13-16 February 2019

For four days we’ve mostly been having fun, getting re-acquainted with the city where PedalingGuy lived 26 years ago. We’ve revisited sights we saw back then. But we’ve also sought out new places, including one part of the city that didn’t even exist at that time.

The Alleys of Alfama

Lisbon’s medieval quarter is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Europe. The Alfama’s winding alleyways date back to the 8th century, when the Arabic Moors ruled the Mediterranean. We spent most of a day wandering through the Alfama’s narrow passageways, climbing hidden staircases to the top of São Jorge Hill. The neighborhood exudes a strong, old world vibe with colorful buildings, tiny balconies, lines full of the day’s laundry strung over the street, and the melodies of Portuguese Fado music drifting by.

When we came around a corner in one particularly steep, narrow alley we encountered an elderly woman selling shots of ginjinha from a small table. Ginjinha is a traditional liqueur infused with sour cherries. Curious, and happy to take a break, we indulged in one shot each. It was very sweet and tasty, and you could sense the strength of the alcohol. That hit the spot, and gave us the energy to make it to the top of the hill.

The Alfama caters to visitors, and has lots of restaurants that serve traditional Portuguese meals. Hungry after our long climb, we spotted a small restaurant offering a tempting, fixed-price dinner. We savored a three course meal of sardine pate and olive oil on bread, codfish (bacalhau à brás), and pasteis da nata (custard pies), with vinho verde (green wine). It was absolutely delicious.

Port of an Empire

The zenith of Portugal’s power and influence came in the 15th-16th centuries, when the country was home to some of the most innovative navigational scientists and global explorers. This period played an incredibly strong role in the development of Portugal’s sense of identity. Monuments honoring the explorers and renaissance era buildings define the city’s landscape more than anything else. And seafaring motifs infuse much of the city’s art and architecture.

To soak up this history, we visited several iconic landmarks. The Praça do Comércio and the Avenida da Liberdade evoke the wealth and prominence of Lisbon as a trading center during that era. And the forts, palaces and monuments of Belém, the far western district of Lisbon, commemorate those glory days. Belém, which guards the mouth of the Rio Tejo where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, was the main industrial and port area for centuries.

Modern Lisbon

Lisbon is still growing and evolving. We spent an afternoon on the northeastern side of the city, in an area known as the Parque das Nações. This neighborhood was totally re-built as the home of the 1998 World Expo - so it didn’t even exist when we were last here in the early 1990s. The waterfront and nearby streets are now home to a convention center, numerous shopping malls, a major international train hub, and museums like the Oceanarium. It was fun to explore the main avenue through the Parque, and admire Lisbon’s modern sense of style.

Another area of the city that we visited is the famous Barrio Alto. Although it was built in the 16th century, it has a decidedly modern vibe. These days it’s home to the city’s most dynamic nightclubs. And its gritty urban style is evident in the widespread graffiti covering anything that will hold a coat of paint. The city seems to have embraced this esthetic, even designating certain alleys for curated graffiti displays.

In addition to our sightseeing, we had a few tasks to take care of before heading out on the road.

Obtaining a Credenciál for the Camino de Santiago

Pilgrims who travel on the various roads that lead to Santiago de Compostela carry a document called a “credenciál.” This is a booklet in which you obtain stamps from various Camino services along the route, like churches and hostels. Having a credenciál also confers two benefits: the bearer can stay in special hostels (called albergues) along the way, and must use it as proof of their journey to receive a pilgrim’s certificate (the Compostela) upon arrival at the Tomb of St. James.

For most of our time in Spain, we will be following the Via de la Plata pilgrim’s route of the Camino de Santiago. But we are not starting at the beginning of that trail in Seville, where you would typically get the crecenciál. Fortunately, there is also a Portuguese route for the Camino that starts in Lisbon. So we visited the Cathedral of Lisbon, and secured our credenciáls there.

Planning Ahead for the Ferry Across the Tejo

When we depart on Sunday, the first thing we’ll do is head for a ferry to cross the Rio Tejo and head south. We want to be as efficient as possible, so we can get out of town early - before car traffic picks up. So when we were down by the waterfront, we scouted out the ferry terminal. We now know exactly where to go on Sunday. We also purchased the required Metro card and put some money on it in advance, so we can head right for the ferry without worrying about tickets. We’re all set.

Putting the Final Touches on our Bikes

We spent an afternoon in our room getting all our gear ready, so that we can hit the road quickly on Sunday. Last minute preparations included repacking our panniers with an eye towards weight balance and logical organization (our hurried packing in the airport was not ideal), changing all our devices to metric units, and mounting or adjusting accessories like mirrors and lights, so that everything is in its optimal position.

We also did a bit of food shopping so we’re ready to camp. Unfortunately, we were unable to find white gas, our preferred cooking fuel, here in Lisbon. We’re pretty sure we can pick some up along the route on Sunday. Hopefully that works out as planned.

Click here for quick links to all of our other Europe blog pages