A tour of Lisbon, Portugal in shades that define it’s beauty – Blue and Yellow
Blue like azulejos, yellow like the tram
Blue like the Tagus, yellow like Pastéis de Nata
Blue like the sky, yellow like the sun
I would add blue like the blues that I felt on my two visits to Lisbon. Melancholy, nostalgic, call it what you want. A kind of apathy and resignation that emanates from the people and the city. A feeling that is always associated with Portugal but that I have observed in other cities in the South, the crisis being surely not for nothing.
But this sweet melancholy did not prevent me from appreciating the beauty of Lisbon, its colored facades (which are not limited to yellow and blue), its streets which go up and down, its irregular cobblestones which attack the shoes, its watchtowers with a view of the Tagus, its pastry shops on every street corner (and their armada of little old people with a sweet tooth) and its no-frills restaurants serving grilled fish.
For this long weekend, we had rented a very cozy apartment. There are plenty of very cool options on Airbnb that can help you avoid the kitschy hotels.
The range of restaurants, as in all tourist towns, includes its share of blah addresses. Better to check their ratings on TripAdvisor to avoid unpleasant surprises. In the center, I recommend Café Buenos Aires , which in addition to Argentinian steaks, serves delicious sweet and savory salads and a chocolate cake and dulce de leche to die for. In Chiado, Tapas n’ Friends Trindade is a relaxed restaurant that serves a mix of tapas and traditional Portuguese cuisine and has vegetarian, vegan and gluetn-free selections too.
For Pastel de nata (Custard Tarts), the Confeitaria Nacional is a safe bet and is also famous for the Bolo Rei pastry. And to drink a cold beer with a view of the whole city, the Graça viewpoint is the perfect place.
