Meu Deus...eu amo Lisboa! (My God..I love Lisbon!)

Let's get right to the heart of this blog: the food. Since last writing, I have continued on my quest to eat foods I hadn't dared try in the States. My brain is reeling trying to remember the stories that go with each of my gastronomic episodes.

First...the hell with dieting. I have never exercised so much in my life, but hey...it just ain't gonna happen. There is no way I am spending four months living without carbs, pork, pork fat, beer, wine and my pasteis de nata. Fine! As always, I needed to get the part about dieting out of the way. I obviously feel compelled to mention it in each and every blog. I did try very hard to take a break from my lovely pastries with custard cream. I threatened Steve with his life if he came into the house with yet another little white box filled with these incredible delights. But after two days without feeding my addiction, I looked at him with very forlorn eyes and he knowingly trudged to our favorite pasteleria to get me my drug of choice: NATAS!!!!!

Since I last wrote I have eaten the following and I consider them definite "firsts" for me:

• arraia grelhada (grilled stingray) It was YUMMY. Of course I don't have pictures because I always eat things and then remember to photograph the food after the fact. Oh well, believe me it was great. I didn't even know these things were edible, but I have a trusting nature when it comes to food, especially when I eat it at Chapitos!

• chocos grelhados (grilled cuttlefish.) I ate this today in a wonderful restaurant in Graça called O Piteu and at least remembered to photograph before inhaling! Tender and delicious, it was served in normal Portuguese style with a boiled potato and some salad. (Now I know where all those pet parakeets get their cuttle bones)

I have a box of natas in my hand for later. mmmm

grilled cuttlefish

I think cracas will be my next "first". For those NOT in the know....cracas means barnacles. You got that right...barnacles...those little things that cling to docks. (not snails!) I think they eat everything  you can think of here in Portugal..and I am here for the adventure!

Events in Rossio Square

Steve and I were walking through Rossio square one afternoon and saw two groups of students facing each other. One group of students wore bizarre foolish outfits and hats while the other group garbed themselves in all black. Each side would sing loudly to the other and this continued for days every afternoon. (It is still going on!) Anyway....we hadn't a clue and decided to investigate. Comes to find out this is called Praxis (the art of practice). It involves upper class students (those in black) hazing the incoming freshman in a kind of "joy to the freshman" ritual. It has quite an interesting history and I urge you to check out this ritual. Put your cursor over the word video  and click to see the movie I took.

the freshman

Portuguese Folklore Festival

Last weekend while sitting on our patio, the music from this very same square seemed louder than usual. Although I had sworn to Steve we needed rest and shouldn't go out again (stairs...help!!!) we couldn't resist finding out what we were missing. Trudging back down for our second or third time that day we discovered hundreds of people gathered in front of a stage with townsfolk in costumes singing and dancing to traditional folk music. They were dressed in clothing typical to a earlier era in Portuguese history and they all reminded me of the pictures I have of my grandparents when they lived in eastern Europe. The stage had singers and musicians of all ages. Put your cursor and click video to see and keep your eyes on the two little boys in the background. One is playing the accordion, the other a ukulele and I fell in love with both of those cuties. Here are also some pics:

 Planes and Trains and Things That Go.....TOO FAST!!!!!

On a daily basis I think of this Richard Scarry book. Transportation vehicles around where I live in Lisbon travel way too fast and is the only thing you will hear me complain about. (okay, so I have complained about the BAZILLION stairs, but nothing else.) But after almost being run down by a police vehicle yesterday, I decided to tell this story. I will begin with the sidewalks. There aren't any to speak of. At least not sidewalks that I can relate to. They are hundreds of years old, less than a foot wide and made of cobblestones (which are very slick by the way). Oddly enough they are slanted toward the street. My hips and butt are wider than these sidewalks. I used Steve for my model. His hips are smaller than mine. See...I kid you not! (about the sidewalk...not our hips!)

Steve (Mr. Wizard who knows EVERYTHING) tells me, they were designed  to help drain water. The curb is MAYBE one inch high so really, we aren't talking about any buffer between driver and pedestrian.  Of course, "way back when" they had no motor vehicles.

The problem:

Around where I live, there is an large amount of handicapped people on metal crutches. It makes me sad. Young and old limp around the city, some missing a particular limb. They hobble around these streets, and a great number are young folks.  Now we have handicapped people in the US, but I am definitely seeing more around the general area where we live. It appears glaring to me and I have been obsessively asking my Portuguese friends about it.  There doesn't seem to be any rules of the road in the smaller sections of Lisbon and with the very narrow streets and sidewalks, the fast cars, this just might be part of life. If were to live here permanently...I guess I would go in to the metal crutch business. I would be rich! The advice from my friends here is to walk very carefully...especially during the rainy season.

Random Thoughts:

• I finally bought a pair of sneakers and walked four hours in them my first day.  Mistake. I have a MASSIVE BLISTER!
• The other day it was drizzling. We were on the road. I started to slip and fell into a woman with my hands out. (for those Seinfeld experts...they were real, but not very spectacular!)
• oh yeah...Steve finally started teaching and lecturing He was great! His students keep apologizing for not knowing English very well. (a)they speak English beautifully and (b)Steve speaks Portuguese..NOT AT ALL! They all think he is wonderful!
• I made best friends with Mormon (that's his name)...owner of an Indian restaurant. He is getting me my much sought after copper bowls!!! THANK YOU MORMON.
• and lastly....I am never going home. I will sit forever at the miradour in Graca, gaze at my lovely castle and sip my bica. Ohhh...life is sooooo good! Adeus meus amigas!

...and kilometers to go before I sleep!

I want to rest, but the streets of Lisbon call out to me. It may be in the pan flute and drums that sing it's same tune each night outside our window. It may be as simple as sitting on my patio and listening to the church bells reminding me that the hours are passing all too quickly. I adore all of Lisbon; its people, its culture, its winding streets and alley ways that hold inconceivable surprises at every turn. It is difficult NOT to go out in the evening. There is an abundance to see and you miss out  if you don't venture on to the cobblestone streets.

enjoying a night on the town

this group gathers each night and plays the same tune for hours

 On one particular night we wandered with out friends Ron and Linda through the lighted alleys lined with chairs and tables for hungry tourists and locals. Calçada do Duque is a street made of hundreds of stairs, dotted with an array of traditional Portuguese restaurants that cater mostly to tourists. Look carefully at the daytime view to see my wonderful Castelo de São Jorge in the background. It is always a comforting site although I usually groan loudly at the thought of my walk home. My knees are quickly failing me and are my constant reminder I am getting old!

Calçada do Duque in daylight

Calçada do Duque at night

We made a stop at one of our favorite bars that I spoke about in an earlier blog....the bar with the pornographic wall paper. (I love this place!) The name of the establishment is Maria Caxuxa, a former bakery turned trendy bar located in the Bairro Alto district. The waitress there told me that the posters are changed monthly, but when we returned pornography reigned! WARNING: Following picture is not for children!

a very cool bar

A few days later, we were walking home one evening about 9:00. In a dark alley near our flat there is an empty lot and that night (and every Monday night) people gather with chairs to watch movies projected on the blank cement wall. After researching, we discovered that this occurs in the Largo do Achada across from the Casa da Achada. Different than a drive-in movie (whose time in the states has long passed), there are no cars or concession stands with coca cola, candy and popcorn. Folding chairs, interested people and the movie make this scene. On this evening we were fortunate to see Al-mummia (the Mummy), a 1969 Egyptian film with English subtitles. Although not the same familiar movie shown in the states, this won acclaim at the Cannes foreign film festival. We eagerly wait for next Monday night's film. From what we gathered, there is no admission fee!

locals gather to watch the film

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Food...how can I write another word without mentioning my main obsession???

I will first tell you that Stephen, just through walking, has lost weight. I see his face and belly shrinking by the day. Now, I have read countless articles regarding women of my age and weight loss. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE WEIGHT IF YOU ARE A WOMAN OVER 55 UNLESS YOU PAIR DIETING WITH EXERCISE. Blah, blah blah! This appears to be UNFORTUNATELY TRUE!!!! I tried on my jeans today (which were already a tad too snug.) Well, they are STILL a tad too snug. For some reason this makes me HATE men and I have been grumpy toward Steve all day. Seriously, men can give up one breadstick a day and lose 10 pounds. Isn't childbirth, sagging breasts and wrinkles enough.....do we have to continue to suffer????

Enough! Let's get back to the food. 

I have a new love! Having gone past my obsession with roasted suckling pig (leitão assado), and cod (bacalhau) I was enticed by my "friend" Isabelle (waitress and manager) at Chapitos to try grilled octopus. (polvo grelhado).
                               

 

Chapitos is a small circus school and restaurant near our flat. It is a very interesting place with great food and a lovely view. (The circus school starts up again soon and we plan on seeing the shows). The entrance to this restaurant is a small pathway leading into gardens and a view of Alfama and the Tagus River. When you first enter you will find Claudia, a beautiful girl who sells enamel jewelry (both necklaces and earrings) made by her two girlfriends. Claudia and I know each other well. I have bought countless pieces...each distinctive and beautiful. I keep thinking they will make wonderful presents...but I would never know which of the pieces to part with.

some of the pieces I have bought

Never would I have tried octopus, but believe me, this is even better than lobster. (I swear!) I know that some of you are thinking...tentacles???...suckers???...NOT FOR ME! And truthfully, the first couple of times eating this, I did not look at the food. It is not pretty. But, the taste is overwhelmingly yummy and these poor ugly creatures deserve something positive to say about them. I won't be trying this at any other restaurant.  My thoughts....why mess with perfection? I am determined to try and make this before I leave, but there are tricks to cooking it....and I still need to learn. Perhaps there is a cooking class out there to show me how to tackle this creature. Eating this has become an addiction and if Steve would allow, I would go to Chapitos DAILY to eat this very rich gastronomic delicacy laden with olive oil. (no wonder the jeans are still snug!)

We have also been eating ALOT of Indian food. This was partly due to my friend Linda loving this cuisine and avoiding at all costs meat and octopus (although she DID try  piece with her eyes closed and a horrific expression on her face). Anyway, she is a vegetarian so we frequented this wonderful restaurant in Largo do Carmo, a beautiful tree lined square with tables situated under shady trees.  They serve their food in these great copper serving dishes called Sidgis, which I am hoping to find when I return to Tempe. They are wonderful and will be a great way to serve food to my guests when they come for dinner.

chicken korma served in a sidgi

And finally, yesterday Steve had a meeting with the director and staff from the Fulbright organization. Although this past month he has not had any major commitments, he has spent his time learning about Lisbon and meeting with staff at the university as well as the Lisbon census bureau. He is preparing his classes (which start at the end of September) as well as a number of lectures and workshops he will be conducting around the country. He has also been having one hell of a time just hanging out, drinking different ports and wandering the streets with me. Not a bad gig! Check out his blog at: http://stevedoig.com/

The staff at the Fulbright office have been incredibly gracious and kind to us. Without them we would never feel as welcome and comfortable in a country we knew little about. Like I've said...I am happy to reap the benefits and I am loving every bit of this piece of heaven.     

Carla, Otilia, Steve and Paula at the Fulbright office. They are GREAT!

For now, Adeus my friends! Oh yeah...and Ciao from my buddy here:

outside our window

****thanks to Ron who took some of the pics I will be showing. He is a wonderful photographer!

Ellie's Big Adventure

I knew this day was coming, the day when I would have to venture out  alone. I was determined to return to Cascais or Estoril so that I could sit on the beach and enjoy the sun and ocean breeze. I'm a sun-worshiper, unlike Steve, so he sent me off to take buses and trains all by my lonesome. His words: "You're a big girl now, you can do it!!"

this is my love...taking me on my practice trip!

Let's talk bathing suits.
The first time that Steve and I explored the beach I was amazed. Among the young girls with beautiful bodies, there were DOZENS of women my age in two- piece bathing suits and bikinis. There is no way to say this delicately…these were very large women in two- piece bathing suits. They strolled along the beach and boardwalks without cover-ups feeling no shame. And…NO ONE stared with judgment in their faces. Just think of the freedom from NOT CARING! Gee, just like in the U.S. (Not quite!!!)

hopefully these unsuspecting women will not read this blog

I thought..should I?? Could I??? My darling, wonderful husband (this is the "love" part of living in Portugal) told me he loved my body and yes, I should also buy a two piece bathing suit. I figured..who would see me??? Why not?? Fortunately for me and for my readers, there are no pictures of this. (My US friends most definitely would have been judgmental! Besides, there is enough to laugh at just seeing me eat all the food here!) So yes, now I am one of these glorious women who say the hell with all those anorexic models and hooray to all those Rubenesque women of the past! The beach in Estoril was wonderful and although the water was way too cold to take a dip, I have a very brown belly and I feel great!                                         

castle on Tamariz Beach

a very crowded beach in the mornings

 Many people went in to the cold Atlantic, but having lived in Florida for 25 years and in Arizona for 15 years, I did not feel brave enough to even get my toes wet. Swimming in my warm pool is one of the things I miss about home. Still, it is a small thing to give up!






 It's all about friends!

On September 7th, our friends Ron and Linda Felton arrived. They are our first guests. Ron and Linda are now expats living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, so they were the perfect "first guests" as they are experts at exploring new places.

Ron and Linda

For the past six days we have explored nearly every neighborhood surrounding our flat, but on their first day we headed by train to Sintra to see the sights. After getting our first bica of the day we took the bus to the Castelo dos Mouros, a Moorish castle built between the 9th and 10th centuries. First, I AM PETRIFIED OF HEIGHTS, so the walk up was both scary (thank you little Linda for helping me) and exhausting! (This time I didn't count the steps because I was concentrating on BREATHING!)

HELP!!!!!!!! Don't leave me!!!!

Sometime in the 1100's this Moorish castle was under attack by some crusading Norwegians and every one of the Moors was killed because they refused to convert to Christianity. Geesh, personally I don't know how the heck they could even get up to the castle. The Moors had to be asleep at their lookouts or else very dimwitted.

Pena Palace

After catching our breath we headed off to the Pena National Palace , a beautiful romantic building that sits at the highest point of Sintra. I think my six- year old granddaughter, Lexie, dreams about living in such a place.  No matter where your eye travels you will see architectural wonders and surprises both inside and out. (Although I am posting pictures and talking little about the history, you need only to put your cursor over the underlined words in the blog to find its history.)

call a real estate agent, Linda. I'm moving in!

The Gargoyle

Beautiful tiles, azulejos, line both walls and ceilings of this magnificent building. It is surprising, warm and bright throughout, and I easily pictured myself living here. Why aren't I????

I want to entertain in this room!

It was the end of a very long and hot day and it has become routine to just collapse with exhaustion and nap for a good hour. Oh wait, my friend Ron says he never naps so I snuck up on him to capture this "once in a lifetime" snooze.

zzzzzzzzzz

There is SO much more to write about and I plan on playing catch up throughout the week, but for now, I have given up my own nap to write this. Below are a few more pictures of our week and by the end of the week I should have an album to post. For now, thanks for reading and adeus!

outside Castelo Sao Jorge

drinking Ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur)

the lovebirds at the Castelo Sao Jorge

Best friends

Linda at one of Lisbon's many wonderful markets

A VERY important man with his girls!

Can't live without my Starbucks!

Friends. Different but SO much alike!

ADEUS FOR REAL!

Touring Belém

I woke up this morning stating the following to Steve: "THIS WILL BE A DAY OF DIETING!"

Now, I have been married for 37 years….or is it 38? Who knows? What is for certain is it has been long enough for  Steve to know me well. So having heard this comment many times before, he just laughed.

My intentions were good, but we decided to take off for Belém, the last of the surrounding neighborhoods we hadn't yet explored. Unfortunately for my well intention dieting comment, Belém is also the home of Café Pastéis de Belém. I know I have already spoken of these treats, but it is worthy of further discussion.

The first sound you hear is the "crunch" as patrons sit at their tables and take their first bite. The creamy custard nestles snugly inside a delicious buttery, flaky, crisp pastry (hence, the crunch) which I believe to be filo dough. (some, at other pastry shops I am told, are made with puff pastry.) Whichever doesn't matter. As both our friends Antonio and Carla correctly told us, Belém was THE place to experience these treats. I can never have another from anywhere else.

The Hunk

A long line of people wait inside and outside for their turn to purchase these pastries. We were told we could sit at a table for lunch, but in order to take home the pastries, we would need to wait in the ever growing line outside. I, however, became BEST FRIENDS with my waiter Robert, the most gorgeous hunk in all of Lisbon!  Robert spoke flawless English, learned, he said, from watching lots of TV.  (There are many TV shows from the US and they are not dubbed. Movies as well. Instead they use Portuguese subtitles.) Anyway, we did become friends and he made us promise to find him if we needed anything in Lisbon. hmmmmm..I have to think about that one!

Robert took this shot in their kitchen for me

On an average weekday over 12,000 of these custard tarts (20,000 on the weekend) are sold. Served warm (although Steve and I have NO problem eating them straight from our fridge) with a sprinkling of cinnamon and powdered sugar, they are truly better than any found in other pastelerias.  Only two or  three people know  the Belém secret recipe. The custard tart is believed to to have been created before the 18th century by nuns at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos as a way to earn money. They must have succeeded because the monastery is incredibly beautiful, one of the most architecturally spectacular buildings in all of Lisbon.

In the late 1400's King Manuel I (1495–1521)was granted permission from the Pope to build a great monastery in thanks to the Virgin Mary for Vasco de Gama's successful voyage to India. His tomb is in this monastery.

There is lots to see in Belem and we only skimmed the surface. Next week our friends Ron and Linda will arrive. Then we will further explore this culturally rich city situated on the River Tagus at the point where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, the place where Portuguese adventurers set sail to explore the unknown. We will return to see the Monument to the Discoveries and both the Coach Museum and the Electricity Museum. But more about those later.

Every day is a new adventure and truthfully, at about 4pm every day, our eyes seem to close for a good hour nap. For those who know us well, eating at 8:00 staying up until midnight is a new experience, yet we are fitting in more and more each day. We did manage to walk into the Bairro Alto neighborhood at night, find a quiet bar (that by the way had wallpaper depicting naked couples in a variety of sexual positions) and listen to wonderful old 40's jazz music. Later on in the evening they switched to 50's rock. We felt at home! Can't tell you why they have that particular wallpaper. really....it wasn't a sex club.

One last thing before I sign off. Unlike my condo at Hayden Ferry Lakeside, the condo association here DOES allow laundry to hang from your back patio. I wonder if our home owner's association would reconsider. Hmmmm...have to bring it up at the next board meeting :)

Adeus,
Ellyn