lisboa celebrates Festas dos Santos Populares (Popular Saints Festival) leading up to the main event: Santo Antonio Festival (Feast of St. Anthony) on June 12th and 13th. St. Anthony is a patron saint, to whom many miracles have been attributed to. As he is linked to miracles, June 12th and 13th are considered auspicious and many people get married those dates. Also, the biggest party in Lisboa is celebrated then - amazing isn't it?

Throughout the month, there are pop-up stalls around Lisboa selling booze and grilled sardines!! Yes, the 'Lisbonites' eat a CRAZY amount of sardines in that month. The record is 13 sardines per second!! That makes it an astounding 16,848,000 sardines! (Assuming eating sardines for 12 hours/a day, 30 days straight :S).

There is also a marching competition among the neighbourhoods. The people put in a lot of effort into decorating and practising the march - truly an amazing way to bring people together!

*St. Anthony was declared a saint on June 13th, a year after his death - hence, the reason why the main celebration is on June 12 & 13*

Unfortunately, I did not partake in this as I was in Lisboa a few months earlier. However, some areas were already being decorated!

Before I end my post today, I just want add, if you are a fish person, like moi, you will love Lisboa (& most parts of Portugal, other than the inner regions like Alentejo). There are many types of fish available in abundance: Sardines, Mackeral, Scabbard, Tuna, Salmon, Sea Bass, Hake, Cod (Bacalhau) and many others - the funny thing about the bacalhau though, it is all over Portugal, (a local delicacy) but it is imported! Hahah...

Anyways, I am off to stare at my 'mural'.......jokes! There is more to Lisboa, I am not done yet! Next post :D

Nighty night...