Well, the line was short and the critics were right.  The custard tarts at Pastéis de Belem are the best.  You can taste the egg in the custard – unlike others.  Also the crust was thinner (no preference) and crispier.  Bonus:  They slip them into a cardboard sleeve and then into a nice carrying bag (above).  THEN they toss in a packet each of cinnamon and powdered sugar to sprinkle on top.  Dave & I took ours just down the street and propped up a building while we wolfed them down – warm.  They could become addicting.

This is the scene inside.  The 2 ladies behind the counter take your order and money, and give you a receipt.  You then proceed to your left and queue up for one of the gentlemen to fill your order.  A lively, friendly place.  There is also sit-down service, and their website shows the other products they make.  Life is good –  Laura

Undisputed king of pastries in Portugal is the Pastéis de nata – basically an egg custard tart dreamt up by Catholic monks.  So the story goes (there’s always a story!):

..” the 1820 revolution forced all of the country’s convents to close and by 1833 the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos ( a huge monastery – separate posting)  was closed down too.  Desperate to find a way to earn a living, the monks began to bake and sell the pastries out of the monastery to travelers. Why custard? Well at the time Portugal  was one of the biggest egg producers in Europe. The whites were used for things like wine purification (port wine, which comes from Portugal) and starching clothes. The leftover yokes were perfect for making custard.  A sugar cane refinery right beside the monastery sealed the deal.

The pastries sold by the monks quickly became known as Pastéis de Belém, and in 1837 the shop opened up next to the monastery was dedicated to baking up the sweet treat. Just about every café in Portugal serves a similar egg tart –– but only the Pastéis de Belém café makes the dessert using the original recipe which has been kept secret and passed down from generation to generation.”

That shop is in the photo above – under the blue awning.  It’s not far from where we’re staying and there is always a line.  We’ve had several of these yummy tarts but, not one to follow the crowd 🙂 we haven’t queued up to try theirs.  We will before our visit is over because everyone notes they are so much better.  Will see!

Not the only sweet in town,  these were spotted just before Easter.

These windows scream out on every block! Yes – those are eggs baked into those sweet rolls.

Also typical are meats (specialty salamis and hams) baked into bread/pastry dough – below.You can’t beat their chocolate cake!  This was at Landau Chocolate shop, reviewed to have the best chocolate cake in town.  It’s very rich, with a cocoa dusting over a mousse layer.  I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5.   I’d like more cake and less mousse.

We were in their shop on the right in this website – http://landeau.pt/

Thankfully the walking we’re doing has balanced out the extra sweets we’ve been ‘testing’.  I’ve yet to find a winning cookie, but I will persist.  – Laura

The Portuguese rooster, or “Galo de Barcelos”, is the Portuguese symbol of honesty, integrity, trust and honor, as well as the  unofficial symbol of the country.   It is in every tourist shop, in every form – from aprons and table clothes to bottle stoppers and trivets.

This one didn’t have a price tag on it 🙂

THE STORY BEHIND THE ROOSTER:

The most common version involves a crime that occurred in the town of Barcelos.  A pilgrim from Galicia was passing through the town on his way to São Tiago de Compostela in Spain and was accused of the crime.  The man didn’t have way to prove his innocence and was condemned to death by a local judge.   As a last request, the pilgrim asked to appear in front of the judge one more time to declare his innocence.  His request was granted and he was brought before the judge who was dining with some friends.  The pilgrim again declared his innocence and pointed to a roasted rooster on the table and said: “As sure as I’m innocent, so will that rooster crow!”

The judge didn’t believe him (of course) and ordered his immediate execution. But when the man was about to die in the gibbet the dead rooster stood up on the table and crowed.  Happy ending – he was set free and went on his way.   For this we get to see roosters – everywhere! – Laura

Lisbon is on the Tejo River, about 6 miles up stream from where it empties into the Atlantic.  Two bridges span the river at Lisbon.   The one right downtown (1/2 mile long) was built in  1966 and originally named for the then-dictator Salazar.  It was renamed Ponte 25 De Abril (Bridge of April 25) when the revolution of that date in 1974 overthrew the dictator and democracy was once again restored to Portugal.

Kind of odd (to me) is that upriver from the bridge the river gets very wide.  The second bridge is nine miles up stream from the 25 de Abril bridge, on the NE edge of the city.  Named Vasco Da Gama Bridge, it was finished in March 1998 just in time for Expo 98 in Lisbon.  This  World’s Fair celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the sea route from Europe to India by Vasco Da Gama.  The bridge is 10.7 miles, making it the longest in Europe.

On our Hop-on-hop-off day we explored the Expo 98 site.  Lots of cool buildings still being used for events and such.  Not sure if this tram was in use then or not.  Bridge spans in the background.

Certainly an eye catcher is the building below,  designed to be the centerpiece of the festival and grand entrance to the fairgrounds.  It took me two photos to capture the building, so this ‘borrowed’ one gives a much better visual.

The designer’s intent was to frame the river with an enclosed and column-free space. Two ginormous piers support the enormous canopy, which spans an area of 230 x 164 feet, and is just shy of 8″ thick.  It looks impossibly light and weightless.  The concrete sheet stops just before the wall, revealing the thin cables that connect the canopy to its supports.

Here are my two, pieced together.  Note the band playing on top of the right hand tower.  Professional lighting suggested video filming.

Their personal elevator 🙂

The Expo mascot (below)  was conceived by the Portuguese painter António Modesto and sculptor Artur Moreira.  Selected from 309 entries, it was named Gil after Portuguese navigator Gil  Eanes.

Whew!  If you’ve read through all of these facts & figures, you’re a trooper!  Thanks for following along with us.  Laura

A little tardy with the posts, aren’t I!

Ah, Lisbon!   The capital of Portugal, population around 560k, with the surrounding area adding up to about 2.8million – 27% of the country’s population.  One of the oldest cities in the world and the oldest in western Europe, predating London, Paris and Rome by centuries.  So, there is a lot of history here, along with castles, forts, palaces, museums, and… bakeries:-)  I’ll do my best to give you our take on this beautiful city.

Compared to Madrid – the only other large city we’ve visited this trip, Lisbon has a much more relaxed and friendlier feel to it.   Madrid just has more tension.  And even though it is a big city, Lisbon doesn’t feel overwhelming.  It’s easy to navigate, and we don’t feel awkward standing on a street corner pouring over a map.  Odds are you aren’t alone – there seem to be a lot of tourists in town.  Don’t know if this is a typical crowd, or because it’s spring/Easter break.

Tour book advice to leave to the car at home and use public transportation and/or walk is right on.  What follows are some of the different ways to get around town.

See?  Checking out the map.  Note the trees in bloom.

Electric Trams!  Some of the oldies are still in service, and always seemed crammed.  Portugal is built on 7 hills, and I hear these are perfect for steep climbs.  We’ve seen them navigate tight corners where busses and the newer, longer trams (next photo) likely couldn’t make it.  We have one (the #18) about 3 blocks from our house – haven’t used it yet.

Rentals: We’ve seen  bikes with electric ‘boost’ motors, and these
“Go cars”.

Bring a friend for when you need reverse.

Hop-on-Hop-Off busses.  We did this.  For $20, you have 2 days of riding on a couple of popular routes.  The whole circuit takes from 1.5 to 2 hours (depending on the route) and you can get on/off at any of the 20-something stops.  Max wait for the next bus is about 30 minutes.  It was a good way go get an overview and lay of the land.   Earphones allowed you to listen to the canned tour information in your native language -no guide at the front of the bus.

Of course, if you’ve got work to do , just bring it along.  Free Wi-Fi on board if you need it. (I think she’s reviewing a real estate offer!)

We’ll take the train to Oporto (Port) in 10 days.  Not sure which train station that will be, but this one, the Rossio station, is certainly beautiful.  The Starbucks in front of it kind of kills the mood.

Rent a Tuk-tuk with your own personal driver. Larger models are available, some very artistically decorated.

Similar to the Duck ride in Seattle, Lisbon has the “Hippotrip”- on land and sea (2nd photo – a bit in the distance).

As with all cities, there are city buses, a subway system, and taxis.  Walking has been our preferred mode, as then we don’t feel sooooo bad about indulging at dinner.

I’ll save the ancient elevator and funiculars for another post. – Safe travels – Laura

Our neighbor discovered us out on our little deck in Evora, and he even knew a little English!  There were a couple of families in the hotel –  spring break.

Looking to the right from our balcony.

About a 20 minute walk to the bus station midday Monday – the suitcase wheels survived!  A nice Mercedes  ride awaited us – we had the front row seats.

An hour and a half later we rolled over the Tejo River and into Lisbon.

Just south and east of the bridge we passed Cristo Rei, a 92’Jesus on top of a 269′ pedestal, built between 1949-59.  It was modeled after the more famous similar statue in Rio de Janerio.  It’s possible to get to the top of the pedestal for a view of the river and city.

As seen from the north bank (city side) of the river. -Laura