Lisbon, Portugal - one rainy day in old town Alfama
Arriving in a new country, on a rainy evening, with less than 24 hours to explore, little time to research and unable to speak the local language is daunting. Landing yourself in a district that is friendly, vibrant and cooks the best grilled sardines in the world is awesome! Welcome to Alfama, one of the oldest areas of Lisbon, with so much to see and eat even in the rain.
After a very zippy, 10 minute Uber ride (and only 8EUR) from Lisbon airport, we approached Alfama district. Our first thought was 'thank goodness we aren't driving' because the streets are very narrow, one way (or so they look) and hilly. Our driver, in possibly the only English he knew, told us he loved Alfama and pointed out the 'must see' places along the way. This instantly assured us that the very cheap ($50AUD) hotel we had booked online would at the very least be in an interesting area. When our driver stopped in the middle of a narrow road, on a tram track, with no hotel in sight I wondered WTF. He got out of his very nice Renault, checked the plaque on the building wall which was at an arms length from his car door, and began unloading our suitcases. With the fear of a tram about to ram up the rear end of said very nice Renault, we quickly got out and realised this obscurely signed building was indeed our hotel (below).
Our hotel room was very spacious with minimalist design, warm and quiet. Always a plus after a long day of travel. The hotel concierge armed us with maps and tips of where to go, in the little time we had, first directing us to the best place to eat local cuisine without the tourist aspect. Quiggy and I have always found that local knowledge is far better than any review website so off we went up the road to enjoy the best grilled sardines we'd ever eaten. Filling up also on fresh cod cakes, croquettes, salads, bread, fruit and beers (28EUR) we appreciate our journey has brought us here and look forward to walking the streets (and walking off our ginjinha shots in chocolate cups) before catching our train tomorrow.
Waking up to the rain didn't deter us from venturing this amazing city. Always on the hunt for a coffee, we walk uphill (Alfama is all hills), past the 16th century church and convent of São Vicente de Fora towards the Graça District filled with cake shops and restaurants. Yes we had cake, we always do.
Onward past the military barracks and the Baroque Igreja de Graça, one of Lisbon's oldest churches, you find an open flat terrace with a panoramic view across Lisbon to the Tagus River. On a sunny day I'm sure this view, high above the terracotta roofs, would be magnificent but it was still impressive in the rain. From a distance you see many homes are painted white with red roofs but as we walked along you notice the extensive use of decorative ceramic tiles or azulejos. These really brighten up the streets on a dull day.
Also decorating the streets, and sadly ancient sites, is graffiti.
Here in Alfama it blends easily with so many art displays that line your walk and lead you to new sights to behold.
Lisbon is full of history but we only had time to see a fraction of its treasures. Alfama was a perfect place to sample the culture though it is for the fit and able. There are no lifts or escalators, not even in the hotels, the cobbled streets require steady feet and nonslip shoes, wheel chairs would need 4x4 gearing and driving the extremely narrow streets would be stressful. Electric Tuk-tuks are big business here and no doubt the best way to get around with the added bonus of a personal tour guide. Just make sure they speak your language.
We loved our time here in Lisbon and highly recommend a stay here. The weather was cold and wet but it didn't matter, we still had an awesome time and met some beautiful people. Although our hotel was only a 10 minute walk to the train station, dragging our suitcases down the hills of cobbled roads and steps was not an option. Uber zipped us around for one last look at this cool destination of one way, crazy narrow streets and 3EUR later we were at Santa Apolonia station ready for our next adventure.
#Back alleys are where the gold is
#Skip past the pick pockets
#Go see the beauties and the beasts
*this post was edited 16/3/18 to correct the misspelling of the River Tagus.