Drawn to love, we boarded an easyjet flight to Lisbon! So what made us decide to go to Portugal for Valentine’s Day ?
We could have chosen Venice, that romantic Disneyland. Paris for its macaroons and its glittering tower. Bruges, with its peaceful canals and gourmet chocolates.
No, we’re going to Lisbon !
This thousand-year-old city where poets express themselves on decrepit walls, embraced by azulejos that could be from grandfather Cortiço. Our friends had warned us, Lisbon is a little Iberian jewel on the crown of Europe and a destination we won’t soon forget.
Our cheap taxi drops us off at a charming boutique hotel in the historic Alfama district. A languid, powerful voice rises in the starry night. What is this melody that rocks the street ? Fado, says an evening passer-by. More knowledgeable than the average person, he invites us to come with him to one of the secret taverns that only the initiated know.
We enter. The place is subdued and rustic. Our fadist Joana sings a hymn to latent or perhaps lost love. We are stunned and moved by the intensity of this fado experience, a nostalgia for the past « neither happy nor sad » as Fernando Pessoa thought. The music invites us to enjoy every second together. This charming fellow traveller wearing a beret invites us to continue our nightly journey to admire the lights of the city.
He takes us to the top of a viewpoint – called miradouro -. We are stunned by the romantic view of Lisbon, these reliefs of light that hug the seven hills. Straight out of his beret, our guide offers us some Champagne. What a magician ! There was no better time to offer this precious nectar. Cheers ! We want to drink with our friend but he disappears, eclipsed. Ah ! Lisbon ! What a nice surprise for a first evening. We kiss under the blessing of an umbrella pine before returning to our cosy bed.
In the morning we stop at a quiosque for a bica. This morning, the sun is shining brightly and it feels like spring is just around the corner! Even in February, the white city is pleasant. We sit on a public bench and watch the neighbourhood wake up. The colours are coming back to life. A painter in a smock captures the beauty of an orange tree bursting with fruit. It seems that all year round Lisbon is in bloom. What other city in Europe can offer this luxury ? We leave the painter to wander through the meandering cobbled streets, looking for a small park or, who knows, a secret garden.
On the outskirts of Camoes Square, a shop with an unassuming front calls out to us : 1789 is written on the underside of its sleeping clock at 9.06 am. The displays, whose old grooves are full of stories, are coloured by amazing scented candles. Shaped like a kiss, the irresistible lovers’ model is small and inexpensive. The purchase is immediate and will accompany the candlelight dinner planned for this evening on the Tagus, also known as the Sea of Straw.
Near the Rossio square, we learn that at the bullring, there is a festival for Valentine’s Day : the « Montepio às vezes o amor« . For the evening, it’s Cai o Carmo e a Trindade ! Rhythmic Portuguese pop music that is fun to listen to. The concert at 10pm will leave us time for dinner at El Bulo Social Club. Set up in a former industrial wasteland, it’s a change from the glitter and rose petals! Chakall, the Argentinian chef with his couple-breaking charm, will spice up the evening in good taste and, I hope, to my taste.
On our last day, we meet our magician guide again – Lisbon is a real village ! -. He takes us on a second walk off the beaten track, which only he knows how to do. There is nothing overrated about this Lisbon.
He offered us a romantic, affordable and above all unique stay! Enough to make you want to come back on a sunny day.
The pleasure can be felt in all simplicity, with the ordinary, but in exclusivity.