After a out late night, we woke up leisurely and enjoyed some toast Paulo left for us. Then we walked towards the castle, but of course it was an adventure just trying to find it. Streets even led us on U turns. But finally an elderly woman saw our lost looks and in Portuguese communicated to us to take a right, left and right to reach the castle. We also found a little monkey who directed us as well.
We explored the area around the castle and enjoyed a coffee overlooking the river and the city.
We also took Paulo's suggestion to check out a flea market called Feira da Ladra. Instead of letting our instincts guide us, we surrendered to asking for directions... Twice. Both of them pointed and said go left, right then uphill for 10 minutes. Somehow we eventually found it. The market was interesting... Many of the "stands" featured piles of clothes (just dumped), books, random toys... Just think of a yard sale on steroids.
There were a few treasures, but with our limited space, we didn't pick any of them up.
Made our way to a café where we had lunch and even had a little partner join us.
He didn't like Martin's French fries, but his persistence got him some chicken skin. Not sure what his name was, but his jacket said "Snoopy" so we called him that. He also selectively liked to chase and bark at random men on the street. Seeing their expressions was good lunch entertainment.
We walked to the waterfront and found a beautiful plaza, the same one we had partially seen the night before.
We walked back to the apartment, winding our way through the streets. Later went back out for a coffee and Internet. While there, Paulo called us to confirm that he got us a reservation at a restaurant (Taberna Ideal) he used to work at. He did mention that we only had 2.5 hours to eat since they squeezed us in. Heading home, we saw an antique trolley and couldn't help jumping on.
Stopped at the apartment only briefly to change and set out for the restaurant with ample time knowing our orientation challenges. With only a few map breaks, we arrived promptly and we were warmly greeted by the staff. We were the first guests there, and it was 8pm. The menu was written in chalk on the wall, and the waitress kindly offered to translate it for us. The concept behind the restaurant is to share all the plates, so we took her recommendation and ordered a tapas, starter and main course. We were seated in the most coveted spot, a comfortable coach in the back with a round table. (Another couple later joined us on the other side.) With our dinner, we chose a bottle of espumado (Portuguese sparkling wine). Everything was absolutely delicious. This is definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Europe, both for the ambiance and food. Incredibly satisfied, we walked home.
- Martin & Kate
BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Lisboa, Portugal
No comments:
Post a Comment