Love Connection in Portugal

By Sharmistha Chaudhuri

A couple living worlds apart reunite in Portugal for a romantic winter vacation full of local history, moonlit strolls and custard tarts.

My first bite of the custard tart was everything I had hoped it would be — flaky, creamy, baked to perfection. As I devoured two, interspersed with sips of strong coffee, I smiled at my husband. We sat inside the older section of the legendary Pastéis de Belém, enjoying our first morning of a winter escape in Lisbon, each having reached Portugal’s capital from opposite ends of the world. I was based in New Delhi, India and he in Austin, Texas. We tried to meet up in different locations across the globe when our work schedules permitted.

Deciding to meet in Lisbon in winter was an easy choice. The temperature would be moderate, needing only light jackets. The summer crowds would be gone, and accommodations would be relatively easy on the budget. The only dampener could be the occasional rain, as the weather apps predicted.

COLOURFUL HOUSES IN A NARROW LISBON STREET

Lisbon is an old city. Legend says Ulysses founded it. The evidence points to lengthy occupations by the Romans, Moors, and later Christian crusaders. The city has witnessed maritime explorations that brought financial growth, an earthquake that flattened everything, and, in the last century, political upheavals and economic transformation. Each has left its mark in shaping the architectural and cultural landscape. While exploring the region’s culinary heritage was on our list, we were also eager to sightsee in a city where modernity was cohesive with its past.

The Tagus (Tejo) River runs through Lisbon and one is never too far away from its blue waters. We started our explorations at historic Belém, once the city’s dockyard. We walked by the riverside until the gigantic Padrão dos Descobrimentos dwarfed us. The monument symbolizes Portugal’s role in the Age of Discoveries, portraying over 30 important figures of the era. Fittingly, on the pavement below lies a marble map with dates showcasing Portugal’s global conquests.

PADRÃO DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS MONUMENT ON THE TAGUS RIVER

The Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge that looms ahead is unmissable. Spanning the Tejo estuary at its narrowest, it closely resembles San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Over the next few days, we climbed atop Torre de Belém, a 16th-century fortification and marvelled at the view. We gasped at the elaborately designed Manueline-style Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a testimony of Lisbon’s prosperity at the height of its colonial empire. We stared at 20thcentury masterpieces at Museu Coleção Berardo and caught the bewitching twilight hour from the Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia’s waterfront steps.

PONTE 25 DE ABRIL SUSPENSION BRIDGE

© SVETLANA GUMEROVA

We explored the hilly labyrinth of cobblestone streets and houses boasting Azulejo façades at Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood located in between São Jorge castle and the river, in leisure. Starting with the imposing gothic Sé Cathedral, we walked until torrential rain took us to shelter in a souvenir shop run by an old couple who offered us port. There are new cafés and old eateries aplenty in Alfama, each offering culinary treats. As evening sets, the strains of fado, a local genre of music traced back to the 1820s, linger in the air.

BAND PERFORMING TRADITIONAL FADO MUSIC

The sweeping beauty of the city remains incomplete without going up one of the many miradouros (viewpoints). In Alfama, take the iconic yellow No. 28 tram up the narrow lanes, through twists and turns, to step out at Portas do Sol. We were greeted by a stunning postcard view — a mosaic of red roofs, white church domes, and the blurring blues of the Tejo and the sky. While tourists may flock to the Elevador de Santa Justa in Baixa, my favourite was the cozy pergola-roofed and bougainvillea-shaded Miradouro de Santa Luzia.

VIEW OF DOWNTOWN ALFAMA

We also took a day trip to picturesque Sintra from Lisbon. Located an hour away, Sintra is a UNESCO Heritage Site surrounded by verdant forests on a hilly landscape, boasting colourful palaces and splendid castles. No wonder Lord Byron was so entranced by this “glorious Eden”!

FAMOUS YELLOW BICA FUNICULAR IN LISBON

© ANDRÉ LERGIER

By the end of our stay, our stomachs were full from salgados (Portuguese deep-fried snacks) and Michelin-starred meals.

And our calves ached from walking almost all day every day, but we had to stop by for one last tart.

The taste of the pastel de Belém with its dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon had not wavered over time. Its secret recipe has been perfected over centuries by the monks at Mosteiro dos Jerónimos next door. Bear in mind, the line outside the bakery never disappears. I picked up a sugar packet from our table as a souvenir as my husband and I headed to the airport to part ways again. We would see each other in four months, but until then, the sugar would serve as a sweet reminder of our winter spent together in Lisbon.

PASTÉIS DE NATA, TRADITIONAL PORTUGUESE EGG TARTS