Bye bye Europe…its been fun

April 15 2008

Lisbon, Portugal

Yesterday was the last time I am going to set foot in Europe. Barring an unexpected windfall or strange confluence of situations that brings me back I may never visit this part of the world again. The ship is in Madeira tomorrow but I’m not allowed off again so the last time I’ll hear a language other than English and spend a currency other than dollars was in Lisbon. Having a few Euros in my wallet and a day of food and souvenirs ahead of me I managed to go back to the ship with a much lighter wallet but a full pack and satisfied stomach.

For those that don’t know me you must wonder just how big I am since all I seem to do is eat. I do enjoy eating and I do avoid excessive exercise or exercising just for the sake of breaking into a sweat but I weighed myself a few days ago in the gym (I walked past it on my way to get a haircut) and I’ve lost about 5 kilos since I got on the ship. I may try and eat as much as I can while I’m ashore but I guess all the walking I do in search of it must more than make up for any extra calories. With that in mind I don’t mind admitting that the second thing I did after getting off the shuttle bus in the heart of downtown Lisbon was search out something to eat. The first thing I did was walk to the local Hard Rock Café to buy a shot glass for someone and there were a large number of little cafes setting up their tables and chairs outside as I wandered past. From the Hard Rock I walked up a small alley and was immediately attracted to a doorway and the window beside it that had three large pots boiling furiously with different types of meat in each. A man was plucking bits of meat out of one pot and stuffing it into a bread roll. That was enough for me and I stepped inside.

Inside it was a little dim and dark after the brightness outside. A long stainless steel counter ran along one side of the room and a variety of men, from one who looked as if he’d just climbed out of the ditch he was digging, to an immaculately attired businessman, were bellied up to the bar.

It had taken me a couple of places to figure it out but this is not a place where people order at the counter and then step away to let others in. Here it is cheaper to eat at the counter than at a table so people order and then stand and eat. The first couple of times I had wanted to order something I had waited politely for the people in front to move but they hadn’t so I’d ended up sitting at a table and having someone come to take my order. Now that I knew the way it was supposed to work I just found my spot at the counter, pointed to the guy next to me, said I’d have what he was having and waited for the food.

Soon a bread roll filled with (I think) pork and a glass of red wine appeared. The roll was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, the meat was hot and tasted meaty and the reason for the stainless steel counter became apparent as the glass was so full that wine slopped over the side when he put it down. A pork roll and a red wine may come a close second to the full English in terms of breakfasts of champions and the price of only 2.5 Euros made it a pretty good start to the day. A little further along and I stopped at a café and had two custard tarts and a cappuccino.

Lisbon seems to be a city of cobblestones. More so than anywhere else I’ve been the roads and footpaths all seem to be made up of the little uneven squares that must be a minefield for women in high heels. It’s very picturesque but I did find myself doing the occasional little stumble as I walked along looking up and dragged my feet over less than level ground.

Lisbon is also a city built on hills and it was up one of these hills and away from the central pedestrian part that I found my next meal. Another small restaurant caught my eye and I sat and ordered the fried calamari and a red wine. I sat in the sun at an outside table watching the people go past and was a little surprised when the waiter came back with my wine and it turned out to be an entire bottle. He had the cork out before I even had a chance to say that I really only wanted a glass and then figured it would be rude not to drink it. The sun was warm, the view was interesting and the wine was good. The food arrived and the whole squid tubes had been grilled with sea salt and were served with roasted vegetables. By now a guitarist had started playing and I really didn’t want to leave. I lingered over the bottle of wine, talked to the guitarist for a while about rugby after he noticed my All Blacks t-shirt but eventually I had to make a move.

The rest of the day consisted of a few more espressos and pastries in coffee shops that called out to me as I walked by. I bought an original oil painting from an artist selling his work on the street, had him inscribe the back with the date and location and then took his photo while he held it proudly. I also bought yet another fridge magnet and a couple of hand painted tiles that say Lisbon. In a way it’s lucky that this is the end of Europe because I am already wondering how I’m going to get all of this stuff into my bags and get it home. My final purchase was a bottle of Madeira and it was a nice way to relax after work with a glass and a good book. Almost like being at home.