Welcome to our blog, an informal space for learning more about special events and restaurants in Lisbon and the Eastern Algarve... along with general ramblings about life in Portugal. Please add your comments and thanks for visiting!
A fun article about Portugal's Vinho Verde (green wine)... which you will find waiting, chilled, in your frig at checkin.
Green is good for these Wines -- Wine Adviser, Seattle Times
Note: Contrary to what the author suggests, there are indeed red vinho verdes. (But they are all pretty awful.)
We were thrilled to have Casa Villa Serra chosen as one of the main "sets" for the newly released film, "Fado Celeste" about the life and work of Celeste Rodrigues, 87 years old and still singing Fado worldwide.
A review of opening night at Lisbon's São Jorge Cinema is found here: http://www.hardmusica.pt/noticia_detalhe.php?cd_noticia=5483
On the third Sunday of each month at 11h00, tourists congregate
to watch the ceremonial Changing of the Republican Guard in front of
the Presidential Palace in Belem just outside Lisbon city centre.
With cameras at the ready, tourists can also gather to watch the Charanga: 28 horsemen from the Cavalry Regiment riding pure-bred Lusitano horses as they perform ceremonial military marches. The ritual dates back to 1910 and the end of the Portuguese monarchy.
The event begins at 11h00. Free.
Info courtesy of worldeventsguide.com
Our neighbor, Diogo, grew up listening to
his great-aunt, Amália Rodrigues, and her sister
Celeste, his grandmother, sing fado, the soul music of
Portugal.
When Amália, a national icon, died in 1999, the Portuguese government declared three (3!) days of national mourning. Celeste, now 85, still sings, and Diogo manages her schedule, travelling with her around the world and to some of Lisbon's most intimate fado houses.
Now you can join them and their "extended family" of fadistas, some legendary, others contemporary, for an evening of saudade, the rich savoring of things past.
For more information on this unique opportunity, visit LisbonFado.com
(Discount available to guests of VisitingPortugal.com)
ETA Congratulations to Diogo, who earned a recommendation from the Portuguese National Tourism Office in New York. http://www.insideportugaltravel.com/?p=1330
When my wife and I brought our 17-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son to travel through Portugal for 80 days during the summer of 2000 the single most important piece of equipment I packed was my “pocket energy-management tool,” a.k.a. a deflated beach ball, neatly folded to slip easily inside backpack or back pocket.
Armed with my PEMT, whenever our son began to fidget, I was ready for him. We’d pull over or disembark, find the nearest open space—because the PEMT doesn’t travel far even very small open spaces will suffice—and inflate. Fifteen minutes of PEMT therapy—including running, kicking, scoring and jubilant fan noises*—was almost always enough for him to blow off enough steam so he could sit still through another museum or tour.
Our favorite PEMT open space was the fountain park at Martim Moniz in the center of Lisbon where the water jets fly up out of the pavement, creating a world-class beachball obstacle course. Ironically, the PEMT is no good at the beach, where it just blows away, but that's OK, the beach is an energy-management tool.
Combined with frequent visits to Portugal’s ubiquitous ice-cream vendors, the PEMT is a winner if you’ve got little ones on the go!
(Every Visiting Portugal property is equipped with a PEMT for you to use in and around Lisbon.)
* These afforded me valuable opportunities to practice my pronunciation of handy Portuguese words like, "Incrível!" "Espectacular!" and "Inacreditável!"
Yes, we did! We passed the much anticipated, on-site, white glove examination performed by an Alastair Sawday Inspector last fall. Our two-page description (pages 90,91) in the recently released 2007 PORTUGAL Special Places to Stay* begins "A brilliant opportunity to live as a Lisboeta in a real Portuguese neighbourhood. You are free of tourists..." and includes other kind comments such as my favorite: "Bed linens and towels are immaculate." :)
We are honored to have been accepted into the worldwide "Special Places" family and wish to thank all our guests, once again, for staying with us... and for recommending us to their friends and family. Muito obrigado!
*Alastair Sawday's "Special Places to Stay" From their "Who are We" introduction: The notion of 'special' is at the heart of what we do, and highly subjective... We take huge pleasure from finding people and places that do their own thing -- brilliantly; places that are unusual and follow no trends; places of peace and beauty; people who are kind and interesting - and genuine.
It’s a long way to Lisbon from Southern California so it’s no wonder
Jerry (not his real name) was out of sorts when he and his family arrived for
ten days at Casa Joaquina. In his weakened state, Jerry didn’t know
what to make of the Portuguese man gesticulating and remonstrating from
the doorway until he recognized his computer in the man’s hand and the
man himself as the taxi driver who had dropped them off twenty minutes
earlier. Jerry had left the computer in the back seat. The driver
hadn’t noticed either until he picked up two young men who very
quickly—inexplicably—asked him to stop and hopped out carrying a laptop
they hadn’t had when they’d entered. “Wait a minute, that’s not yours!” the driver said, and wrested it away. Then he’d made his way back to Casa
Joaquina—an heroic effort in its own right, given the labyrinth of
one-way streets and unavailability of parking—in order to bestow upon
Jerry the computer he had yet to miss. “Nem toda a gente é má,” (Not
everyone is bad) the driver said in explanation of his benevolence. Not
every Portuguese taxi driver is so gallant either, to be sure, as a
number of our overcharged guests will attest, so it pays to make sure
the meter is running, but kindnesses like these should not go
unheralded.
Foto: PrincesaVirtual
The unmistakable sounds of Portuguese folk music drew us out of the
house this afternoon, exploring until we found a dance troupe and band that had come down from Coimbra to celebrate "European Neighbor Day."
Here's a couple dressed in traditional Portuguese wedding gear, wherein even the bride wore black. (Click on the photo to view the backup singers/knitters.)
To know and enjoy Lisbon, put on comfy shoes and hit the streets. You never know what you'll find!
Take a quick look at this fun blog entry by a recent guest... and, for an intimate view of the "real" Portugal, don't miss the last photo.
Home Again, Home Again
For a perfect Saturday, walk over to Príncipe Real Park (take the Glória funicular from Restauradores, turn right and the park will be on your left in about 5 minutes).
From 9am to 3pm, fresh fruits and vegetables, hand-made olive oils, jellies, breads, etc., are for sale at the far end of the tree-lined park. Sit on the benches afterwards and enjoy the lovely neighborhood feeling... and don't forget to buy a straw bag to carry your goodies home again!
A guest from Paris pulled a ragged scrap of paper from her pocket
during the neighborhood tour: "I was told I must eat here.
Pinóquio Restaurant."
"Never heard of it," I replied, standing a few meters from the front door.
Not long afterwards I read an article about the local theater scene which ended with "What's an evening of Lisbon theater without Pinóquio's salted prawns?"
It's rather embarrasing to admit that I've walked every guest past the front door since we started VisitingPortugal in 2003. Decorated in two uninspired shades of green, it's tucked into the SE corner of the Praça dos Restauradores. The salted prawns "appetizer", a €33 silver bowl of simply prepared, wonderfully fresh shrimp that easily feeds two, is often not on the menu; you need to ask for it. The waiters, despite their green attire, are charming and the food is excellent. A recent guest gave it three thumbs up.
What's a visit to Lisbon without Pinóquio?
Pinóquio Praça dos Restauradores 79; telephone 213 465 106
Start cooking: Portuguese Recipes from Leite's Culinária 
During the month of January, donkeys from Portugal's Trás-os-Montes region will be inside the Lisbon castle São Jorge in a "re-encounter with the city's history." Rides from 9am to 6pm, included in the standard €3 castle entrance fee.
STUNNING. Lisbon is stunning every Christmas season... and especially this year. The Baixa is covered in lights, with each street once again seeming to compete with the next for the loveliest displays. Europe's largest Christmas tree glows over the city from its riverside perch at the Praça do Comércio. (A nice view of the tree awaits those fortunate enough to have booked Casa Santana.) Our family enjoys traditional late evening Baixa walks, munching hot-roasted chestnuts and arguing over which streets have the prettiest lights. See you there!
Every November, horse and rider reign supreme in Golegã (near Fátima). Should they wish to ride into a café for coffee together, so be it. People come from around the world to admire and purchase the famed Lusitano horses; this year the festivities are Nov 4-6 and 10-13.
The entire family, minus husband who is in Seattle, headed to Armona
Island late Friday evening. Being our first weekend visit since we
bought the cottage, everyone was dreading the 3 hour drive down from
Lisbon on Friday night, then back again on Sunday. How exhausting
would that be?
Needless concerns. Waking on Armona on Saturday -- a sunny morning headed for a perfect 27ºC/80ºF -- the island was practically deserted. 50 steps from the cottage, only a few die-hard fishermen and hundreds of little crabs shared the beach with our son. A new neighbor, Maria Manuela, whose house fronts the local beach, stuck her head in the kitchen window as I washed dishes, anxious to introduce herself and exchange phone numbers.
Saturday at noon, we took the 15 minute ferry back to Olhão just in time to wander through its famous waterfront fish and fruit market. Austin purchased a confusing variety of sea creatures for an afternoon caldeirão (seafood stew). After which the evening stretched on soothingly... alone on our deserted isle.
Sunday morning we celebrated "Nature Church" out on the Atlantic side of the island, walking a tiny portion of the kilometers and kilometers of sandy beaches. By the time we wandered down to the last ferry off the island (5:30pm in Oct), we were all in agreement: a weekend on Armona is anything but exhausting.
Very, very few Portuguese families own clothes dryers. Consequently,
one sees everywhere, fluttering in gardens, from balconies, and on roof
tops, that proud banner of doméstica, the clothes line. I have come to
love Portuguese clothes lines for the same reason I’ve always gotten an
irrational measure of solace from old-fashioned clocks in public places
that are still keeping time accurately: because someone cares. Every
clothes-laden line and every operating clock is a proclamation that
someone cares enough to keep things going. Clothes do not hang
themselves to dry and clocks do not give the time for long unless
someone attends to them, unless someone thinks it’s important to serve
people in these very humble ways.
University life re-starts in earnest in October and Lisboa is bursting with students. Praxe, pronounced "PRAH-sh", is the Portuguese equivalent of froshing. Generally good-natured and definitely a public event, entry into university is a high-profile accomplishment in this country wherein less than half of the population finishes high school.
Upper-classmen are easily identified by their flowing black capes and black suits. Freshman are usually identifiable by something embarrassing: bright blue buckets upon their heads as they march through downtown Lisbon chanting "Somos caloiros! Somos caloiros!" (We are freshmen, we are freshmen -- as if there were any doubt) or wearing matching pyjamas singing children's songs while being baptised in the Rossio fountains.
This continues for the entire month of October while the Lisboetas proudly gather around, watching Portugal's best and brightest.
Tourists are sometimes invited to join in the fun... so prepare yourself for marriage proposals and impromptu interviews in the language of your choice.
Every weekend in October, the Festival Internacional de Música takes
place in Mafra. Enjoy this event at the Palácio Nacional de Mafra, but
first take a tour of the palace which is considered by many to be the
most important Barroque monument in Portugal.
