Lisbon Observations

•           Graffiti everywhere, looking more like art with some tagging

•           Large police presence

•           Although all drugs are legal, didn’t get one indication that drugs were being used by anyone in all our travels

•           Very friendly, proud and helpful people

•           Very little English spoken

•           They love to eat fish

•           Very reasonable prices for food and drink

•           You can walk down the street with alcohol

•           Wine, beer, and spirits available in most stores

•           No liquor restrictions, even available from food trucks

•           Always felt safe

•           Easy transportation, even in a foreign language

•           Crossing busy roads was easy with pedestrian crosswalks everywhere and the cars stop

•           Reasonable taxi fares

•           Not much horn honking, patient drivers

•           Parking is outrageous

•           Small cars, no pickup trucks

•           Simple food

•           Not many dogs and no cats

•           Multicultural

Lisbon to Budapest, September 2, 2015

We vacated our apartment in the morning and easily caught a cab to the airport.  We got there in plenty of time and had an early lunch before boarding our plane for a scheduled 2:05 pm departure, although we ended up departing an hour and a half later due to a mechanical issue.

 Reading a Led Zeppelin bio, When Giants Walked the Earth

 Minutes from landing

TAP had a great Portuguese wine selection, better than what we were buying while in Lisbon.  Although we did find a Vinho Verde (green wine) on our last day for .89 Euros ($1.40 CDN) that was a pleasant surprise for a refreshing light wine.

Arrival in Budapest was very smooth as we were travelling within the EU and within the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is the area made up of 26 European countries that have agreed to have no type of border control at their common borders. Although Budapest is part of the EU, it maintains its own currency, the Forint.

The taxi from the airport was $33 CDN, compared to $17 CDN in Lisbon for approximately the same distance. Our taxi driver was a bit of a maniac and at one point Jill looked over at me and said, “we have Mario Andretti driving”, which definitely dates us. We were met by our hosts at the apartment, which is located in Pest, fairly close to the Chain Bridge. The Szechenyi Chain Bridge is one of several bridges that connect Pest to Buda and the most famous. It is seen in most pictures of Budapest.

We settled in quickly to our very reasonably priced studio apartment, which cost us $60 CDN a night, a bargain when you consider Lisbon cost twice as much (although it was a one bedder with a better location and still a bargain for Europe). Lisbon was booked through Flipkey, while Budapest was booked through Aribnb.

We made a two minute walk to the corner store to gather our usual  essentials;  beer, wine ,flat water, sparkling water and yogurt. We found the wine prices slightly higher than Lisbon, but still 80% less than Canada. We have a little restaurant below us with Goulash priced at $8.00 CDN while other entrees seemed comparable to Lisbon. 

Lisbon, Day 8, September 1, 2015

This is our last day in Lisbon as we are leaving tomorrow morning for Budapest. We decided to take the train to the beach, but first a trip to the fresh market to buy a sea bass and belgian endive for tonight’s dinner, which we will capture on video for Cogeco's Shoestring Gourmet.

We got to Cascais (pronounced cash-k-eye-sh) just as the tide had reached its lowest point. The exposed rocks were quite a surprise. 

That's a man far out in the middle of the picture 

We were trying to estimate how low the tide was from last visit and decided to check on the web when we got back. As it turns out, we had arrived at the lowest point of the day, 11:12 am. The difference between high and low tide was around 12 feet according to the tide charts.

Low tide

High tide taken the other day we were there

We stopped for lunch at a small cafeteria called Beth Shalon, which was just up from Estoril Beach. We were told prices would be cheaper the farther away from the beach you go, and they were.  Lunch was delicious. I had a tasty meatloaf with spinach while Jill had Alheira sausage with a fried egg.  Jill could not stop raving about how good the smoky taste was. I got to try several pieces and it was one of the best sausages I have ever eaten.

My daily exercise lifting heavy beers is keeping me pumped

The original Alheira was a pork-free sausage that was invented by the Portuguese Jews during the Inquisition. When the practice of the Jewish faith was outlawed, the Jews, especially the large communities in the northern region, were easily found as they lacked the traditional pork sausages that hung from the smokehouses. To disguise themselves, they created their own sausage that was pork-free.

Lisbon, Day 7, August 31, 2015

The fresh market is closed today. I’m starting to go through withdrawal. Today is museum day.  Lisbon, with a population of a little over half a million not counting the metropolitan area, has over 30 museums. We decided to visit the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, which houses the personal collection of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, an Armenian pioneer of the oil industry. He moved to Portugal during the war in 1942 and died in 1955.  His wish was that his collection, which was assembled over four decades, would be kept together under one roof. His foundation of the same name fulfilled his desire in1969. The museum was a 4.5 km walk uphill. We debated transportation, but in the spirit of discovery and physical challenge, we walked. It was hot and yes, all uphill. 

 Our uphill walk on the right side of the park

The garden at the centre of the park

 The monument at the bottom of the park

We stopped for lunch at a great spot on a side street where we had a terrific lunch.  Jill had slow cooked veal with pasta and I had grilled rabbit with frits. Jill’s veal came first and we realized that we should have spit her dish as there was ample for two. At 8.70 Euros ($13 CDN) per dish, we were surprised at the portion size. 

Veal with pasta

My rabbit, as well as Jill’s veal, was delicious.  We did our best to eat as much as we could knowing that by dinner time we would not be hungry.

Rabbit with frits

 An interesting sculpture at the top of the park

We headed to where we thought the museum was, but had to ask directions.  This was difficult since most do not speak English. One lady said, “go down, then right, then ask again”.  We got similar directions twice before coming to the entrance of the museum.

We got the senior discount (2.50 Euros instead of 5) and also got the audio guide at 4 Euros each, which was great. The collection covers various periods of the history of art, from classical and oriental Antiquity to European art of the early 20^th century.  Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Eastern Islamic, Armenian and Far Easter Art are all on display. This man was an extreme collector with over 6,000 pieces on display.  

 Silver centrepiece

Silver platter cover

We knew that our walk home would be a lot easier as it would be down hill.  We stuck to the shade and booked it home, which took us about an hour. It was nice to get home after our six hour odyssey.  A big glass of bubbly water and then we opened a bottle of Portuguese vinho verde or green wine.  It has a slightly lower alcohol content, with a bit of effervescence.  It was recommended by the man in the liquor store yesterday and it turned out to be delicious as we cooled down from our walk. 

Lisbon, Day 6, August 30, 2015

No trip to the market today. We saw a medieval castle from where we were yesterday and Jill said she wanted to go there, so that’s what we did.

Yesterday's views of the castle 

It was the highest point in Lisbon and we debated whether to walk or take a cab.  Walking won out because slow takes in the feel of the neighbourhood and the challenge of the climb, and what a climb it was. Once we got to the gates of Castelo de Sao Jorje, we stopped at a small restaurant with tables outside for a small beer (.20 ml) a bowl of soup, fish for me, veggie for Jill, and a cod ball. It was all we needed for lunch. 

Then into the castle we went. We were surprised that a fog had come up the river and the blue sky was blotted out. The coolness of the altitude was so refreshing after our climb but still hot. The views were spectacular.

You can see the square where we walked from

 Views from the castle

The castle was built by the Moors in the 11^th century. We spent our time walking the walls and taking in the spectacular views. Lots of stairs and wondering how many had died on them when the Moors were defeated by the first King of Portugal and the Crusaders.  

Back down was much easier. We stopped at a large store that sold port. Had a tasting and bought a half bottle of ten year old port which was yummy. We opted to not go out for dinner and picked up some chicken breast and a red pepper. I already had chorizo, shitake mushrooms, garlic, parsley, white wine, and olives to add to the chicken for our dinner at home. I melted some sugar in water, a little port, and two figs for a fab dessert. I've never done this before, but will surely do it again if I can get figs this fresh.

Delish!

Lisbon, Day 5, August 29, 2015

They say today is going to be 33 degrees, the hottest it has been since we arrived. I made my usual trip to the fresh market to get razor clams, which I have wanted to try for a long time. From what I have heard, they are as sweet as scallops, but just a bit tougher. I found a vendor who had a one kilo pack for 10 Euros. I didn’t want that many, but that’s the way they were packaged.  Whenever I have seen them offered, they were very expensive, so this was a relatively inexpensive way to try something new.  I must say that everyone in the market was so patient and kind, even though we could not communicate.  

 One of the many fish stalls

Lots were very busy filling restaurant orders from lists, but were happy to help me as best they could, especially with the money.  I am greeted by those who see me every day; lovely people indeed.  The shiitake mushrooms were some of the best I have ever seen so, of course, I had to buy some for a later dish. I also bought four Brown Turkey figs, a bargain at .83 Euros. 

Jill and I decided to explore the Bairro Alto neighbourhood today.  Again it was a steep climb with a few funiculars for those looking for a quick trip up or down. 

No spaces are wasted

The views of the city were fabulous.

 

  

I have not had any sugar since we left home. I usually have a spoon in my large cup of espresso in the morning and several pieces of chocolate at night.  We are not dessert eaters unless it’s a special occasion. Vanilla ice cream cannot be in the house for long.  Since Monday, I have passed dozens of pastry shops which always display Portuguese tarts in the window, my absolute weakness.  Today was my day to finally indulge in just one, still a big measure of self control since they are cheaper if you buy six.  I slipped into sugar heaven with the first bite.  The multi-layered crust is so good and the sweet custard with a bit of dark caramelization on top is indescribably delicious.  It ticked all the boxes with my self control intact.

On the way home, we stopped at the supermercado and saw that a six-pack of Heineken beer was on special for 3.89 Euros ($5.75 CDN).  Back home they sell for $13.85. Loving the cheaper prices.

Jill captured on video tonight's pasta with razor clam dinner for an episode of Shoestring Gourmet in Lisbon, Portugal. Coming soon to your community Cogeco channel in Ontario. And yes, it was delish.