The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Lisbon, Portugal

Arriving in the evening in Lisbon, we took a taxi to the Principe Real district for an overnight stay at a hotel and then transferred to our Airbnb apartment the following day. Once again, we had scheduled a walking tour. We met our guide, Ana, at Largo de Camões. The large square features a bronze statue of Portugal’s greatest poet, Luis de Camões, surrounded by statues of 8 other Portuguese literature greats. We soon headed off with a group of 20 other tourists, representing a diversity of cultures, from Russia to Macau, Bulgaria to India. One of the recurring themes of Ana’s talk was the economic situation in Portugal and the strong positive impact of tourism over the past few years. Of course, there is a negative side as well. While the tourist industry has provided tens of thousands of jobs, the

Overview of Alfama district with Castelo de São Jorge

minimum wage is only 700 euros a month, and the least expensive apartment in Lisbon is around 650 euros a month, with price inflation caused by tourism.

Most of Lisbon was devastated in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which took place in 1755. The Alfama district was the one surviving area, many buildings in this neighborhood date back to the Middle Ages. While the area is a tourist attraction itself, the gentrifications of Alfama has begun. Wealthy investors are purchasing blocks of dilapidated old buildings and are renovating the structures into expensive apartments. The labyrinth of streets, however, still survive along with countless little shops and restaurants.

This is a challenging/exhausting city to explore. Leaving our apartment each morning we had to climb up a hill and then about 75 steps, just to get to a street-level where we could take advantage of the city’s transit system. Purchasing a Lisbon City Pass provided entry to a number of museums and other points of interest, but we appreciated it most for the city transport included in the ticket. All buses, trams, metro, and trains were covered. Even with the City Card, climbing up and down hills and stairs is an inevitable part of exploring this city.

Since the country is bordered to the west by the Atlantic, seafood is a major part of the diet,

and we enjoyed fresh seafood nightly. Grilled octopus, sea bass, and sardines were favorites. Bacalhau, dried salted cod, is another popular ingredient that was found on the menu of almost every restaurant we visited. Introduced into their diet in the 14th century, the commodity was used on their Naval vessels starting in 1497 as a protein source that would stay good for months and could be replenished when they traveled in the cold waters far to the north. No cod is caught near Portugal. If you order any cod dish in the country, it will be the salted variety which is soaked for at least 24 hours to remove/lessen the salt content prior to its use in a recipe. It was not a favorite for Alan, but I enjoyed it prepared several different ways.

Portugal is also known for its wines, and we discovered their “green” wine, which is young and slightly effervescent. It can be white, rose, or red but never green, green is a reference to its age (or lack of age, more precisely). A favorite new cocktail became a Porto Tónico, a dry white port, tonic water and a sliver of lime, perfect for a warm summer evening.

Countless cafes and pasteralias (pastry shops) are found along the streets. Especially crowded first thing in the morning, these cafes offer a variety of pastries, bread, and simple sandwiches. Pastéis de Nata is a custard tart first formulated by monks in the 18th century as a way to use up the many egg yolks they had leftover after using egg whites as starch for their clerical habits and other items. It is the national pastry of choice. Alan

had multiple opportunities to try different bakery's renditions, he enjoyed them all.

The city’s beautiful ceramic tiles, known as Azulejos, were first used in the country in the early 1500s. The story goes that King Manuel saw the tiles on a visit to Seville and ordered their installation in the palace in nearby Sintra. Their use became ubiquitous throughout the country. The tiles decorate the interior and exteriors of churches and palaces, homes, and fountains.

Continuing our stay in Lisbon, we explored nearby Sintra and Belém over the following days.