Discovering the less well-trodden paths of Lisbon

Following the excitement of yesterday, and our adventures at summoning the ghosts of Lisboners past to our rescue, we decided for a more traditionally touristic day today. The boat was showing severe signs of overcrowding (we’d opened the suitcase) and we had rapidly understood the problems with leaving anything out to air (clothes were wetter afterwards). The best thing, we all agreed, was to leave the boat altogether (which required a complicated movement down onto a small, unstable pier) and pretend we didn’t live there.

After a succession of small coffees at the Belém Kebab & Pizzeria on rua dos Jerónimos, which I can wholeheartedly recommend should you be in the neighbourhood and fancy strong coffee and simple food at a very good price, I realized we had better get downtown quickly or we’d be swamped by tourists. Other tourists, that is, not nice tourists like us.
 
We caught the tram into Praça do Comércio and immediately stopped in our tracks. We’d travelled along its edges a couple of times on our way up to Castelo de Sao Jorge and its now infamous Torre da Igreja, and had made the relevant mental note to return. I’m glad we did. I mean, wow. I’ve been to a few monumental squares in my time, but this was on another level. It was completely rebuilt and redesigned after the 1755 earthquake and tsunami, and it shows the Portuguese confidence of the age. In the middle, facing the Tagus, is a massive bronze statue of King José I, although the antipathy for kings was more notably shown in 1908, when Carlos I was dispatched by an errant revolutionary. But it was the cloistered arches that you notice: the space is alive, not just ornamental. (There is even the Sexiest WC on Earth, which provides visitors with the opportunity to spend 4€ to have the chance of a pee in “a unique atmosphere of comfort, joy and wellbeing”.)
 
Anyway, as I said, the place was alive. There were musicians and sculptors, including an excellent sand sculptor down by the water. Ottawacker Jr. took the opportunity to get his feet wet (see extra), and we sat around and admired the place for quite a while. We then decided to renew our Lisbon day passes (they last for 24 hours, not just the calendar day) and caught the metro to the Restauradores area, which was also spectacular. Having declined the opportunity to buy myself a Gucci handbag and Cartier earrings, I felt the need to get rid of some of the coffee I had been drinking. There was a market in the middle of the boulevard, which is usually an indicator of some sort of public convenience, so we had a look around without success, before realising that the best solution might be to go for a coffee in a vastly overpriced coffee shop, and go there. Despite the prices, it still worked out cheaper than going to the Sexiest WC on Earth. More walking, then lunch.
 
By this time, I was getting a little pissed off at the number of tourists, so we decided to wander off the beaten track. We got the funicular up to Bairro Alto, although I suppose it was more of a tramline than funicular. And then we wandered back a couple of side streets, and started to explore. As busy as Restauradores had been, these streets were empty. And, by empty, I mean deserted. I was beginning to feel we might have wandered into the middle of a police operation, when we came to the rua Diário de Notícias, and were accosted by one of those helpful people lurking on street corners to tell you the large menu signs on the walls you were passing were actually an indication of a there being a restaurant nearby, and it would be a good opportunity to eat. I normally run a mile from any place that needs to point this out to me, but the poor bloke looked so desperate, and the tables on the street so empty, that we took pity, and decided to give the Sabor do Bairro a go.
 
Thank God we did. It was one of the best meals of the trip. The food in Belém had been relatively hopeless, and we really didn’t have high hopes for the Sabor do Barro. So, we attacked with caution. At least to start with. After the starter and the size of the aperitif, we were hooked. I had the picanha, and the flavour and tenderness were exceptional. Mrs. Ottawacker’s omelette was light and fluffy… so we stayed on some more, drinking wine and coffees, until I noticed that the restaurant had filled up and they might need our table again. We left an ample tip, and the whole bill was still under 50€.
 
After walking through more back streets, some of which were definitely off the beaten tourist track, we realised that the streets were filling very rapidly with football fans. Having failed to get tickets for the match, I’d completely forgotten that Benfica were playing Porto that evening; we figured it was probably best to head back to Belém while the trams were still relatively free, and went to visit the Torre de Belém on our way back to the dock.

More wandering, dinner in a rather poor pizzeria. Then back to the boat, where we packed, showered and played cards. We didn’t actually do it on the boat, of course, there wasn’t room. And it would have been a complete travesty to sleep well on this, our last night in Lisbon.