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Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Monday, 14 January 2013
Castle of São Jorge and Viewpoints of Lisbon
One of the most obvious attractions in the capital of Portugal is the Castle of St George (Castelo de São Jorge). It is a medieval Moorish castle overlooking the city of Lisbon from the highest of 7 hills within the city.
Apart from a fantastic view of the city from the castle's ramparts and a small museum, there is not all that much to see inside the castle walls. If you do not want to pay the entrance fee just to admire the view, you can still try finding a lookout spot outside the castle walls.
There are also two such viewpoints just by the track of Tram 28 near the main entrance to the castle - get off the tram at Portas do Sol. There are two viewpoints nearby (Miradouro das Portas do Sol is one of them), offering a great view towards the river Tagus with the Alfama rooftops descending in its direction.
There are also other places where you can get a great panoramic view of the city. One of the best is from Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. It is a garden-terrace in Bairro Alto overlooking the city.
Another great viewpoint is at the top of Elevador de Santa Justa. You can find a few useful tips for visiting it in my previous post.
Apart from these there are many other viewpoints (miradouros) at the highest points of each hill. Here is a short list of the most popular miradouros in Lisbon:
- Castle of St George,
- Elevador de Santa Justa,
- Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara,
- Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte,
- Miradouro de Santa Luzia,
- Miradouro da Graca,
- Monument to Christ,
- Sao Vicente de Fora Monastery,
- Miradouro de Santa Catarina,
- Vasco da Gama Tower,
- Edward VII park.
Read more...
Friday, 11 January 2013
Amazing views from Santa Justa Elevator
Apart from São Jorge castle situated on the highest of seven hills within the city, Santa Justa Elevator (Elevador de Santa Justa) is definitely the most popular panoramic viewpoint in Lisbon. In addition to great views of the city here you can also experience a ride in an old lift operating since 1902, which makes it well over a hundred years old.
It is 45 meters high and was built in order to facilitate the movement between the main Baixa and the Carmo Square. In the beginning it carried 24 passengers. In accordance with modern standards, nowadays the lift admits 20 people to go up, but only 15 to go down. Interesting, isn't it?
It is visible in the top right corner of the above photo.
The lift is accessible from two points:
- You can find the bottom entrance at Rua de Santa Justa and Rua Aurea intersection in Baixa.
- If you are after the view and do not care about the ride so much, you can save a few euros and head directly to the platform where the elevator reaches the top. Just walk past the Carmo Church and Convent (Igreja e Convento do Carmo). Walk by the right wall of the church in the direction of São Jorge castle.
I recommend the visit, but the short ride in the old elevator is nothing special and also a bit pricey for my taste. If I would visit it again I would definitely opt for the cheaper option.
Also if you are visiting during the peak tourist season, you should try to get there early. It operates every day from 07:00 till 21:00.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Monday, 7 January 2013
Fado, the Portuguese Blues
Some people might say you have never really been to Portugal if you have not spend at least one evening listening to the local version of blues music. The Portuguese simply call it Fado.
It is pretty easy to find it in a random Lisbon café. Most of them are in the traditional fado quarter of Alfama and also Bairro Alto. Good places in both of those neighborhoods are usually pretty pricey - to find a more economical alternative, your best bet is to get a taxi out to the suburbs.
Surprisingly fado is not very common in other parts of the country (with the exception of the city of Coimbra).
It is pretty easy to find a place to get a taste of it, but getting a taste of the top notch performance is another thing. Cafés with present and potential future fado stars are usually reserved for fado connoisseurs, willing to pay 100 euros and more for the real thing. Usually food is also included in such deals, but do not expect too much - music is what you pay for.
If you ask me, as a first time visitor you will not be able to appreciate the difference between a really good, five star fado performance and a good touristy one. However, genuine local atmosphere could mean all the difference to some... in the end - the choice is yours.
If you are lucky you can also get a taste of the real thing for just a fraction of the price. The hostel we were staying in (Lisbon Destination Hostel), happened to have such a deal on their "menu" one night. You could get into one of the best fado cafés for a modest 10 euros.
Of course there was a catch - the hostel made a deal for a small group of their guests to arrive late and get a place near the bar (other guests were seated at proper tables). Also only tapas were included instead of a full dinner. If you do not mind being treated as a second-class guest and catch a strange glance or two from other guests every now and then, the whole idea might turn out just fine.
I think I could have actually enjoyed the performance in spite of everything if there were two or three of us. Unfortunately our group that night consisted of a dozen people and the place was already pretty crowded when we arrived. There was literally no way for all of us to squeeze next to the bar.
After a while the whole situation simply felt too awkward and some of us simply decided to leave the place. The hostel did not complicate a bit and gave us a full refund.
I actually could not say I do not recommend this whole thing but I definitely suggest you inquire about details. We were simply not told about the whole deal in advance and found it too far from our expectations.
However strange (or for some even unpleasant) this fado experience turned out to be, I liked the music. So afterwards I decided to at least buy a CD with some best of fado music.
I found a perfect place in the middle of a street on my way to the famous Elevador Santa Justa one morning (look for tips about that in one of the following posts).
There was an old car parked in the middle of a street, serving as a vending spot for fado CDs. The guy inside this little "music shop" was really knowledgeable and played music performed by a few different fadistas (i.e. fado singers) so I could choose my favorite. I chose Ana Moura and I really like her after I listened to the CD for a couple of times. Great stuff!
Friday, 4 January 2013
Attractions of Belém, Lisbon
Belém is the part of Lisbon I liked the most. Many of the most popular city's tourist attractions are situated there.
Jerónimos Monastery, Torre de Belém and the Discoveries Monument are just a few of the things that can all be found there.
Even if you do not intend to actually visit any of them, it is well worth taking a walk around this neighborhood and at least take a look at those magnificent buildings from the outside.
Especially Jerónimos Monastery blew me away - the building literary stretches for half a kilometer into distance. The front and inside details are all equally stunning. It is really hard to imagine enormous fortune spent on it (and that was just a portion of what trade with the Orient brought to Vasco da Gama and his men).
The church within the monastery is among others also the resting place of Vasco da Gama.
Besides great ornamental details on literary every step and an extensive presentation of building's history alongside other major events in the country and the world, there is not all that much to see inside.
The story goes Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497 there. Then there was only a hermitage in disrepair, but they promised to build a monastery if they make it back. The building project was funded with money obtained from a 5% tax on commerce from Africa and the Orient, equivalent to 70 kilograms (150 lb) of gold per year.
The task of residing monks for centuries was to provide spiritual assistance to navigators and sailors who departed from the nearby beach to discover the world.
If you actually decide to see some of those attractions from the inside you can even do it for free if you follow this tip. Like some other attractions in Lisbon also these offer free entrance on Sundays until 14:00. If do not get there on a Sunday you can expect the following entrance fees:
- Jerónimos Monastery - 6 euros
- Belem Tower - 5 euros
- Discoveries Monument - 2,5 euros
When in the neighborhood you should also make a short stop at the Pastéis de Belém confectionery (on Rua de Belem 84, near the monastery) and try their delicious custard tarts. Since this place is always busy and they supposedly sell over 10.000 of these tarts every day, you can be pretty sure to get a fresh - still warm one for yourself.
I would hardly describe those custard tarts as "to die for" but I liked them, especially considering the price (just over 1 euro per tart). I also tried them on a few different locations and these were my favorite - there might actually be something about the hundred years old secret recipe. You should definitely try them.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
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