Scenes from the Lisbon Oceanarium (A Blog Action Day 2010 post)

I took this video when I was in Portugal last year. It's a blood-curling thought that years from now, an oceanarium may be the closest thing we could ever get for an ocean.

Pigging out in Lisbon

One of the best stereotypes people have of Portugal is that it's a place for good eats. The short distance between land and sea makes Portuguese cuisine a showcase of flavors from the ocean. A typical Portuguese meal consists of potatoes (boiled or fried), a salad, and a main course of meat or fish, all served on a big plate, with an appetizer of olives, bread and butter. Being the foodie that I am, here's my gastronomic escapades in Lisbon, Portugal's capital city

Bacalhoeiro, Rua dos Sapateiros 224, Baixa. Getting here can be a bit of a chore since the minor street where the resto is at doesn't appear on the map and the people in the tourist booths do not even know where it is. Rua dos Sapateiros is the street immediately to the right of Rua Augusta when you're facing the sea. Once here, savor some of Portugal's most authentic dishes (I got grilled squid and bread soup -- Y.U.M.M.Y!). Locals eat here and the food is insanely cheap and delicious.

Casa da India, Rua do Loreto 49-51, Bairro Alto. Their barbecued chicken is a must-have! It's nice, plump, juicy and cheap. The area where the restaurant is at is a popular place for Lisbon's nightlife.

Clube do Fado, Rua de São João da Praça 95 (beside the Cathedral). A bit pricey, considering that you can have a binge for 9 euros, but it's worth it if you're into fado. Try their fish of the day.

My fado night in Lisbon

The last time I went to Europe, I was torn between going to Portugal and going to Italy. The decision was one that was difficult to make, since I both love (re: salivate over) the two countries.

In the end, I decided to go to Portugal, mainly because of food and music. This was when I had just discovered fado and wanted to listen to it in an honest-to-goodness fado house. So I googled for a fado house (travel guides recommend reserving beforehand) and found one very near my hostel, right next to the Sé of Lisbon, where I would stay for a couple of days.

Clube de Fado proved to be an exquisite choice that combined glorious music with nice food and ambience; for around 50 euros per person, I think it's an experience no tourist in Lisbon should miss.

HOSTEL REVIEW: Pensao Nova Sintra, Sintra, Portugal

OVERALL RATING: 5/5
DATE OF VISIT: November 6-8, 2009

PLUSES: It has to be said that this place is one of those few hotels and hostels that you book with a bit of uncertainty, but would turn out to be the best choice you've ever made for a long time. Words are not enough to cover how great Pensao Nova Sintra is: the entire place is so romantic and enchanting (it almost looks as if it has come out of a vintage postcard or an Audrey Hepburn movie!) that staying inside when you don't feel like going out, or sitting in one of the benches in its porch with a fabulous view of the mountains, is an experience in itself. Everyone in the staff, led by manager Rui Bernardo, has mastered the art of hospitality and will be more than glad to help you out even with your minutest concern (case in point: my phone charger got broken and Rui had another charger to spare). When you google it or look for it in the maps, the pensao's location may initially seem inconvenient for walking to tourist spots. But lo and behold, all of Sintra monuments are on top of the mountain and you wouldn't even want to walk to any! The public bus (was it 425?) that goes to all these monuments departs from the train station, a stone's throw away from this hostel. If you're up for some traditional Portuguese dishes, you may opt to dine in this hostel's restaurant that serves quality food in generous portions, or go a nearby churrasquería (a stand for roasting meat to go) and grab a few humongous slabs of beef or pork or chicken.

MINUSES: There is nothing to complain, but if I would really have to name one, it's probably the chore of doing the reservation. Since they didn't have any automatic reservation online, you have to e-mail or fax your credit card number to them.

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HOSTEL REVIEW: Smile Hostel, Lisbon, Portugal

OVERALL RATING: 4/5
DATE OF VISIT: November 4 to 5, 2009

PLUSES: The hostel is very home-y, a far-cry from the previous Lisboa hostel where I had stayed before. It's right next to the Sé, the city's cathedral, and very near the Castelo de San Jorge, Praca do Comercio and Praca do Rossio. You could also get Lisbon's mythical Tram 28, which goes around the main tourist spots of the historical center, at a stop near the hostel. The breakfast is nice and the fact that you could cook in the hostel's kitchen is an added bonus. Breakfast was okay.

MINUSES: The shared bathroom is small. In the men's room, for example, there two small shower rooms located right next to two toilets. The doors to the showers were also perpetually jammed. Ditto with the girls', I think. If ever you plan to take public transportation, locating the street, Travessa do Almada, will be tough because it's a minor road not located on any city map. The hostel has no sign whatsoever to indicate that you're there.

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Tudo isto é fado

Friends know that one of my biggest dreams is to ride a bike through the sunflower fields of Tuscany, Italy. Everyone shall be dressed in white, waving at me, while the song Santa Lucia is playing in the background...

...well, this was until this morning when I rediscovered the fado, the music most representative perhaps of Portugal, a moving proof of the Portuguese's intimate connection with melancholy and things forlorn, the proverbial saudades.


Here's the Queen of Fado herself, the great Amália Rodrigues, singing the anthemic Tudo isto é fado (All this is fado), a song I want to be played if and when I go back to Lisbon to eat sardines along Rua Augusta on one of my melancholy nights.

UPDATE (1 August 2009): We now dedicate this song to the memory of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, who has just died after months of battling colon cancer. Rest in peace and thank you!

Arches

Frequent readers of my blog know that I am fixated with heights. It is no wonder why I have lotsa pictures of domes, tall buildings and arches. Speaking of arches, I have here four of the many arches that I was able to see in Europe. Enjoy!

The arch on the Praça do Comércio (Lisboa, Portugal). This connects the Commerce Plaza to the Rúa Augusta, which in turn leads to the Praça do Rossío, the main square of Lisbon.

The Arc de Triomf (Barcelona, Spain). Built in 1888 by the Catalan architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, it stands on a long promenade that leads to the zoo of Barcelona.

The arch of the necropolis (Pompeii, Italy). Though the eruption of the Vesuvius wiped out all life in this ancient city in Southern Italy, it also preserved marvelous and monumental structures such as this opening to the cemetery.

The Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France). Probably the world's most famous arch. Being the novice that we were, my friend Archie and I didn't know how to go to the arch found in the center of the rotunda of the French capital. Don't ask how we did it but suffice to say that there were a lot of horns that blared.

IN PHOTOS: Lisbon, Portugal

I've written some time ago that Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal is a home away from home. The reason is simple: the Portuguese are a lot like Filipinos and one cannot help but remember quaintness of Manila when he strolls down the Lisbon's shore. It's one of those places where I've said to myself, "I wouldn't really mind living here."

Bird's eyeview

What would a bird hovering above Europe see?


He might see the grandeur of the Temple of Hephaestus in the city of Athens, Greece...


or the the charm of the Parisian nightlife in France.


He might see the hustle and bustle of the Praça Rossio in Lisbon, Portugal...


the tranquility of the Markt Square in Bruges, Belgium,


or the marvels of the Sevillian spires in Spain.

More views from the top

The best way to enjoy any scenery is to see it from the top. Although I have the fascination (obsession?) of whoring myself in pictures, I always make it a point to take a photo of the city I'm visiting from any tall building. Here are some of them:


Lisbon, Portugal from the Castelo de São Jorge. On top of the hill where Portugal's King Manuel I built a fortification to serve as the first line of the defense, tourists can now enjoy the breath-taking view of the city and the Tagus River.


Bruges, Belgium from the city belfry in Markt. The square below is that of the city hall in the Burg area. At the left-hand side of the city hall (hidden from the view) is the Basilica of the Holy Blood that houses what is supposedly the relic of the blood of Jesus.


Hydra, Greece from a ledge overlooking the Saronic Gulf. I just had to take a picture of the island from this perspective because of the cactus. I met some Mexicans during the cruise that left from Athens; obviously they're so fascinated with this spiny plant that grows abundantly in their country that they began to talk about how to prepare dishes with it!


Saragossa, Spain from the belfry of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pilar. The basilica dedicated to the Nuestra Señora del Pilar, patroness of all Hispanic countries, is itself amazing. The view from bell tower is superb as it captures the tall spires that towers over Zaragoza.


Rome, Italy from the Cupola of St. Peter's. Climbing this tallest building this side of the planet is perhaps an allegory of how the road to heaven will be. There's an elevator, yes, but the remaining steps and the manner by which you have to climb them are very challenging, to say the least.

Rocky royals

Now, for a very cheesy question: When you die, how would your epitaph read? How would you want those who would come to your burial remember you for? I think this was the question the following kings had in mind when their statues were erected:

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). This is his statue in the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, France. Until the end, he portrayed himself as an emperor, complete with the laurels, the scepter and the orb.


Manuel I of Portugal (1469-1521). It was during his time when Portugal "discovered" Brazil and the sea route to India. He is immortalized in this statue erected in the Castelo de São Jorge in Lisbon.

William the Silent (1533-1584). He is known in French as Guillaume le Taciturne. Judging from this statue in the Sablon area of Brussels, Belgium, he must've been a rather unapproachable guy.


Philip II of Spain (1527-1598). Or, as any Filipino might say, the king in whose honor the Philippines was named as such. During his reign, it is said the the sun never set in the Spanish Empire. Here's his sun-bathed statue in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid.

Magellan

Just got back from a tiring but enjoyable weekend in Barcelona, and I am terribly itching now to blog again. (Did anyone miss me?)

Most school children in the Philippines would most probably know who Magellan was. But one big misconception is that he's a Spaniard. He did work for the Spanish crown but Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) was Portuguese.

And this "re"-discoverer of the Philippines the people of Lisbon immortalized in the Padrão dos Descobrimentos along the banks of the Tagus.

Water, water everywhere!

The European summer is nearing its end, but not without its unpredictability. It was relatively colder last weekend with overcast skies in the morning and a storm toward the evening that ruined my plans on Saturday. But right now, everything is exasperatingly hot. I mean, Greece is burning as I write this entry! That pretty much sums up how hot the weather is today.

So to freshen us up a bit, here are some beautiful waterscapes from Europe.


Lisbon, Portugal. Nothing beats an early morning stroll along the Tagus River. It's nice to greet the sun while you sit on the banks of this river in the Portuguese capital and converse with the fisherfolk.


Majorca, Spain. If you have the means to avoid the city of Palma de Mallorca during the high season and look for an alternative getaway in the hidden places of this main island of the Baleares, then do so. Palma is a lively place, yes, but if you're after some R&R, well...


Hydra, Greece. Of all the islands in the Saronic Gulf, I liked Hydra the best. For some reason, I found it more accommodating and idyllic. Everyone was friendly and the view of the Gulf is simply captivating.


Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I forgot how this is named (King's Canal? Prince's Canal?) but it's one of the more attention-grabbing canals of the capital city of Holland.


Venice, Italy. I have blogged many times about this place simply because it's magical. These gondolas were crossing the canal just beneath the Rialto Bridge when I snapped them a photo.

Poetry in the outdoors

Poetic inspiration comes even to tourists, I believe. When one travels and sees sights so extraordinary that they pierce into his very core, his muse may not be far behind.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”
- Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
(Fatima, Portugal)

“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting…” - Walt Whitman, O Captain! My Captain!
(Antwerp, Belgium)

“But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:”
- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18
(Venice, Italy)

“Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits...” - John Keats, A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever
(Volendam, the Netherlands)

“The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,

The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.”
- Robert Herrick, To the Virgins to Make Much of Time
(Meteora, Greece)

Confessions of a ceiling addict (The international edition)

My obsession with ceilings has peppered many a post in this blog. I have previously blogged about ceilings in Madrid, Seville, Avila, Toledo and Majorca, all from Spain, but now I have realized I also do have pictures of ceilings from other European countries!


Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, ITALY. The most attention-grabbing ceiling of them all is probably that of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Upon entrance, tourists are greeted with a long hallway whose well-illuminated ceiling is adorned by classical painting of Renaissance masters. The ceiling of the chapel itself is a masterpiece of Michelangelo himself.


Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, FRANCE. Hovering over the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte is a golden dome that seemingly exalts the glory of this conqueror and self-proclaimed emperor.


Church of the Holy Apostles, Athens, GREECE. Most, if not all, Greek Orthodox churches have the image of Christ, called the Pantokrator, on the main dome of the nave. This church in the Roman Agora in Athens has retained its ancient Pantokrator despite the recent rennovation it has undertaken.


Cathedral of our Lady of Antwerp, BELGIUM. Although most tourists enter this cathedral to see the paintings of Peter Paul Reubens, the dome still mesmerizes. It depicts the coronation of the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.


Praça do Comércio, Lisbon, PORTUGAL. This is the ceiling of the big arch that towers over this seaside square of Lisbon. The arch itself is a dazzling architectural masterpiece.

HOSTEL REVIEW: Residencial Dom Jose, Lisbon, Portugal

OVERALL RATING: 3/5

DATE OF VISIT: October 5 to 6, 2006

PLUSES: Comfy beds, surprisingly spacious bathrooms and big bathtubs. The hostel itself is old but well maintained. About 3 minutes from the nearest subway stop. Located in a quiet zone of the city.

MINUSES: If you're on a very tight budget and want to scrimp on taking public transport, the hostel is a bit far from the beach and most monuments of Lisbon. And there's no elevator.

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A budget traveler’s guide to surviving LISBON, PORTUGAL

Lisbon is one of the last places a Flip would most likely visit when he goes to Europe, as this capital city of Portugal has not received the publicity it so richly deserves. But for anyone in search of an affordable European escapade, whether it be sunbathing by the sea, exploring a historical building or dancing in a crowded watering hole, Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese) is a very recommendable destination. And for someone who wonders how Manila would look like had it been a European city, this city is your answer.

Wanna visit Lisbon? Pack your bags and greet this very laid-back and hospitable Iberian city by the Atlantic Ocean with a lively “Bom dia!”

1. Prepare. Lisbon is a “walked” city. Although there is a subway that connects several tourist spots, it is not as complex as those of other big cities in Europe. To appreciate Lisbon is to know it while walking. There’s an uphill climb to reach Castelo de São Jorge or the Barrio Alto, so light and durable footwear is advised.

2. Savor. The city is the best destination in Europe for seafood lovers. While most European capitals would charge you an arm and a leg for fish the size of a small banana, Lisbon prides itself with its rich bounty from its waters at very economical rates. Do try bacalhao (codfish) cooked in any of its vast array of cooking methods in any of the restaurants around the Praça do Rossio, Lisbon’s main square. Lisbon is also famous for its pastries; the pastéis de Belém, custard pie topped with cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar, is a must-eat.

3. Look out. As I’ve said previously, there would be a part in your map that seems odd. It just means that you have to take the Elevador de Santa Justa to reach the archaeological site of the Convento do Carmo. You could go walking, but why anyone would want to miss out on a ride in the city elevator totally escapes me. The Portuguese speak very good English (better than, uhmm, their Iberian neighbors) so you don’t have to worry should you get lost. Speaking Spanish is also a big advantage, although -- of course -- if you speak Portuguese, you'd not have any problem.

4. Marvel. Lisbon’s most representative monuments are not within the city center. But don’t be lazy and not visit them for they are all sites to behold. In the Belém area, you’d have to see the Torre de Belém, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Flips should look for the statue of Magellan, Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese) and the famous Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a UNICEF heritage site and the burial place for two of the most distinguished Portuguese of all time, Vasco da Gama and Luís Vaz de Camões. Contrast this architectural opulence with that of the cathedral of Lisbon, called La Sé, and the city’s oldest and quaintest village known as Alfama.

5. Experience. Nightlife and art in Lisbon converge in the Praça do Comércio and along the Rua Augusta. In the morning, independent artists and painters line up this street of the Baixa Pombalina and offer the best of Portuguese art to tourists and kibitzers alike. In the evening, the streets are lit up with festive bulbs and garlands and people pass their time eating, drinking, socializing and feeling the sea breeze. For beach lovers, I highly recommend taking the metro to Cascais and Estoril, in the outskirts of the city. For more adventure, you could take the metro that passes through Estoril and Cascais and get off at the last stop. Take an urban bus to Cabo da Roca, continental Europe’s western-most point. Certificates are issued to those who have reached this point.

Marlon’s Lisbon route (1-2 days): Take a metro to the Belém area. Padrão dos Descobrimentos. Torre de Belém. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Metro back to the Cais do Sodré station. Praça do Comércio. Alfama. La Sé. Praça do Rossio. Walk or tram to Castelo de São Jorge. Walk or tram back to Praça do Rossio. Elevador de Santa Justa. Carmo. Or you could just skip all of these and go directly to Estoril or Cascais. Extra half-day at least for the Cabo da Roca trip.

Marlon’s budget tip. Codfish is generally cheaper than sardines. Depending on how hungry you are, you could opt to share a serving of batter-coated codfish fried (crispy on the outside and super moist in the inside, it’s heaven on a plate) and served with a very generous serving of garden-fresh salad and potatoes, or eat it up all by yourself. Another filling dish is the potato-and-fish ball... that is as big as a grapefruit.