More good veggie food and closed queer clubs.

This was originally posted on September 20, 2009.



On Wednesday Mafalda drove me to the gigantic Christ statue, after lunch at Siesta (a Mexican restaurant). I've been told it's similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (maybe a bit smaller than that one) and that there are three spread over the world all facing eachother - forming a triangle. Having seen it I can say it is an impressive statue, and it is on my list with the Great Wall in China and the pyramids in Egypt.

Across the statue is a huge bridge that looks like the Golden Gate's twin, the 25th of April Bridge; it's manufactured by the same company that made Golden Gate bridge:

Nice view, eh? Again, the weather was nice: warm and sunny. And up there: very windy.
Hey Krista! I know it's not a Cape Islander, but when I saw the boat I just wanted to shoot that one for you:

We also strolled downtown a bit, where I shot more pictures. We had dinner at a Wok Palace. The food wasn't not bad, but I've had better. Mafalda agreed with me.
After freshening up a bit we went out later that night, and Mafalda shows me Lisbon's nightlife. It's interesting to see that much of it happens outside in the streets (like in Spain). We ended up in a little queer friendly bar, where a drink helped lessen the pain in my lower back. Woo-hoo!
Before we knew it it was closing time and bars were closing its doors to not let new people in and to signify they're about to close.
Thursday lunch was divine: the vegetarian/macrobiotic buffet at "Jardim das Cerejas" (translated it means Cherry Garden) is one of the best I've had in a while - I haven't forgotten about Le Commensal in Quebec City and Montréal (hey Jane!). For less than 18 Euros the two of us gorged on delicious and fresh dishes and salads.

I was appalled when I young teenaged girl didn't eat anything, because it wasn't the McDonald's type of food she so prefers. I told Mafalda how my parents took my brother and I to a McD's when we were little - it was a hot 'n happening thing back then - and how my brother and I did not like the stuff. Even today, if I can choose between a McD burger and a meal at a veggie restaurant I will pick the latter. There's no doubt in my mind about that - even though I do eat meat. Anyhoo, I digress.

Then we headed over to the Museu do Oriente, that has an exhibition of Portugal in Asia throughout the centuries and deities. An interesting afternoon.
From there on it's only a short drive to the beach. Even though it was way too cold to dip into the water (I tried!) I was glad to have at least two different beaches in less than a week; it rains very often in my country, so when there's one hot and sunny day people trek to the beaches (many even take a day off work). Yes, that's when what little beach we have get over crowded by worshippers of the sun, and the roads to it get clogged up.

Around dinner time we drive up to Mafalda's place so she can walk Inari. The German Shepard seems to taken a liking to me as he tries to greet me again.
We grab a pizza before we drive back to Lisbon and hit the bars; my friend wants to take me to a drag dive just outside Lisbon. It soon becomes apparent that the place where the drags shows are is closed down for renovations, and so we soon find ourselves driving back to downtown Lisbon. We start at a little jazz bar, where we watch soccer recaps (how sad is that?) and consult my Lonely Planet guide for addresses. We then walk to three different addresses and find they were CLOSED. I kid you not. Despite my sprained back and walking a nice distance in total I found it funny. (The Caipirinha certainly helped loosen me the muscles in my back.) Tired we decided to call it a day.
Friday was my last full day in Portugal. We grabbed lunch to go (veggie pasta for me) and even though we initially set out to drive out to a place to do a safari, I remembered we hadn't had the chance to check out the dolphins. We quickly changed plans, the drive to the dolphin watch is a shorter one.
To make a long story short, Mafalda found a way to get us out on the water - with 100 elderly people, who were obviously having a grand day out. We go out for a little tour of the bay, and on the way back we actually see one (maybe there were two, but I couldn't tell) dolphin. One of the Mates approaches us and tells us that they had expected not to see any, and the dolphin had in fact signified (by whipping its tail a certain way) it didn't want to be disturbed anymore. Oh well, however briefly, it looked beautiful.
Mafalda intended to drive back using the scenic route, but I figured to save time (Mafalda's mom had cooked us her killer vegetarian quiche, and we were meeting up with two of Mafalda's friends later) to just take the shortest one.



I regret not having made a picture of Mafalda's mom delicious (dairy free) quiche; it was really good. When Mafalda's mom appologized for not having made desserts I assured her I'm not much of a dessert person anyway, and it enabled me to actually have two slices. I told her she could always start as a cook at the Cherry Garden. I'm sure her quiche will be a big hit!
Mafalda's mom's sweet, and gives good hugs, and told me to have a good journey home. And to come back soon. (Mafalda told me previously her mom thinks I look so cute and sweet. Well, that's me!)
Mafalda's friends are really nice; one's outgoing, the other one's more introverted. Again, I reminded myself the introverted friend may not be as comfortable speaking English - even though I try to engage her in conversation. After some catching up I told them how we had walked to different clubs the night before. Only to find them closed. Mafalda's outgoing friend joked that's what Mafalda got for keeping her foreign friend all to herself, and shared some suggestions with Mafalda.
When they went home, Mafalda followed up on one of the suggestions and we go to a queer club called Maria Lisboa, a club that remains open way after the 2am curfew most bars are subjected to.
I can tell by the prices of their drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that this place is a hip and happening one. The music is an ok mix of 80s and 90s mainstream pop and today's dance and pop. We have a good time people watching.

Saturday. My last day in the city.
I have some postcards to mail, and we ride the subway (clean and efficient, from what I can tell) to the nearest post office. Then we have lunch at "Lotus by Oriente", another vegetarian with a buffet. This restaurant and "Jardim das Cerejas" are definitely my two favorite ones in the city. I was warned by a Judge at work that Lisbon is a good place to be a vegetarian, and she was very right. Mafalda told me it's something of the past several years, and that it started as something hip. Hip or not, I don't get this in my town. That's for sure.
All too soon it's time to head for the airport and say goodbye...

Despite my sprained back, I had a wonderful time. It does fly when you're having a great time. Obrigado, Mafalda :D

Boa noite!

This was originally posted on Setember 16, 2009.



As you've probably noticed I haven't been online nor posting much the past several of days. But let me try and recap some of the highlights so far.



My friend Mafalda picked me up from Lisbon airport - which is conveniently located near Lisbon (kinda like Halifax's). We walked around the neighborhood and halfway I grabbed a bite (a yummie veggie burger at a little lounge café called "Coffee & Pot", a chain found throughout the city) and somewhere managed to sprain my back. Not recognizing it immediately I blamed tiredness of traveling and ignored it pretty much.
Mafalda drove me around and showed me the city by night. Good thing nights over there are still balmy, otherwise I'd have made sure to put on a heavy sweater. We attended a piano recital in a park but after a while I just couldn't ignore the pain in my back any longer, and I hoped a good night's sleep would solve that.



On Sunday I wake up early, and head out for a quick breakfast at another chain called "Tangerina Cafe". The chocolate croissant was yummie as was the green tea. By the time Mafalda found me (long story) some time had lapsed and there happened to be a nice sushi place nearby. So we had that for lunch.
Not all pharmacies are open on Sunday, so we looked for one that was and I got a gel (with added anti inflammatory) for my back, opting out on pills. During the night I had found I had a little trouble with the mattress of my bed; being somewhat on the softer side it offered little support. But I hoped the gel would kick in quickly, so I could enjoy my visit more.
We then headed for the aquarium (hey, Trev!) to check out their underwater creatures. The beavers weren't as active as the ones I saw in Vancouver, but cute nonetheless. And there are a couple of fish that are known to check out humans! I managed to capture one:



Just outside the aquarium was a ride Mafalda and I went on. Another good opportunity to try and conquer some of my fear of heights AND to get a couple of good shots.



She also took me to a monastery, near a theater and a soccer stadium; we knew Benefica were playing that evening thanks to the chanting of several thousand fans. We walked to Mafalda's favorite place in Lisbon (she lives in a neighboring town) for falafels, and we ate them in an adjacing park. The food was good and very filling, and I didn't bother to finish the fries. Then I got another tour of Lisbon by night.
The next day we grab some savory pastires from "Versailles" on the go to Sintra. After checking in at a B&B (Mafalda called it the "chalet", but it looked more like a mansion to me with its corridors and rooms) we stroll our way to the city center. We find a little place called "Maggie's Tea Spot" (don't worry about the blog being in Portugese only; the two lady patrons fala Inglesh as well!) that has good teas, scones and sandwiches. And speaking of English; if it wasn't for my Portugese friend my opening line upon meeting anyone would have been "Ola. Fala Inglesh?". Generally, I manage to find my way easily, but visiting Russia, Mongolia and China was one of the few times I couldn't figure out how to communicate to the locals in their own language. The first couple of days I actually mistook Portugese for Russian. I know they are two totally different languages, but the sounds (pronunciation) seems similar to Russian. Anyhoo, I digress...

Sintra has the surroundings of making an excellent film set for fantasy movies, with its forresty surroundings, ruins, castles, palaces and mansions. And we spend two days there. However, it's very unfortunately I'm having back problems because I'd looked forward to hiking through the woods and all that. My usual pace (my mom says I walk with a mission, others have said I walk as if I'm late and need to catch the next train) is now pretty much reduced to one of gramps.
Tuesday night I had a very tasty vegan burger (on multi grain) for lunch at "Smooth. Health. Fusion. Food", while my friend settled for veggie risotto with an extra topping of Parmesan cheese.

Part 2 is coming up shortly! :D