Post by geordy on Sept 20, 2014 10:24:42 GMT -5
And I do mean nites...days didn't exactly work out due to flt delay Paris to Lisbon..delayed over an hour due to a fire in warehouse that supplies their food and beverages...so after waiting to board and then waiting on plane for an hour..with no water because we were waiting for it! 
.finally took off and when bev carts rolled around all they had was water out of large bottles or instant coffee or tea! Was supposed to be a "snack" flight.
But I had had yogurt and oj on original flt from NYC to Paris and then a café crème and croissant during layover so.....
Navigated Lisbon airport, got tkt and on to Metro and with one change arrived at hotel...I always say if you can do one subway system you can do them all!
Even jet lagged and w/o speaking the language!
Hotel, Art Inn, is new and small..3 floors of an old bldg..similar idea to the small hotel we stayed at in Milan in April....HOWEVER TO GET TO RECEPTION YOU HAVE TO MOUNT A LARGE STAIRCASE, AT LEAST 12 IF NOT MORE STEPS IN ONE BANK(THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE IN CAPS BUT SEEMS APPROPRIATE
By the time I got to reception I was bushed(metro was not flush with escalators). While talking with young lady at desk S/O popped in..he had already been there was waiting downstairs to help me up stairs..helped two other parties wiith THEIR luggage..then when realized my flight was delayed went to get the wine, water, flowers, etc. for room! Hotel does not have elevator so luckily he was there for my last flight.of steps to room,.we were on 2nd of their 3 flrs...each room has a theme and entire hotel decorated by a Portuguese artust..our room was the Rio Tejo(River Tagus).
Since it was already after 2..we had young lady make us a res for dinner at a Fado restaurant and went out for stroll..late lunch..he was on European time and hadn't been eating all night on a plane and in airport and was hungry! But,,in all the things I read about Portugal before trip on thing that didn't click was that they are not on European time..they are on GMT..like Britain! So I went ahead 6 hrs to Paris and then back one to Lisbon!
Just stopped at a place on a pedestrian street with plenty of them with outside tables in the middle...had my first cod..called cod in a canoe..in a bed of potato chips!..from the photo(many of the "mid priced places there..not just tourist traps.have some photos because not much of the world speaks Portuguese and translations are not always so good!)...I thought they were the yummy Portuguese/Spanish fried potatos but no. Cod had lots of bones..but once I figured out the big ones were at the ends and got my flaking technique down it was fine..good olive oil, onion ,garlic, spiced sauce(though it didn't do much for the chips at the bottom
....
Walked to the end of the street to a big Praca(Place) reaching out to River..cruise ships to the side.....
Young lady says we can walk to Fado place...block and a half from hotel and then up ALL the stairs...there was a wall there with staircases going up in a zig zag fashion..thought that was what she meant cuz there were a lot of them..but NO..get to top and facing yet another staircase, and another and another, at least six if not more ..some had restaurant tables on the ample landings in between....gives the climb to Montmartre a run for the money! when we finally reached the end of staircases restaurant was esay to find..happening area, Bairro Alto, we were in Baixa...loads of bars and restaurants and young'uns milling about speaking 20 different languages..should have gone here years ago
Menu odd..prix fixte option for 41E(includes music)..not several choices in each category but about 8 combinations of starter, main, and dessert! Adega de Machado is the name of place. We started with dry white port..quite good..had not had port before as aperitif..then I had rock shrimp and lobster salad in these pretty different colored pastry cones..different! Then a beef filet in good creamy brandy mushroom sauce with the good potatoes. But the jet lag and fact that it was still only about 4pm in NYC and I had been eating all day was getting to me and couldn't eat much.....but the show had started..4 guys on guitar and a female singer...different, indeed unique, even w/o understanding words, just listening to language was something all the shwishes, chas chas and such! Told them to wait on dessert...but finally was able to chokedown some rice pudding with orange and spice ice cream Drank Potuguese wine thru out. Liked second female singer better..more dramatic and one of the guys sang one set and was very good, spoke some English, and was entertaining.. Called it a night before last sets as I was fading..could have tried for cab but would have been a wait and would have had to walk to corner....street teeming with young'uns..and others..so back down the steps....needed the walk and the air anyway and they were blessedly...well lit!
.finally took off and when bev carts rolled around all they had was water out of large bottles or instant coffee or tea! Was supposed to be a "snack" flight.But I had had yogurt and oj on original flt from NYC to Paris and then a café crème and croissant during layover so.....
Navigated Lisbon airport, got tkt and on to Metro and with one change arrived at hotel...I always say if you can do one subway system you can do them all!
Even jet lagged and w/o speaking the language!
Hotel, Art Inn, is new and small..3 floors of an old bldg..similar idea to the small hotel we stayed at in Milan in April....HOWEVER TO GET TO RECEPTION YOU HAVE TO MOUNT A LARGE STAIRCASE, AT LEAST 12 IF NOT MORE STEPS IN ONE BANK(THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE IN CAPS BUT SEEMS APPROPRIATE
By the time I got to reception I was bushed(metro was not flush with escalators). While talking with young lady at desk S/O popped in..he had already been there was waiting downstairs to help me up stairs..helped two other parties wiith THEIR luggage..then when realized my flight was delayed went to get the wine, water, flowers, etc. for room! Hotel does not have elevator so luckily he was there for my last flight.of steps to room,.we were on 2nd of their 3 flrs...each room has a theme and entire hotel decorated by a Portuguese artust..our room was the Rio Tejo(River Tagus).Since it was already after 2..we had young lady make us a res for dinner at a Fado restaurant and went out for stroll..late lunch..he was on European time and hadn't been eating all night on a plane and in airport and was hungry! But,,in all the things I read about Portugal before trip on thing that didn't click was that they are not on European time..they are on GMT..like Britain! So I went ahead 6 hrs to Paris and then back one to Lisbon!
Just stopped at a place on a pedestrian street with plenty of them with outside tables in the middle...had my first cod..called cod in a canoe..in a bed of potato chips!..from the photo(many of the "mid priced places there..not just tourist traps.have some photos because not much of the world speaks Portuguese and translations are not always so good!)...I thought they were the yummy Portuguese/Spanish fried potatos but no. Cod had lots of bones..but once I figured out the big ones were at the ends and got my flaking technique down it was fine..good olive oil, onion ,garlic, spiced sauce(though it didn't do much for the chips at the bottom
....Walked to the end of the street to a big Praca(Place) reaching out to River..cruise ships to the side.....
Young lady says we can walk to Fado place...block and a half from hotel and then up ALL the stairs...there was a wall there with staircases going up in a zig zag fashion..thought that was what she meant cuz there were a lot of them..but NO..get to top and facing yet another staircase, and another and another, at least six if not more ..some had restaurant tables on the ample landings in between....gives the climb to Montmartre a run for the money! when we finally reached the end of staircases restaurant was esay to find..happening area, Bairro Alto, we were in Baixa...loads of bars and restaurants and young'uns milling about speaking 20 different languages..should have gone here years ago
Menu odd..prix fixte option for 41E(includes music)..not several choices in each category but about 8 combinations of starter, main, and dessert! Adega de Machado is the name of place. We started with dry white port..quite good..had not had port before as aperitif..then I had rock shrimp and lobster salad in these pretty different colored pastry cones..different! Then a beef filet in good creamy brandy mushroom sauce with the good potatoes. But the jet lag and fact that it was still only about 4pm in NYC and I had been eating all day was getting to me and couldn't eat much.....but the show had started..4 guys on guitar and a female singer...different, indeed unique, even w/o understanding words, just listening to language was something all the shwishes, chas chas and such! Told them to wait on dessert...but finally was able to chokedown some rice pudding with orange and spice ice cream Drank Potuguese wine thru out. Liked second female singer better..more dramatic and one of the guys sang one set and was very good, spoke some English, and was entertaining.. Called it a night before last sets as I was fading..could have tried for cab but would have been a wait and would have had to walk to corner....street teeming with young'uns..and others..so back down the steps....needed the walk and the air anyway and they were blessedly...well lit!
hahahha