August 12, 2011

Dear Diary,

Today I had a lucky encounter with a stranger. I had wandered to Bairro Alto, the party district of Lisboa, to have a look at it by day. Walking past a shop on a quiet back street, some hand drawn artwork displayed out the front prompted me to stop. Before I knew it I was greeted by a very friendly man and pulled inside the store before being seated on a crazy hand made contraption resembling a rocking chair. Looking around the interior of the store it very much reminded me of a warehouse, sparse but for the kooky furniture made from recycled materials dispersed randomly around the room. The man began to rock me, and then as suddenly as it started, he stopped exclaiming - “This one is much better!” - and dragged me over to a rocking style chair so low that I could be sleeping... or racing in the Formula1. The man's name is Yannis, and he is a Greek who visited Portugal for one week in 2004 and never left. He reminded me of Billy Connolly, both in appearance and charisma (because of course I've met Billy and I know). Yannis must have liked the vibe from me as he decided to impart a local secret. He told me about a place nearby called Casa do Alentajo, a house built in the traditional way of the Portuguese people from Alentajo (bordering Spain, in the south.) If you know it is there, it is free to go inside and look around, and if you like you can dine at the restaurant or rehydrate at the bar. It is rather amusing that this place is situated right in the heart of a main street with numerous people wandering past and dining nearby, and they have absolutely no knowledge of it. From the outside it looks inconspicuous, but once inside many wonders greet you. Up the impressive staircase behind closed doors to emerge in a courtyard clearly influenced by Muslim architecture. Tiles in an impressive display of intricate patterning line the floor and walls, arched entryways whisper invitations onto the patio and palm trees in pots adorn the area surrounding the central water feature. When I entered this place I felt like crying. It is so beautiful and it's tourist free! I felt very honoured to have had this secret shared with me.

But Yannis's recommendations did not end there. With his hand-drawn map in hand, I turned a corner and located the eatery with the green door and the three giant sardines. 100% local, proper Portuguese not influenced by tourist tastebuds food and all, of course, written in the local tongue. Taking a stab in the dark I picked a name, approached the counter and very badly attempted to pronounce it. Ever smiling, the proprietor signalled me over to a long table designed for shared eating with friends or strangers. I was brought bread, olives, a local beer and my main meal (which ended up being the tastiest pork loin I've had served with spiced rice and hand cut potato chips) and all it cost me was 6Euro. That's at least 50% less than the tourist menus! Being very clearly the only foreigner in the cafe, the friendly locals found it amusing to watch me hungrily devour the food, and had fun trying to teach me a few phrases which I think translate to “Very delicious” and “Enjoy your meal/Bon Apetit” (as they spoke no English I cannot be sure that I have correctly interpreted all the gesticulating).

A wonderful day which offered me exactly what I had been searching for- a truly local experience.

Recommendations:
- Johnie's Place Hostel
- Casa do Alentajo (58 Santa Antao)