Two days in Lisbon

After the cruise (besides the day it took to drive down), we planned to spend three extra days in Lisbon. Each day had one major planned event or tour, and the rest of the day was spent either seeing sights or nursing a cold. I have decided that since we were in Lisbon before (if you missed it, just search Lisbon) last December, I didn’t need to take as many photos. With daylight savings time here in Portugal still in effect until Sunday morning, taking an “early morning, pre-dawn photo walk meant missing breakfast and being late for a tour.

Before I get into what we did, I want to say a couple of things about the hotel we are staying in: the Hotel Portugal. We stayed here last December and really loved it. I can honestly say that after four nights here this time, I don’t think I would come back. The first time we were here, we had their basic room, and it was on the first floor (the lobby is on floor zero, as in most European countries). This time, we are on the third floor but at the very end of the hotel. This is an upgraded room. A little bigger and nicer. The only problem is that this hotel sits on top of the subway. So, about every 15 minutes, a train runs under it. In the first-floor room, we were in the center of the hotel, and we barely felt the train. In this room, at the end of the hotel, even in a third-floor room, we are truly feeling it. You would think a 737 was taking off next door every time a subway train runs by. They have also changed their superb (and included) breakfast from a table service to a buffet. I liked the old way better. I can still recommend this hotel, but they should have a warning on the rooms at the end that the noise would be much louder. By the third night, we had gotten used to it, but it was still a pain. Right now (I am writing this at 5:00 a.m.) no cars. They don’t start until around 6:00.

Day one—Lunch at TimeOut Market and a Fado Show

Our only plans for our first full day in Lisbon were to have a late lunch at the TimeOut Market and to attend a Fado show that night. In case you weren’t around for our first Lisbon trip, Fado is the national music of Portugal. Think of it as historical blues performed by two guitars and a singer. When we were here in December, we did a show that did not turn out well because of circumstances we weren’t prepared for. This time, we thought if everyone else wanted to try a show, we knew how to work it this time.

First, you have a big and late lunch. Because a Fado show is a dinner show, you will not even get in until 8:00 p.m., and by the time they take your order, get you wine and bring the appetizers, it will be close to 9:00. In December, we had done lunch at noon, and by the time the food came we were starving. Also, we didn’t plan well on our previous trip because we had done it our last night in Lisbon when we were flying out early the next morning, so we spent the entire show looking at our watches and finally cut out early as we had to be up to go to the airport a few hours later. This time, we went on a night when we didn’t have anything to do the next morning until our food tour at 11:00 a.m. (more about that later) so we could sleep in. We tried a different Fado Show at a place called A Severa. It was better than the other place but not by much. The service was better, but you are really paying for the show (which is free, but you must buy at least $45 of food and drink per person). The performances were good. You got your appetizers; they sang four songs. You got your entrées, they sang four songs. You got your dessert, and they sang four more. We made it through the entrée group before we had to bail because two of our party had those nasty colds and needed rest and to stop coughing. But it was just fine. It’s the kind of thing you need to experience once when you are here. So if you come, I can recommend this place.

But I forgot to tell you about lunch. We decided to go for a 2:00 p.m. lunch at the TimeOut Market. Think of this market as a HUGE mall food court. Restaurant booths with all kinds of food are all around a gigantic room with tables in the middle. Sounds great, right? Well, not so much at 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. After Ubering over in two cars, we walked all the way around the perimeter of the room and found not a single place to sit for anyone, let alone six people together. The entire place was packed. You could barely move. We bailed. Crowds are no longer our thing. No food was worth fighting that. But the lunch gods were with us. I looked on Google Maps for a restaurant nearby, and it showed me a Lebanese restaurant called Mankooche. We all love Lebanese food, so I said I would go and scout it out while the others waited.

The only problem was I couldn’t find the restaurant. I walked back and forth on the street where it should have been, and Google Maps kept telling me, “You have arrived,” but I hadn’t. I could not find it. Finally, I walked a whole block past where Google Maps said it was, and when I returned to meet up with the group, I saw a small signboard with an arrow that said, “Secret Lebanese restaurant through this door.” Really. So we went in, and the food, service and ambiance were perfect. Just incredible. One of our best lunches of the trip. So, if you come to Lisbon and get knocked out of the TimeOut Market due to the crowds, this is the place you want. Hard to find but amazing. Here are some pics I took during that day. Captions will explain. No phones, please.

Day 2—A food tour with Fred

The one thing we couldn’t wait to do when we came back to Lisbon was to do another food tour with Fred from Eating Europe. We had done a different tour with Fred last December (he is a little scruffier now), and we had LOVED IT! So, we wanted to take the rest of our group on a tour to have a chance to experience Fred. His real name is Frederico, and by day, he is a humble food tour guide who has a vast knowledge of Lisbon and true culinary expertise. However, his real secret is that at night, he works as a stand-up comic. This means that besides great food and great info, you get hilarious laughs. I could tell you a lot more, but why bother? This is a MUST-DO if you come to Lisbon. Contact Eating Europe, choose any of their tours and specify that you HAVE TO TOUR WITH FRED! You will not regret it. That’s all I need to say. The food was great and included five stops for some of the best food we have had on the trip. Most voted at the end for the grilled chorizo at the first place we visited as their favorite food, not counting the pastries we had as dessert to finish the tour. But forget the food—this tour is about the amazing Fred, who loves food and his city.

That covers our first and second days in Lisbon (except I forgot to mention that Kathleen missed Fred because her cold was so bad ?). Our third and last day will be in the next post because we visited the amazing Pena Palace in Sintra, and I have a BUNCH of photos. Stay tuned. We are off to London for the first leg of our trip home and I will probably get that one done tonight.

Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.   —Sid Caesar