Lisbon at Night and Dinner in Cacilhas

A Moveable Feast in September

An optional dinner at a restaurant across the harbor was to follow the "meet and greet" social. To get to the harbor, Jose (Zhosey) drove us through the city, past the castle that looked magnificent at night, past the old aqueduct, across the bridge named 25 de Abril Bridge, past one of Lisbon's main squares, the Praca do Comercio, past the palace, the Spanish embassy, and other buildings of architectural delight. While we were on our way to the restaurant, Tania gave us a short history of Lisbon and from my later research, I learned that Lisbon went through a series of name change—from Olissipo to Allis Ubbo, meaning safe harbor, then Ulyssippo, Olissipona, Ulishbona, and finally Lisboa or Lisbon in English.

In a few minutes, we reached the dock and took a ferryboat across to Cacilhas, the old quarter of Lisbon. Marilyn, a tour member asked me what Cacilhas meant. I said that in Spanish, casilla means box, and we Filipinos use that word to mean an outhouse. She said, "No way. They would not name a place like that and we won't be eating in a toilet!" I knew she was about to laugh and I was about to do the same but we sounded sincere in our conversation. The conversation seems so funny now when I recall it. My mouth would slightly twist with a controlled smile whenever I think of that moment. The restaurant's name was Farola, meaning lighthouse. This was a marisqueria, a seafood restaurant. Farola was supposedly a workers' restaurant although not with a worker's price. Our multicourse dinner was 40Euros (2010 price) for each of us. First we had two glasses of wine as an aperitif, then we had a plate with few tablespoons of that looked like lima beans—a  dish we did not know how to deal with. We looked at it and considered it until Fernando, the waiter, came and taught us how to split the beans between our teeth as you would with sunflower seeds by holding it between your thumb and forefinger, then slipping the skin off and popping the meat into the mouth. Well, that was quite an exercise. I am now sure it was meant to break the ice because we started to converse and get to know each other. In a calculated timing or maybe as soon as Fernando noticed that we had stopped popping beans into our mouths, he came with boiled gambas (shrimp) which we peeled by hand, of course. Because there were not too many gambas, in a minute or two and between conversations, we found ourselves wiping our finger with the napkin. The waiters were all alert in serving us the succeeding courses. The salgados (an assortment of fritters or croquettes) came, and then sopa, then sapateira (or boiled crab) served with sautéed crab innards, which proved to be delicious. After savoring the crab innards, we had arroz marisco (rice with shrimp), then bacalhauia bras (cod with potatoes) and finally the sobremesa (dessert) of fruit with whipped cream. Of course, the meal had to end with a good Vinho Porto or Port. The 40Euros seemed an appropriate cost for the multicourse meal if nobody told you, that the dishes were the size of tapas.

            Fernando, our waiter was charming and entertaining. When he saw Ron's nametag, he said that Ronaldo is quite famous in Portugal and Ron said, "I know, and my father's name is Fernando, like yours. What is your last name?" Fernando said, "Rodriguis." He took a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote his last name, because he said the spelling was different. "And, I'm from Madeira," he added. The other Ron across the table from me said, "Oh?  My father's father was from Madeira and he spelled his last name the same as yours but he changed the spelling to make it sound American."

Well, there was quite a reunion between the two Madeirans and a kinship between Ronaldo and Fernando. After the sobremesa and wine, it was time to wind down and leave Cacilhas (which really meant 'bay'). Marilyn saved a brochure for me saying that I could use it if I was going to write a travelogue. I could not print the whole brochure but here is a peek of it, which I, admittedly do not understand:

Restaurante

Farol

Marisqueira

-Peixe e Carnes Frescas no Carvão

-Bacalhau com Broa

-Mistos de marisco

-Condições Especiais para Groupos

-Cozinha Aberta até as 24 horas

Driving back to the hotel, Jose made detours so we could have a short night tour of Lisbon. We took the 25 de Abril Bridge instead of the ferry. Our tour director informed us that 25 de Abril Bridge's original name was Ponte Salazar, Europe's longest suspension bridge. Driving around the city was like another sobremessa, a dessert after the dessert. The city's architectural layout and the fascinating illumination was a delight. It was an enchanted evening.

            Sleep was very much welcome after a long flight, a good dinner, and good wine—a very appropriate way to end the pleasurable moments of the day.

A Moveable Feast in September

                                                                                                                         September 2010

Day 2

We arrived in Lisbon nine hours after we left Seattle, although in theory, we lost a day. At eight-thirty in the morning, we found Aeroporto do Lisboa to be moderately busy but not chaotic.  As we exited, we felt the crisp air, a sample of its fine subtropical Mediterranean climate. The weather could have added to the excitement of being in another country, however because of the long flight and lack of sleep, I was alert just enough to appreciate the beautiful weather.

            We only had a carry-on luggage—a lesson we learned from our previous European trip. We took with us the minimum amount of luggage for ease in traveling. Because we did not have to go to the baggage-claim area, Ron and I exited the airport in no time. A few feet beyond the exit door, we spotted some of the tour members, who had already worn the tour company's stick-on nametags. Ron and I approached them and we introduced ourselves to each other.

            In a few minutes, a pretty, young woman with long dark hair and a beaming smile, holding a tour company flag, greeted us. She was going to be our tour director. Her exuberance and enthusiasm was refreshing and contagious because my tired body started to pick up energy. After some hand-shaking and welcoming words, she gave Ron and me our name tags and then directed all of us to the bus that would take us to our hotel. Ron wrote out his full name on the blank name tag and requested that he be addressed as Ronaldo. He figured that in the group, there could be other Rons. True enough, we later found two other Rons. He also said jokingly, that people would remember his name easily because of the soccer player well known in Portugal and Spain. Thus, he was Ronaldo throughout the trip.

            As we boarded the bus, we were introduced to our driver Jose (pronounced Zhosey in Portuguese.) Then our tour director greeted us in Portuguese. "Bom Dia", she said, after which time, she started to orient us to the Portuguese language. My research of the Portuguese language was interesting. It is a "Latin-descended Galician-Portuguese" spoken during the medieval times and that later, it took on some Arabic influence and borrowed some words from Africa.  The etymology of words and origin of languages had always fascinated me and I found this version of the evolution of the Portuguese language fascinating. While she elucidated on the Portuguese language, I struggled to recall the few Portuguese words I tried to commit to memory, however, I was not too worried about communicating with the locals because most Portuguese could speak English.

 

We lodged at Tiara Park Atlantic, across Tiara Park. As we entered the glass revolving door, I saw a baby grand piano in the lobby. I later found out that this hotel is a member of a classy chain, the "NH" hotels. Picking up the key from the receptionist, we proceeded to our room, with the hotel staff following us with our luggage. We opened the door to a nicely decorated room—a bud vase with fresh flower on the table and chocolates on the bed. The ambience conveyed a welcoming mood. The bathroom had a bidet common in European hotels. On one corner was a digital weighing scale—a convenience for weight-conscious customers. Bedding and towels were all white, a pleasing color to contrast to the mahogany-colored furniture. I judged the bedroom was perfect. We then rested as we waited for the tour director's welcoming-and-get-together with the tour group at five in the evening.

            At the gathering, forty tour members showed up. The expected number was forty-two. The two came a day later, having come from another tour. Each one of us introduced ourselves by giving a little speech. I recalled meeting a lawyer and his judge-wife, a husky elderly man who worked for the CIA and his retired police officer wife, and one who originally came from Ukraine and his radiologist wife. I was surprised to meet a couple from my state, Washington, who now retired in Arizona. There was a threesome of female retirees. They said they went to college together and became close friends throughout the years. A couple and their son originally came from Cuba. There was one from Hawaii with her friend. It was not easy to remember all their names but as we eventually grew to know each other better, we started to call each other by our names.

            The get-together proved to be pleasant, my apprehensions of being with people I didn't know gone, and I started to relax. In an hour or so, some members already showed friendliness and warmth.