The Lisbon Connection

This old building in the heart of Mouraria, home of Fado music and famous performer Amália Rodrigues (’Lady of Lisbon’) is suitable for a long weekend trip with your friends to explore Lisbon nightlife, a romantic week with your beloved or a summer holiday with your family. The patio of 30m2 with plants and flowers makes this apartment a nice location for your summer holidays in the city. There’s easy acces to public transport, and all major sight-seeing in the city center are within walking distance. For bookings, availability and prices, call 0031 653941845 or skype Julie Kruijs (skype juliekr1956) in the Netherlands. Website with all the info you need

Mouraria, BBQ with some good friends: Maurits (from Holland, living in Lisbon), Aurelio (from Brazil, living in Lisbon), Sheila (Canadian, living in Lisbon), Rob (living in Lisbon) and his mother (from England), Jur and Hans (from Holland) and I (Julie, living in Amsterdam, sometimes in Lisbon). I’m the one who writes the articles on this website.

The 30 square meter patio is what makes this apartment really nice. In summertime you can catch some sun (from April - October) and walk the to kitchen fridge to get yourself a cold beer or a freezin’ bottle of Vinho Verde. At night you can sit outside, cool of after a hot summers day and have barbeque. There’s a large wooden table with 6 chairs, 1 relax chair and a parasol.

Facilities

The apartment, with a total surface of 100 square meters offers a lot of comfort.

The sunny livingroom has antique wooden doors that open to a small french balcony overlooking ‘Rua do Terreirinho’, a narrow street with many old houses and typical bars, and small restaurants. There’s a couch (twoseater) and a large eating and computer table with four chairs. A free and fast ADSL connection is available, bring your own laptop and you’ll have unlimited acces to the internet. There is a LCD satelite TV system in place with hundreds of international channels as well as a CD-player with Fado and traditional Portugese CD’s that you can use.

The master bedroom (with a double bed) that lies next to the living room has it’s own balcony facing the street as well. Clean sheets (and a full cleaning of the house) are taken care of before you arrive. If you plan to stay for a langer period we can arrange for the house and the beds to be cleaned during your visit as well. A big antique wooden closet provides more then sufficient closet space for your luggage.

The house has two extra bedrooms (one with boxspring beds) and six people can sleep in all comfort. New duvets and luxury duvet-covers (Essenza). A Chicco babybed plus matrass ( 0-4 years) is available for free.

There’s a large bathroom, bathtub and shower, a washing machine and a dryer (you can use it for free). Plenty of towels are provided.

The kitchen has been renovated, there’s a small table for your breakfast, a fridge, microwave, 4-burner-electric-cooker, pans, coffee-maker (and a Nespresso), fruit juicer, (wine) glasses, plates, cutlery, kitchen-linen etc. Good heating system for th e colder evenings in wintertime via eco-heating.

Mouraria, home of fado Music

No neightbourhood in Lisbon is praised more in Fado music then Mouraria. This ‘Bairro’ (neighbourhood in Portuguese) is a maze of little, narrow streets, situated between Graça, Alfama and Costa de Castelo.

Mouraria was given it’s name by the first Portugese king, Dom Afonso Henriques after the ’siege of Lisbon’, in which Lisbon was taken over again by the (Christian) Portugese army from the Moorish overlords. This siege put an end to the Islamic control in the Iberian peninsula. The Moors however kept on living in the city after the conquist and gathered in the Mouraria.

It is said that the melancholic sounds of the music and singing of the Moorish people was at the base of Fado music. Amália Rodrigues, Lady of Lisbon, the ‘queen of Fado’ was born near Mouraria on Rua Martim Faz. More

The neighbours

The little streets of Mouraria are full of typical grocery stores, old bars (taverna’s) and cheap traditional restaurants. (No modern nightlife, if your looking for bars and disco’s, go to the nearby Bairro Alto neighbourhood).) There’s a supermarkt on a hundred meter distance.

Just to introduce you to some of our favourite neighbours in the street, meet Jose Marie and his wife on the picture on the left and Rui on the picture on the right.

Rui has a small cafe on Largo do Terreirinho, where most of the locals gather during the day for a quick beer (imperial). Try a pasteis de bacalhao (a small pastry with cod fish).
The restaurant of Jose Marie is a perfect place for a real portugese lunch. Don’t expect international food in this tiny restaurant. Their specialities are dishes like Cozido a Portuguesa (different kinds of meats, sausages and vegetables cooked in the same water), Coelho a caçador (Rabbitstew, in red wine) and Favas com entrecosto (Beans with porc meat and sausages).

If you don’t feel like experimenting, try a ‘bitoque’. It’s steak and fries, with a fried egg, garlic and rice. In the late hours when the shops are closed and you are on your way home, you can always stop at Jose’s and take some beers, wine, water, sigarettes and even food home. Prices are very fair ca. 6 euro.