Friday, 11 January 2013

Amazing views from Santa Justa Elevator

Apart from São Jorge castle situated on the highest of seven hills within the city, Santa Justa Elevator (Elevador de Santa Justa) is definitely the most popular panoramic viewpoint in Lisbon. In addition to great views of the city here you can also experience a ride in an old lift operating since 1902, which makes it well over a hundred years old.


It is 45 meters high and was built in order to facilitate the movement between the main Baixa and the Carmo Square. In the beginning it carried 24 passengers. In accordance with modern standards, nowadays the lift admits 20 people to go up, but only 15 to go down. Interesting, isn't it?



It is visible in the top right corner of the above photo.


The lift is accessible from two points:

  • You can find the bottom entrance at Rua de Santa Justa and Rua Aurea intersection in Baixa.
  • If you are after the view and do not care about the ride so much, you can save a few euros and head directly to the platform where the elevator reaches the top. Just walk past the Carmo Church and Convent (Igreja e Convento do Carmo). Walk by the right wall of the church in the direction of São Jorge castle.
You will have to climb the last few steps no matter which way up you choose.



I recommend the visit, but the short ride in the old elevator is nothing special and also a bit pricey for my taste. If I would visit it again I would definitely opt for the cheaper option.
Also if you are visiting during the peak tourist season, you should try to get there early. It operates every day from 07:00 till 21:00.

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Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Chestnut season in Lisbon


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Monday, 7 January 2013

Fado, the Portuguese Blues

Some people might say you have never really been to Portugal if you have not spend at least one evening listening to the local version of blues music. The Portuguese simply call it Fado.


It is pretty easy to find it in a random Lisbon café. Most of them are in the traditional fado quarter of Alfama and also Bairro Alto. Good places in both of those neighborhoods are usually pretty pricey - to find a more economical alternative, your best bet is to get a taxi out to the suburbs.
Surprisingly fado is not very common in other parts of the country (with the exception of the city of Coimbra).



It is pretty easy to find a place to get a taste of it, but getting a taste of the top notch performance is another thing. Cafés with present and potential future fado stars are usually reserved for fado connoisseurs, willing to pay 100 euros and more for the real thing. Usually food is also included in such deals, but do not expect too much - music is what you pay for.


If you ask me, as a first time visitor you will not be able to appreciate the difference between a really good, five star fado performance and a good touristy one. However, genuine local atmosphere could mean all the difference to some... in the end - the choice is yours.


If you are lucky you can also get a taste of the real thing for just a fraction of the price. The hostel we were staying in (Lisbon Destination Hostel), happened to have such a deal on their "menu" one night. You could get into one of the best fado cafés for a modest 10 euros.
Of course there was a catch - the hostel made a deal for a small group of their guests to arrive late and get a place near the bar (other guests were seated at proper tables). Also only tapas were included instead of a full dinner. If you do not mind being treated as a second-class guest and catch a strange glance or two from other guests every now and then, the whole idea might turn out just fine.


I think I could have actually enjoyed the performance in spite of everything if there were two or three of us. Unfortunately our group that night consisted of a dozen people and the place was already pretty crowded when we arrived. There was literally no way for all of us to squeeze next to the bar.


After a while the whole situation simply felt too awkward and some of us simply decided to leave the place. The hostel did not complicate a bit and gave us a full refund.


I actually could not say I do not recommend this whole thing but I definitely suggest you inquire about details. We were simply not told about the whole deal in advance and found it too far from our expectations.



However strange (or for some even unpleasant) this fado experience turned out to be, I liked the music. So afterwards I decided to at least buy a CD with some best of fado music.


I found a perfect place in the middle of a street on my way to the famous Elevador Santa Justa one morning (look for tips about that in one of the following posts).
There was an old car parked in the middle of a street, serving as a vending spot for fado CDs. The guy inside this little "music shop" was really knowledgeable and played music performed by a few different fadistas (i.e. fado singers) so I could choose my favorite. I chose Ana Moura and I really like her after I listened to the CD for a couple of times. Great stuff!

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