Archive for March, 2009

Walking up the hill to São Jorge Castle Lisbon, a hidden place & a famous urinal

Just aside the walls of Lisbon’s Castelo São Jorge (St. Jorge Castle), I love to walk around in the narrow streets of the beautiful Bairro do Castelo, located in the highest hill of the historic centre of the city. This neighborhood is very charming and quiet. To visit the castle, you can walk up the hill [...]

Historic area Mouraria Lisbon, Amália Rodrigues, Mariza, cheap restaurants & recipe Carne de porco à Alentejana

Walking from Rossio to Castelo de São Jorge via Praça Martim Moniz, you walk up Rua dos Cavalheiros to Largo do Terreirinho. This is where the historic Mouraria neighborhood starts. Largo do Terreirinho in June, the month of the Festas dos Santos Populares (Feast Days of the Popular Saints), Santo Antonio Mouraria is an ancient area [...]

Conserveira de Lisboa (famous Lisbon Cannery store): hundreds of colourful tins of Portugal’s favorite fish & nostalgic power

Conserveira de Lisboa (The Lisbon Cannery store) has been covered in many many newspapers, tv-programs and on the internet, never paid for any promotion but is listed by many touristic guides. Why? Because this is a wonderful preserved-fish store with hundreds of colorful tins of the Portuguese favorite fish. It’s been open for 80 years and [...]

Lisbon’s Bica funicular: highly valued by tourists, Santo António partying & breathtaking Tagus river views

The famous Bica funicular opened on 28 June, 1892, the only stepped street funicular in the city. It climbs the Rua da Bica for 245 metres from the Rua S. Paulo, near Santos, to the Calhariz district.   Bica funicular & partytime in June Partying in the small street around the famous Bica funicular, near [...]

Lisbon’s unique Lavra funicular, first transport to tackle one of the city’s steepest slopes, statue doctor Sousa Martins & wonderful views

The Lavra funicular was the first street funicular in the world. It opened on 19 April 1884 and carried 3000 people, free of charge, on that day alone! Originally water-powered, it was converted to electricity in 1915. It runs from the Rua de São José (near Largo da Anunciada) to Travessa do Forno do Torel. [...]

Santa Apolónia, Lisbon’s Int’l Train/Metro Station & Humberto Delgado, the Fearless General

International trains arrive in Lisbon every day, mainly to Santa Apolónia Station and to the Gare do Oriente. Estação Santa Apolónia, opened on May 1st 1865, is the oldest railway terminus in Lisbon, situated in the city’s central part on the bank of the Tagus river in the historical district of Alfama. The station is served [...]