Category Archives: General

A Slice of the City: Lisbon

If anyone likes the idea of popping onto the bus from Aljezur next to the market and making your leisurely way up to Lisbon, this may give you a few ideas:

This Article About Lisbon First Appeared In The Independent Newspaper

 

Lisbon 1A Slice of the City: Lisbon

 

A gourmet tour of Portugal’s capital shows more than the city’s sweet tooth
Lisbon is a fortuitous marriage of gastronomy and geography. The Portuguese may specialise in calorific cakes – a legacy of colonising sugar-giant Brazil – but since their capital is draped across seven hills, a brisk hike up from the Tagus River’s banks will counter some of the damage.

A gourmet walk is a good option in a city less about headline sights, more about navigating alleys of classily crumbling buildings and happening upon yet another pastelaria that looks too good to pass.

Both my feet and stomach were in good hands – food-loving Lisboeta guide Alex was showing me around. We met in wide  Praca do Comercio – a riverside square from which the city fans upwards and outwards – by the  King Dom Jose statue and triumphal Rua Augusta Arch, the crowning glories of the rebuild that followed the 1755 earthquake, tsunami and fires that devastated the city.

We headed north, under the Arco, heading into the heart of the Baixa (downtown) district, turning right down Rua da Conceicao, then left up Rua dos Correeiros to peer into the BCR bank. Inside weren’t cash machines but Roman ruins. “These vats were used to make garum – fish sauce,” said Alex. “It was exported across the empire and gained Lisbon a smelly reputation.”

Lisbon 2At Rua de Sao Nicolau, we turned left, then right back on to  Rua Augusta, Baixa’s main thoroughfare. At Rua de Santa Justa we turned left; ahead stood the 32m-high latticed-metal Elevador. Built in 1902, it whisks the weary to the higher levels of Baixa. We, however, were walking up.

Turning right down Rua dos Sapateiros, passing a glorious Art Nouveau theatre façade (now a peep show), we emerged into Praca Dom Pedro IV, turning immediately right for Praca da Figueira, once site of Lisbon’s main market. Although it no longer hosts the market, there’s still a strong foodie theme here. We paused at Manuel Tavares (00 351 213 424209; manueltavares.com), purveyor of cured meats and vintage port since 1860, and we drooled at the venerable pastry shop  Confeitaria Nacional (00 351 213 424470; confeitarianacional.com).  Less appealing was the pungent  Antiga Casa do Bacalhau (00 351 213 426256), piled with salt cod.

We exited the square via Rua Dom Antao de Almada, which widened into Largo de Sao Domingos, a popular gathering place for Lisbon’s immigrant communities. “This is where to buy obscure African ingredients,” Alex remarked. The square promotes tolerance – an olive tree stands in front of the tragedy-scarred Igreja de Sao Domingos. In 1506 , this church witnessed a massacre of converted Jews; when a fire destroyed its interior in the 1950s, it was pointedly left unrestored. Outside, we lifted the sombre mood at A Ginjinha, the city’s original hole-in-the-wall ginjinha bar, which has sold shots of this sweet cherry brandy since the 1840s.

Next, we aimed for Rua das Portas de Santo Antao, known for its seafood restaurants – and inflated prices. However, it was worth nosing into Casa do Alentejo (00 351 213 405140) – formerly a 17th-century palace whose Moorish-style interior has fine azulejos tiles and a grandly gilded bar-restaurant.

We cut down the narrow Travessa de Santo Antao, heading south around Praca dos Restauradores. “I know a trick,” declared Alex, leading us through the  entrance of Rossio Station – not to catch a train, but to use the escalators and save our energy. We exited on Calcada do Carmo, climbing south to leafy Largo do Carmo – home to the Museu Arqueologico (00 351 213 460 473; museuarqueologicodocarmo.pt), housed in the 14th-century  Convento, one of the few buildings to survive the destruction in 1755.Lisbon 6

From here, we followed Rua Serpa Pinto to turn right on to bustling Rua Garrett; much of the hubbub surrounded Art Deco A Brasileira (00 351 213 469 541). “In Lisbon we don’t say espresso, we say bica – which comes from this place,” Alex explained. “In 1905, it was first to sell small cups of strong coffee – which weren’t initially popular. So, they put a sign up saying ‘drink this with sugar’ – in Portuguese, the initials of these words spell ‘bica’.”

After a quick shot at the bar, we continued west to Praca Luis de Camoes, then cut right into the alleys of the Bairro Alto – Lisbon’s party district. We took Rua do Norte to Grapes & Bites (00 351 213 472431; grapesandbites.com). In its vaulted interior we were introduced to five Portuguese cheeses of increasing potency, from mild Alentejo goats’ cheese to a spiky well-aged Azorean queijo. We also sampled olive oils and cured meats: smoked pork sausage with garlic and pepper; a salami mixed with uncooked rice; presunto, sliced from a huge ham, right at our table. Then there were ports, from a complex white to a vintage ruby, which our sommelier opened using red-hot tongs. It was so good that it wasn’t hard to indulge – and besides, we’d walk it off tomorrow.

Fresh cuts

Lisbon’s Ribeira das Naus reopened in April. The renovated riverfront, which launched many a 16th-century explorer, features a wide promenade and a staircase down to the water – a re-creation of one that existed here before the 1755 earthquake.

Due to open later this month, Memmo Alfama (00 351 213 514368; memmoalfama.com) will be the first boutique hotel in the city’s Moorish Alfama district, complete with wine bar and pool overlooking the river.

New for foodies, local Michelin-starred chef Jose Avillez has just opened Pizzaria Lisboa (00 351 211 554945; joseavillez.pt) in trendy Chiado. His high-quality, innovative pizzas start at €9.50.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Sarah Baxter travelled with easyJet (0843 104 5000; easyJet.com), which flies to Lisbon from Gatwick, Luton, Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh. One-way fares start at £30. Lisbon is also served by TAP Portugal (0845 601 0932; flytap.com/UK) from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester and by BA (0844 493 0787; ba.com) from Heathrow.

Staying there

Lisbon offers everything from affordable five-stars to award-winning hostels. To live more like a local, try an apartment rental from HouseTrip (020-3641 9944; housetrip.com). For example, host Dianka’s central, river-view, characterful flat, excellently located in Baixa, sleeps six and costs from £72 a night. Ref: 159705.

Go guided

Tripbod (020-8144 0565; tripbod.com) offers guided tours with Lisboetas; a four-hour Lisbon and Port Wine Tasting trip with Alex costs £63.50pp, including cheese, meats, and five port wines.

Zumba Classes – Start Wednesday 9th May !!

Linda Tranmer will be starting Zumba classes at Amovate. They are Wednesday & Friday starting at 14:00 hrs.  If you are interested in joining the classes, her contact numbers are 918 461 840 or 282 995 504  and her e mail address is linda.tranmer@gmail.com .

“Class duration is +/- one hour and I charge €6.00 per class or €40 for a card of ten classes. Classes need not be taken consecutively but over a six month period. It would be good to have a minimum of six participants in each class and I generally run classes in the day”.

 

Meeting – Palm Tree Weevil

Here are some brief notes from the Cámara representative at the recent meeting organised by Amovate:

So far the Palm Weevil is only affecting the most common palm tree, but it s expected that in time it could affect other types.  It has a capability of flying up to 15 K, and is most active during the warm months.  It originated from Africa, and therefore thrives in warm climates.  It is more dormant in the cooler months (Nov, Dec Jan) and it is therefore advisable to trim the lower fronds during these cooler months to prevent the weevils from being attracted to the scent of the sap.

A tree clearly infected

All new growth on a palm tree comes from the centre crown/ heart, resulting in fresh upright fronds at the top of the tree.  The first signs that a tree is infected are when these upright fronds appear damaged, start turning brown, or come away from the tree.  The palm weevil infests the crown part of the tree, burrowing and laying eggs in this part where the new growth starts.

INFECTED TREE

Once a tree shows any signs of being affected, there is NO point in treating it.  It will not recover.

An infected tree should be treated at the crown/heart (see below) to prevent the spread of this weevil to other trees.

Arrangements should be made to have the tree cut as close to the ground as possible, and removed from the area.  Do not leave part of the tree behind, as it will still encourage infection.

They should be transported to Rogil industrial estate where green waste is treated by Algar.  They have facilities there to shred infected palm trees.  No attempt to burn the affected trees should be made, as they are very difficult to burn and NO accelerants should be used to assist in this. The Bombeiros have trialled burning these trees and it is impossible,  without using other timber to assist in getting the trunk hot enough to burn. Also remembering the damage fire can do if uncontrolled by experts.

There is a cost of around €30 per tonne for the handling of the waste,   Amovate are aware of the difficulty this will cause and will be in discussion with the Cámara to try to find a more cost effective way of dealing with this.

HEALTHY TREE

These should be treated 3 times per year – Spring, Summer & Autumn.

Appropriate insecticide (to be advised) is available locally e.g. Fortazur in Aljezur.  They will advise on amounts to use etc.

This insecticide should be sprayed directly into the crown of the tree.

Further information will be found on this site as soon as the Cámara forward the literature on Prevention and other treatments