Exploring Portugal, North of Downtown Lisbon and the Baixa

North of the city center, and a short underground ride away, is one of the best private collection museums anywhere, the Gulbenkian Museum. 

Gulbenkian Museum

The museum houses a wonderful collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic, Asian, and European art. The works were amassed over a period of 40 years by oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, who was one of the 20th century's wealthiest men. Upon his death in 1955, Gulbenkian donated his treasured collection to his adopted country of Portugal.

We had been to this museum on our first visit to Lisbon and enjoyed it so much we wanted to return.

Included among the many museum highlights is a mesmerizing gold Egyptian mummy mask, a beautiful 2700-year-old alabaster bowl, a collection of Hellenic coins, rare pieces of Chinese porcelain, Japanese prints, 16th- and 17th-century Persian tapestries and a collection of works by René Lalique, which Gulbenkian purchased directly from the artist.

Museum Gardens

The European section houses paintings by Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Monet, Van Dyck, Ghirlandaio, Rogier Van der Weyden, and Pierre-Ausguste Renoir as well as French furniture and textiles. There is also a marble statue of Diana by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, and silver once used by Catherine the Great and made by François-Thomas Germain.

A stroll through the museum’s shady garden takes you to a separate building containing the modern and contemporary art collection. Displayed throughout two floors, the collection includes works by Paula Rego, Almada Negreiros, Souza Cardoso, and Vieira da Silva. Not being a huge modern art devotee, I prefer the main collection. For lovers of any kind of museum ... ancient to modern … the Gulbenkian should sit atop a list of sites to visit while in Lisbon.

Rossio Train Station

Back downtown we strolled around the Baixa neighborhood. The Baixa was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake-tsunami-fire. It was rebuilt on a grid street plan, uniform and utilitarian, by military engineers. The supposedly quake-proof buildings are standardized in their height and facades, but the rigidness of design does not distract from the neighborhood’s charms.

The two oldest squares in Baixa are Rossio and Comércio (mentioned in an earlier post). The Rossio train station, once the central station of Lisbon, has a very pretty facade. If day tripping to Sintra, you would take the train from here. 

Lounge of the Elegant Avenida Palace Hotel

Next door stands Lisbon’s oldest hotel, the Avenida Palace. Like many old, grand hotels, it was built to serve the train traveling public. Stop by for an early evening cocktail in the elegant lounge and perhaps you can enjoy a piano concert. We stayed here our last night before flying home. The rooms and common areas are simply lovely and their sumptuous breakfast buffet comes complete with crystal chandeliers, china, silver and impeccable service.

The Elevador de Santa Justa

The Elevador de Santa Justa is just down the road. Built by Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard, who was an admirer of Gustave Eiffel, the elevator exhibits the same style as the Eiffel Tower. It stands 147-feet high and has a stunning observation deck with views over the Baixa neighborhood. From day one it has been one of the most popular attractions and viewpoints in Lisbon.

Ginja

We stopped by a Ginjinha, or simply Ginja, shop to sample the famous cordial. Ginja is a Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja sour cherry berries in alcohol and adding sugar, cinnamon and other flavors. The tasty ginja is served in a shot glass with or without cherries. 

It is fun to join the locals popping in the small shops for their daily ginja nips.

Walking along the pedestrian streets and squares, admiring the Rossio Train Station’s facade, enjoying the river view through the Comércio’s arch, poking around shops with elegant storefronts, stopping by an inviting café, and enjoying all the delights the Baixa has to offer, is a joy.

The next day we were heading a little further afield, to the west of the city.

Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Cream Tarts)

Pastéis de Nata are delicious little cream tarts found in and around Lisbon. They originated at the Jerónimos Monastery in the Lisbon suburb of Belém.

The owners of the shop, Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, purchased the recipe from the monks when the monastery closed in 1834. After all these years, the family has kept the original recipe a secret. Many pastry shops sell their own versions, but the Belém shop is the most popular place to buy the tarts.

This recipe isn't as good as the original pastries in Belém, but they are pretty darn tasty!

Pastéis de Nata

(Makes approximately 3 dozen small tarts.)

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• Rind of 1 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 pound puff pastry (half a package of Pepperidge Farm® puff pastry sheets)
• Powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), for serving
• Cinnamon, for serving
• Individual mini tart molds or mini muffin tins for baking

Preheat the oven to 450^oF.

Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Cream Tarts)

Place the sugar and flour in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Pour the milk into a saucepan. Add the lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the stove.

Remove the lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Add the sugar mixture to the hot milk and stir to combine. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Add the egg yolks and stir until well combined. 

Cook the custard on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and the custard coats the back of a spoon (do not allow mixture to boil). Remove from heat.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet and cut circles the dimension of the individual molds or muffin tins.

Place the cut circles in the molds or tins, making sure they line the bottom. With the help of your fingers, lightly press the pastry up along the sides to the edges of the molds or muffin tin wells. Chill the dough at least 10 minutes to firm.

Pour the filling into the pastry until about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tops have slightly browned.

Let the tarts cool in the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove tarts from tins and let cool another 5 minutes.

Serve warm, sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Exploring Portugal, Lisbon's Belém District

We started our first full day in Lisbon with a train ride to Belém from the Cais do Sodré train station. The coastal train line runs from Lisbon to the charming town of Cascais with a stop in the suburb of Belém. (I will discuss transportation options and tips regarding travel in Lisbon, and Portugal in general, in a future posting.)

Monument to the Discoveries

The Belém district is about five miles west of downtown Lisbon and has some of the most interesting sites. We started with a stroll along the waterfront, stopping by the Monument to the Discoveries.

The monument is the shape of a caravel ship under full sail. Henry the Navigator is at the helm with other navigators, sailors and explorers behind him. For a fee, an inside elevator takes you to the top for a fine vista.

Further up river stands the old Tower of Belém. Built in 1515 to 1520, the tower symbolizes the voyages launched from these shores. It once stood in the middle of the river when the river bank was close to where the monastery is today.

Tower of Belém

The tower was the last structure seen by the sailors as they departed their homeland, and the first they saw as they returned home laden with treasures from far off lands. No elevator to the top of this tower, you pay for the pleasure of climbing 120 steps to the top.

Heading back toward the monastery, there is a nice photo opportunity with the fountain’s spray against the backdrop of the large limestone church and monastery.

King Manuel I directed the Jerónimos Monastery to be built in 1496. Replacing a church that had existed on the same site, construction work began in 1501. It was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and within its walls the monks of the Order of Christ provided spiritual guidance to seafarers.

Jerónimos Monastery Church

The church is free to visit and merits a little time. Nearly everything survived the earthquake of 1755 except for the stained glass, which was replaced in 1940.

The highlight, however, is a visit to the cloisters. The lacy arcades, carvings and gargoyles come together in a delightful courtyard. The cloisters are well worth the time and the admittance fee. For an additional charge, the west wing of the monastery houses a nice Maritime Museum for those interested in Portugal’s seafaring history including historical ships and navigational tools.

Jerónimos Monastery Cloisters

Needing a bit of a break, it was now time to visit the best site Belém has to offer… pastry! No trip to Lisbon is complete without savoring a pastel de nata (it is important to know the plural form is pastéis de nata, because you will want to order many of these delicious jewels).

The pastel de nata, also known as a Portuguese custard tart, is an egg tart pastry. Served warm and liberally sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar, they are truly delicious. The tart recipe originated at the monastery. The original owners of the shop, Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, purchased the recipe from the monks when the monastery closed in 1834. The recipe is still a secret and the Belém shop is the most popular place to buy the tarts, although imitations can be found throughout Lisbon and beyond.

Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém

Don’t let the long line to buy and take out a pastry dissuade you, it moves quickly. As an alternative, another door takes you into a café area with tables inside or on their back patio to sit and enjoy a coffee with your pastry treats.

Stuffed full of pastéis de nata, and armed with a little take out bag for later, we headed to the coach museum. There are actually two museums, the original small and grand Royal Riding School, and the large National Coach Museum. We explored and enjoyed both.

Original Royal Riding School Coach Collection

When horse-drawn carriages began to become obsolete, Portugal’s last queen, Queen Amélie, decided to preserve the extensive collection of carriages belonging to the Portuguese royal family and nobility. On May 23, 1905, the original coach museum was founded in the old Horse Riding Arena of the Belém Palace, which is now the official residence of the President of Portugal. Today the collection has expanded to include fine carriages from throughout Europe. This is a place for the whole family to enjoy and it is not crowded like so many other sites in town.

Small Plates at Nova Wine Bar

With our tour of Belém complete, we took the train back downtown to ready ourselves for another tasty Portuguese dinner and to plan our adventures for the next day. 

Tonight we wanted to go somewhere fun and casual, so we headed to the Nova Wine Bar. The menu had a wide variety of tempting choices. Our interested host not only helped us select each dish and the best accompanying wine, he directed the order in which each dish was to be served. Every bite was delicious.

We love eating tapas, or wine bar small plate style. It was a fun night with good food and a friendly, welcoming ambiance ... all at very reasonable prices.

Exploring Portugal, Lisbon

We had been to Lisbon a number of years ago, just for a weekend, and had wanted to return ever since. The opportunity arose this past October in the form of a business conference that my husband was invited to. Of course I had to accompany him to make sure he arrived safe and sound. It was a great sacrifice to make, but it was the proper thing to do. I wouldn’t have wanted him to get lost along the way or, even worse, kidnapped!!!

Tiled Streets of Lisbon

Portugal has taken off as a tourist destination over the past few years, and we certainly saw quite a difference in Lisbon since we were last there. The good is that the city is a bustling hive of activity… more people on the streets, lots of restoration and building, more and better restaurants (including ones with famous Michelin star chefs), a bigger variety of spruced up places to stay, and a friendly, welcoming spirit.

The bad is that perhaps there are too many people on the streets. Like many popular European destinations, it is becoming overloaded with tourists, driving vacation costs up much higher (not to mention the higher costs of living for its residents). Particularly noticeable were the hotel room prices, once a bargain, they now equal that of most other European cities.

Any bad is truly minuscule in comparison to all that this beautiful city and this country have to offer. There is so much to experience in Lisbon and its suburb, Belém, alone. Then there are all the many other Portuguese towns, big and small, begging to be explored as well as beaches, mountains and vineyards.

From our base in Lisbon we managed to pack in quite a bit within the short time we had before heading to the countryside for the conference.

Alfama Neighborhood

Upon our afternoon arrival we quickly checked in to our bed and breakfast in the Chiado section of town. We then set off to see what we remembered from our previous trip. Except for the amazing tiled streets, it looked different, much busier, larger and brighter.

We headed up through the old Alfama neighborhood toward the castle with a stop in the Lisbon Cathedral. Officially referred to as Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa, it is the oldest place of worship in Lisbon.

The fortress-like facade of the cathedral dates back to the mid-12th century when the construction was commissioned by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, on the site of a former mosque. As European cathedrals go, this is not a particularly exceptional one, but it is well worth stopping by to pay homage to a structure that survived the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and fire of 1755.

View from the Miradouro Graca

St. George Castle (Castelo de Sao Jorge) was free to visit when we were last there. They now charge a rather high admittance fee considering that the castle is just a shell. What you are paying for is a stroll around the small park and the city view.

There are many other miradouros (lookout points) in Lisbon with just as good a view, even better, and they are free. These miradouros can be found all over the city and are enjoyed by both tourists and locals. They often have pleasant terraces to lounge about or enjoy a sunset, and many are accompanied by a small, inviting café to relax and sip a glass of wine or a cup of coffee while enjoying the view.

View from the Miradouro das Portas do Sol

We passed the busy castle by, with its long line to buy entrance tickets, in favor of walking a little farther to Miradouro Graca. The Graca was recommended by our B&B host. He said it was his favorite miradouro because of its expansive city views, including a nice view of the castle and the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge.

On the way back down the hill, we weaved in and out of the narrow streets of the Alfama. It’s fun to get lost in the maze of old tangled roads and alleyways. We then stopped by another lookout point; the Miradouro das Portas do Sol. We wandered up to a small terrace above the square and enjoyed a little snack, a glass of wine, and a wonderful view.

Praça do Comércio

Passing through the Baixa neighborhood we headed to the riverfront square of Praça do Comércio (aka the Palace Square or Commerce Square). Once the gateway to Lisbon, this was the site of Portugal’s royal palace for 200 years. After the 1755 earthquake, the palace was moved to more stable ground in the suburb of Belém. The buildings surrounding the square today house the government ministries. The statue in the square is of King José I mounted on his horse and looking toward the port. The large arch is Lisbon’s Arch of Triumph.

We continued walking parallel to the river, toward our Chiado home base, to the Mercado da Ribeira or Time Out Market. This market is half old-time produce market and half trendy food stalls and restaurants. With its lively atmosphere and large communal tables, it is a fun place to explore, pick up some food related gifts, or grab a bite to eat.

Mercado da Ribeira (Time Out Market)

By now we had been up for some 36 hours, having begun our travels from the US the day before. We were tired and headed back to our room for a rest on our terrace before heading out to dinner. It was my husband’s birthday and we were going out for a nice Portuguese dinner up the street toward the Bairro Alto neighborhood.

Once settled into the cozy Versículo do Faia restaurant, we enjoyed some bread and spreads with glasses of local wine. (Be aware that when bread or not ordered appetizers are put on the table, they are not free. You will be charged if you eat any of it. Simply wave it away with a no thank you if you do not want it, but most of the morsels are good, reasonably priced, and worth enjoying. This goes for dining anywhere within Portugal.)

Polvo at the Versículo do Faia Restaurant

We then ordered some Portuguese staples, bacalhau or salted cod fish for my husband and polvo or octopus for me. You will see these two items on almost any menu in Portugal, especially the bacalhau.

The Portuguese love their bacalhau. It is said that they can prepare it 365 ways. This restaurant offered a choice of three different preparations.

I love octopus when done well and had it often during our stay, as it is something not readily available in the states. Everything was delicious and it was a perfect way to end a very long two days of travel and touring.

The next day we set out for the suburb of Belém.

Lobster Shepherd's Pie

I have a confession to make. I really don't care for turkey all that much.

I know, I know, I can hear the screams ... how Un-American! ... how can you say such a thing! ... next to the eagle, it is our national bird!  But I'm sorry ... I just think it is bland.  Imagine a slab of turkey without mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy or cranberry sauce smeared all over it ... b o r i n g!

A few years ago we did not plan on having a big formal Thanksgiving dinner, so we decided to serve something different, something special that we don't eat very often. We had a Thanksgiving lobster. That's right, a lovely red (went nicely with the holiday decorations) lobster took its place among the mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms instead a big, fat bird.

Now hear me out on this. There are lots of advantages to serving lobster over turkey. You don't have to feel guilty about eating something that, only a few days before, was running around saying gobble, gobble, gobble. A lobster doesn't take up as much space in the refrigerator and it doesn't slide across the room breaking everything in its path if dropped on the floor. The family dog won't eat it for fear of having a claw permanently attached to its nose, and it doesn't take as long to cook, leaving more time to ... let's see ... enjoy wine!

Since we've been having larger Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of late, and lobster is a little expensive to serve a lot of people, we decided to move our lobster night to celebrate the New Year.

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This dish is based on an entrée I love at a restaurant we frequent in Fenwick Island, Delaware. They call it Lobster Shepherd's Pie. It really doesn't bear any resemblance to traditional Shepherd's Pie. It is actually an upscale, deconstructed version of shepherd's pie using lobster instead of meat. Whatever you call it, here is my recipe, good any time of the year.

Lobster Shepherd's Pie
(Serves 4.)

• 2 lobsters
• 1/2 pound of assorted fresh mushrooms (or a combination of dried (soaked & drained) and fresh)

• Butter

• 1 bag of fresh baby spinach

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• Olive oil

• Splash of clam or chicken broth

• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Mashed potatoes, recipe follows

Lobster Shepherd's Pie

Steam lobsters, shell and save claw and tail meat. Chill.

Chop the mushrooms. Warm approximately 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the mushrooms until soft and liquid has been absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste. Can be refrigerated until ready to use.

When ready to serve, warm potatoes and mushrooms separately.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic and cook a minute or two to soften, add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted.

Halve lobster tails and sauté tail meat and claws in a little butter until warmed through.

Assemble by dividing the mashed potatoes among 4 plates. Make a well in the center and divide the spinach among the plates. Place one claw and half a tail in center on top of the spinach and sprinkle the mushrooms around the potatoes.

Add the juices from the spinach and lobster together and add a little broth and/or butter if desired. Heat through and pour a little over the center of each dish. Serve with asparagus or green beans.

Mashed Potatoes
• 5 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (about 2 pounds), boiled until tender
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mash or run the potatoes through a ricer. Whip the mashed potatoes together with the butter and enough milk just to make them fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.