Destination:       Lisbon, Portugal
Other names:    Lisboa
Known for:         Peri Peri, Portuguese Tarts, drinking in the streets,

Food:
At the beginning of this trip, if someone were to mention Portuguese food, I would immediately think peri peri chicken and nandos. The ‘real’ Peri-Peri Chicken is perfectly cooked and not dry at all, the peri peri sauce is brushed onto the chicken and adds a nice heat kick. We were recommended Bonjardim by a friend and it did not disappoint.

The Portuguese tarts are highly recommended by the locals. From the way they described it I thought I had tried something similar back home (egg tarts you get at yum cha)). These “sugar bombs” are the perfect afternoon accompaniment with the strong (and I mean strong) local coffee.

Seafood is astoundingly affordable and for someone who is not big on seafood I found it delicious. We had booked a restaurant on a friend’s recommendation and also our friends we were with saw the restaurant on travel show. This restaurant serves the freshest seafood and to my knowledge is the only one with their signature dessert as a steak sandwich… that’s right the real surf n turf. Garlic prawns were amazing (I’m salivating as I write this).

Nightlife:
Two words Barrio Alto . The drinking district in Lisbon’s city centre. The norm in Lisbon at least, is to purchase your drinks from one of the many “hole on the wall” type bars and take into the streets and drink. Although it was raining for the two nights we went out there I could imagine the vibe on a summer’s/spring day. Most of the locals speak English quite well (the younger generation at least) and for some strange reason heard this song at least 14 times each night lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITzNPZPhT64
sadly the parties we attended were not like that in the video clip 😛

Attractions/History:
The Alfama district is the where the Portuguese locals and older generation hang out. Whilst I didn’t spend a whole lot of time it was described as an area of the city that still has ‘village’ feel to it, where everyone knows everyone and you can really feel how proud they are to live in the alfama district/ old town.

Fado tour:
A common performance which can be found at most bars within the al fama district is the traditional music known as fado. It involves two guitars, a traditional 12 string Portuguese guitar and regular 6 nylon string guitar. A singer will then takes to the stage and do their thang. The music can be described as emotional, slow or depressing but we were told it is about yearning for something, whether it be for home or for a loved one. It may not be for everyone, however I found it to be very entertaining as I am a fan of any kind of live music (bar death metal).

Portuguese empire – was the first global empire (thanks Wikipedia) for myself the architecture in Lisbon reminded me of some of the buildings in my hometown in Melaka, Malaysia as the Portuguese’s landed there in early 1500s. There is a monument in belem which celebrates the accomplishments to all the the Portuguese explorers and maps out over the centuries the regions which fell under their empire.

The area of Sintra is about an hour’s train ride away from Lisbon city centre, here you will find many historic castles and parks. Be prepared to walk, or wait hours for the one bus which services the many kilometres of road linking the various tourist attractions. We visited Pena national castle which is definitely a site to check out. The castle was inspired apparently by Disney type castles and the first thing you notice is how vibrant colours of the castle walls. The inside is furnished with the finest furniture and accessories for those times. There is even a dedicated ladies waiting room, where the monarch would hold his mistresses I’m assuming before having his way with them.

Apart from the lousy weather in which it rained 3 out of the 4 days we were there, Lisbon is a city which has something for everyone.  From party goers to young families, its an affordable destination and one I want to come back too in the not too distant future (hopefully when the sun shines a little brighter! :P) I should also mention the hostels in Libson are world class, in fact 3 of the top 4 hostels in the world are in Lisbon so definitely consider staying in a hostel if you can! You are bound to meet some amazing people to share the city’s experiences with.

Lastly I want to say a big THANK YOU to Celine for basically planning my whole Lisbon trip with her fantastic recommendations! Getting local insight to a city always help!

Obridgado Lisboa!