Elegant shopping street Rua Garrett, lIsbon, that leads from the Baixa to Chiado, is named after the author and poet Joao Almeida Garrett (1799-1854). The area is also an important cultural area, with several museums and theatres.
Rua Garett, June 2008.
On the background cafe ‘A Brasileira’ s terrace. You will see young locals here just socialising or window shopping.
Rua Garrett, Lisbon
The most famous street of Lisbon, that mixes traditional chic and modern commercial shops, is also beloved by tourists.
Cafe ‘A Brasileira’ (Rua Garrett 120) is famous for having had the enigmatic poet Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) among his customers.
Pessoa still has his table in bronze on the terrace (the work of sculptor Lagoa Henriques).
Portugal’s famous writer has no idea he’s mobbed by lots of tourists, all day long!
The downstairs seating area is a favourite with locals for a set lunch of traditional Portuguese specialties. The cafe once was the setting for tertulías literárias (lively discussion groups) in which debate would often culminate in chair throwing, cup smashing and brawls.
‘A Brasileira’ (‘The Brazilian woman’), opened in 1905 as a shop selling genuine Brazilian coffee.
It was the first shop to sell the ‘bica’, a small cup of strong coffee, similar to espresso.
The interior of ‘A Brasileira’ is grandiose: decorated in Art Deco style, with a green-and-gold entrance, mirrored walls, brass fittings, and a long oak bar.
However: bad service and inattentive staff for tourists. It’s a very popular tourist destination, and prices are high.
I set foot in Lisbon back in 2001 after 9/11, and how refreshing not to understand a word as I went from café to café drinking galão, with TVs blaring in the background. I overheard an eager tourist trying to sum up this city as he scrunched his eyes under the vivid Atlantic light and scanned his vocabulary for words that fit. Faded elegance, he said.
