vacation: belem and alfalma in lisbon, portugal
Wake up to no water and no concierge to help, but thankfully it came back on in time for a shower, hurray. We try several times to get out to Belem before noon, but the cards were stacked against us. We missed our bus, another didn’t operate on Sundays. And no delicious European standing cafes with tasty pastries. Instead it was Brown’s Coffee Shop playing bossa nova style YMCA and Ace of Base covers. Unacceptable pastels de nata and a chocolate croissant with sprinkles (yikes!).
We stumble upon traditionally dressed Portuguese dancers and bag pipe players headed towards PraOa da Figueria for the Festa do Folar. We take the tram to Belem, where people are walking around with large palms for Palm Sunday service. Pasties de Belem are far superior… flaky, creamy, not too sweet, just right.
Since we aren’t allowed to go into the Mosterio de Jeronimos, we visit the nearby flea market with overpriced silver wares (the dragon tongs were awesome) and rows of ancient post cards. Peruvian flute music echoes from the shoreline… doo-wop and greatest hits opera. Tom thinks the Monumento dos Descobimentos would look cooler if they were “climbing up to the moon”. We get sun burnt in the nice weather.
Torre de Belem is crowded but free. We continue our tradition of monster mask pictures wherever we can sneak it, before heading back to Baixa for lunch. No luck on a Sunday… all tourist places with pictures of food on menu, Ena Pai. Tom’s suckling pig is the best. Alyssa might have gotten food poisoning from her watery crème brulee or fish food. Mine is just all sorts of bland… bachalau bland.
Pass through Festa do Folar on our way up to Castelo Sao Jorge, tough on the feet uphill on cobblestones. We find an abandoned house on a more scenic way up to the top, with lots of colorful laundry hanging on clothes lines. Stray cats run around the castle, as another strange man (wizard?) plays flute. Tom freaks some American girls out when he questions what the peacock might taste like… duck perhaps?
Our feet are dying. Alyssa looks sick. We get on the historic Tram 28 through Alfalma, Baixa, and Chaido. Go to Pingo Doce for food… no linguica but they have Panda spaceman cereal, cheap wine, and soft tasty cheese. We rest and rest and rest until it is far past dinner for America, but the night has just begun for the Portuguese.
Taxi it to Restaurante Alfaia in Barrio Alto where we wait a while for a table in the back. I have Acorda de Gambas, a thick bread soup with shrimp. Alyssa is convinced to eat a steak with a fried egg on top covered in some meat gravy aka delicious. Tom has the best of all, pork with clams in white wine sauce. The food is mmm mmm great. The wine is even better. We come back happy and drained and stay up to the wee hours chatting over Vinho Verde.
Tomorrow: A day at the beach in Cascais & Estoril
vacation: baixa in lisbon, portugal
No matter how tired we always try and make ourselves, we are never successful at falling asleep on an overnight flight. We arrive in Amsterdam through a cover of thick clouds, unaware if we are hungry for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Weren’t we just having burgers at Ashley’s with Tom’s parents?
KLM feeds us strange sandwiches called “bloomers” as we arrive over Lisbon. The landscape of Portugal is soft rolling green hills that look like giants tucked under thick mossy covers. Spattered throughout are small beige houses with red roofs and graceful spinning blades of towering wind turbines.
Luis meets us at the Lisbon tour office and guides us to the apartment. As we approach, I can hear the faint call of a woman saying “TOM”. It’s Alyssa running with backpack on back to catch up as we pull into the parking lot. The sun is warm as we look over the balcony and plan our excursion for the remaining part of the day.
We navigate the bushy mazes in the Parque Eduardo VII, as we make our way down to the Lisbon city center. The city feels like a cross between California and Paris as we walk the Avenida Liberdade, Lisbon’s Champs Elysses… which is lined with palm trees and gorgeous tiled sidewalks. All of Lisbon is tiled in varying degrees of restoration, some shiny and some chipped away and bumpy. Not the place for high heels.
We veer off our path to have some ginja, a cherry liqueur, at Ginjinha Sem Rival. Tom is the only one adventurous enough to eat both of the liqueur soaked cherries at the bottom of the glass. We sit down to eat at Restaurante Bonjardim, as people continually try and offer us hash. We try and order the specialties of the house… chicken piri-piri and frango no espeto. We get one meal, one glass of wine, and two waters for three people. Looks like we need to work on our translation issues.
Tummies stuffed full of delicious roasted chicken and fries, we venture into Praoa Dom Predo IV and Elevador Santa Justa, where we happen upon our first tourists taking pictures. Still no flower sellers or scam artists like in most big cities. We are tempted by a 2 euro chocolate tasting at Labooka on Rua Santa Justa. The cheap entrance fee gets us more chocolate than even we desire in exotic flavors such as mango and avocado, rice and red currant, goat’s milk, and delicious Madiera. A marathon of indulgence.
The sun was setting and the night life was beginning just as we were getting tired. We crawled our way up into Chiado, past Café A Brasileira, and down into the metro station. We found our way back to the apartment along the beautifully graffiti-ed city walls… beautiful near our apartment, not so beautiful all over the city. We sipped wine and fell asleep talking about the next day while watching bad comedy shows on the television.
Tomorrow: Lisbon Day 2 in Belem, Alfalma and Barrio Alto
vacation: a trip to portugal’s wine country
It wasn’t so long ago that I crafted a baby bucket list, ten things I really wanted to do before I decided it was time for Tom and I to get our Strickland family started. Not four or five months later did I decide to throw out the list (even though I’ve almost gotten through it), because Tom and I just wanted to get started that badly!! The biological clocks have gone off for both of us.
Unfortunately, or fortunately… I have not yet gotten pregnant, which means that I get to enjoy and indulge in the joys of Portuguese wine as we take what may be our last trip to Europe for quite a while. It’s a sad thing, but I had to make myself realize that the days of wine vacations might be ending. Pregnancy (plus breast feeding) means a major decrease in wine consumption for a year or more. And most wineries are not designed for entertaining infants and toddlers.
It’s been an amazing ride while it lasted. Tom and I saw the wonders of California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Next, we took a day trip out to the Long Island wineries while visiting New York City. Then there was the amazing trip in 2007, which we visited the Burgundy region of France, partied at the Fete de Beaujolais, and spent several days exploring Tuscany. And last year, we visited the Willamette Valley to try out Oregon’s famous Pinot Noirs.
So over the next few days, expect updates to this blog and my twitter stream, as regularly as I can deliver them. I will try and post up as much as I can about wine… since that is something I will very sadly miss once we actually succeed at what we’ve been trying to do since January 
my current top five portuguese wines
2004 Dona Maria Vinho Regional Alentejano
12/14/2008 rated 92 points: Smells dusty and woodsy with strong blackberries and spice (cloves?), like a fall mulled wine. Flavors are rich to match with a long finish. Amazingly fruit forward with black cherry and a tanginess that makes it a good match for food.
2005 CARM Douro Vinho Tinto Quinta do Côa
Available at Bella Vino Ann Arbor
1/1/2009 rated 90 points: Smells like dark bramble fruits and dust. Spice, dark ,rich and delicious with a sweet complex finish. Brings out the nutty characteristics in Portuguese cheese
2006 Vinhos Monte das Ânforas Vinho Regional Alentejano Vinho Tinto
2/5/2008 rated 90 points: Amazing for $8, tastes way more expensive. Fresh and bright like cherry candy with a subtle spice and a smooth finish that makes it gulpable. So many good offerings from Portugal in the lower price range, and this is a great example.
Barbeito Madeira Boal 10 Years Old
8/30/2008 rated 89 points: Tasty and not overly sweet, dry finish. Bitter orange peel and slight mocha. Thin and exploding with flavor. Excellent paired with chocolate plum pudding.
2004 Companhia Agricola do Sanguinhal Óbidos Quinta de S. Francisco
Available at Holiday Market Canton
9/19/2007 rated 88 points: Plum, ink, blackberry, black cherry, spices and acid. Great with food and very unique. Made with Castelao, Aragones, and Touriga Nacional.
RECENT WINES