Travelfood

Lisbon is a beautiful city, which in many ways resembles of San Francisco. In both cities there are steep hills, trams and similar-looking bridges. From the architecture in Lisbon you can see references to a great past and all the house fronts and tiles radiate of great handicraft tradition. In the nearby town of Sintra there are several castles with very detailed statues, windows and mosaics.

The commercial blocks of Lisbon are situated in a valley between the two famous Alfama and Barro Aixho hills. Alfama is the most famous part of the city with its old houses and São Jorge castle, while Barro Aixho is more bohemian and worn, but from its small bars you can listen to melancholic fado songs.

In the land of the seafarers fish is served. Usually restaurants provide grilled sardines or cod, bacalhau, in different ways. In my opinion, the sardines are tastier than cod. Restaurants also serve mutton and when cooked for a long time in a pot, the meat is tender and good! For dessert, we enjoyed Belem-pastry, which contain some kind of vanilla custard.

In the past, Portugal felt far away, in the outskirts of Europe and on the other side of the vast Spain, if you wished to reach Lisbon by train. Finland is situated far away as well, viewed from central Europe, so we had something in common with the Portuguese. Nevertheless, the country feels very European and solidary without the Portuguese being in the limelight all the time. The sad-sounding fado songs originate from poor conditions but nevertheless they do not sound like complaints. They tell about harsh fates but also about survival. It is easy to visit Portugal and move around in the country. The locals do not mind communicating in English either.

Europe, exotism, food, Portugal, travel, travel experiences