Cloak and Swagger

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Today we will be heading to Porto on our bus. Silvia, our excellent guide from yesterday, will accompany us today, also. 

Portuguese guitars
Photo from Wikipedia

On the way to Porto we will stop in Coimbra, a former capital of Portugal. Coimbra has many structures dating back to the Roman period, including an aqueduct. The Visigoths ruled the region from the 5th to the early 8th century, when the Moors arrived. 

The Moors remained in control (more or less) for the next 400 years or so, until the kingdom of Portugal was founded by Afonso Henriques, who became Afonso I, the first king of Portugal. Afonso I was a larger-than-life character who influenced the course of Portugal’s history. (In order to consolidate his power, Afonso I defeated the armies of his mother, Countess Teresa, in the Battle of Sāo Mamede in 1128.) Afonso I made Coimbra the capital.

The oldest University in Portugal was established in Lisbon in 1290, but was relocated to Coimbra in 1308, and became known as the University of Coimbra.

The beautiful tiled roof of this university building appears to be even more colorful when it is wet.

Over the centuries, many interesting traditions have developed among the student body. Some are still followed today. For example, the students must wear a uniform consisting of a black suit, white shirt, and a black cloak (think Harry Potter). Upon graduation, the suits and shirts are hung on a gate or building and eventually burned. The cloak is kept by the graduate forever. Students will sometimes honor an individual by throwing their cloaks on the ground for the honoree to walk upon. Students can be seen on campus, wearing their cloaks, selling postcards and pencils to tourists to earn money. 

Another tradition involves student singing groups. They sing fado music - emotional and poignant songs - on the street and in pubs and cafes. For most of the university’s history, all students were males, so the traditional singing groups are all male. They wear their cloaks and play traditional instruments, such as the Portuguese guitar. These groups are called tuna groups.

After a tour of the university, which was also being renovated, we went to a nearby venue for lunch. Cloaks were placed on the floor in our honor as we entered, and we obliged by walking on them. We were treated to some live fado music during the meal. Our lunch included a delicious soup and some bacalhau com natas (cod baked in a creamy sauce) with greens.

26 seconds of fado . . .

After lunch we returned to the bus to continue our journey to Porto. We finally arrived at Vila Nova de Gaia at 4:30, where the Viking Helgrim was docked, just across the Douro River from Porto.  

We were sad to say goodbye to Silvia here. She was such a warm person, and such an excellent guide. But we were more than ready to board and continue our adventure. Boarding was quick and easy.

Viking uses smaller boats in Portugal than in other parts of Europe. Our boat has 53 staterooms on 3 decks. We therefore have slightly over 100 passengers, plus 35 crew members. The captain, chef and many of the staff members are Portuguese.

Our cabin was ready for us. It is a category PV on Deck 2. 

At 6:30 we attended a welcome and safety briefing in the lounge. Dinner was at 7:30.

I chose this seafood stew. It was fresh and delicious.

A sweet piece of orange cake for dessert

After dinner there was a lecture on “Portugal Today.” We were tired, so we skipped it.

Today’s fabric is “burel.” Burel is a dense, water-resistant, 100% wool fabric used to make capes and cloaks in Portugal. It is a type of felt.

Photo of female student in traditional uniform and cloak.
Photo found on Reddit. I’m not sure who should get credit for the photo.

An American Discovers Pastéis

Monday, November 3, 2025

Yesterday afternoon we checked in at the Hotel Corinthia in Lisbon to join our Viking tour. This hotel was not in the central part of Lisbon where all the tourist attractions are found. We were given a short walking tour of the hotel’s neighborhood by one of the Viking agents. She recommended some nearby restaurants where we could eat and showed us the closest grocery store. She also explained which ATM’s were good to use and which charged exhorbitant fees. The three-second version is we should only be using an ATM that has the symbol MB with two blue lines.

Photo from twoticketsanywhere.com

There wasn’t much else to see in the neighborhood. Most of our group had arrived in Lisbon yesterday and everyone was tired.

At 6:00 pm there was an orientation meeting for our group of approximately 100. It was mostly logistics. We met Hugo, who seemed to be in charge of us. He spoke very good English and seemed to know what he was doing. Hugo would end up coming to our boat with us later and acting as our cruise director.

We went to dinner at one of the recommended restaurants that served Portuguese food. I think the Viking agents oversold it. It wasn’t that good and it was very slow. They brought me the wrong dinner, but did fix it quickly. 

Our room was comfortable and quiet.

This morning we had to be on our bus by 8:45 a.m. for a tour called “Cosmopolitan Lisbon & the Maritime Museum.” This was something Viking calls an “Included Tour,” which means it is included in the price of the cruise.  That means that nearly everyone in the group went on the tour. We had three motorcoaches (nice buses), each with a guide.

We found our assigned bus and met our guide, Silvia, and our driver. Silvia was fantastic. She talked almost constantly for four hours without referring to notes. She provided so much information it was hard to keep up with her. We had little Quietvox devices so we could always hear her clearly.

We drove to Belém, a suburb of Lisbon. Here we saw Belém Tower, a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was built in the Portuguese Manueline style between 1516 and 1519. Despite its lovely appearance, the tower was intended as a military fortification to protect the mouth of the Tagus River.

Unfortunately, the beautiful Belém Tower was being cleaned or restored when we visited.

This photo of the Belém Tower is from Wikipedia

We walked past the Jerónimos Monastery, also a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was constructed between 1501 and 1541 pursuant to the orders of King Manuel I. This monastery is an example of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline architectural style. It is a fusion of Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish elements and features maritime motifs. 

The Monastery

The Monastery now contains the Maritime Museum, which was our destination.

Prince Henry the Navigator, 1394-1460

Anchors from the Niña, from Columbus’ first voyage

The armillary sphere is a Portuguese heraldic symbol and is featured on the Portuguese flag. It is associated with the Portuguese discoveries.

This is a model of a caravel, a small Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship known for agility and speed. The Niña and Pinta were caravels.

Another important site in Belém is the Monument of the Discoveries. We drove by it but didn’t stop, so I am using a photo from Wikipedia here. 

This dramatic monument is a visual reminder of the large role that Portugal played during the so-called Age of Discovery. “Age of Exploration” might be a more accurate term to describe the first visits of Europeans to lands that had been previously discovered by other peoples.

Not far from all of the World Heritage sites, we discovered an important piece of cultural history - the original and best pasteleria in all of Portugal.

And they are still warm!

My research confirms that these are indeed the best!

We finished with a visit to yet another Lisbon lookout point. Not only did we see the city, but Silvia showed us some cork trees. There will be much more about cork in a future post.

Today’s fabric is “Portuguese Pasteis de Nata Custard Pies Original Blue Tiles” by pholiumsigma for Spoonflower

No Tiles for a While

Saturday, November 1, and Sunday, November 2, 2025 

Saturday

We arrived by Uber at the National Tile Museum, only to find out it was closed. I had looked it up a while ago and it was supposed to be open today. Apparently it is now closed until June 2026 for renovation. I am rather disappointed because I was very interested in learning about the beautiful tiles of Portugal.

We decided to ask the driver to drop us off at the Castle of St. George instead. The castle sits on top of one of Lisbon’s prominent hills, of course.

Human occupation on this hilltop has been documented back to the 8th century BCE. The oldest fortifications here go back to the Romans in the second century BCE. In the 8th or 10th century CE, the castle walls and towers were built by the Moors, who then occupied this region.

In 1147, the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, defeated the Moors and took control of the castle. Though it served as a royal palace for several centuries, it is now a ruin. Tourists visit the site to enjoy the views from the hill top, and perhaps view some of the artifacts that have been discovered there by archaeologists. 

From the castle, we descended the hill on foot, following narrow winding lanes through the Castle Town, as described by Rick Steves in his self-guided walk called “Alfama Stroll and the Castle.” The Castle Town neighborhood began to grow outside the castle during the Visigoth period (6th to 8th centuries CE). The streets here are paved with black and white cobblestones, which is characteristic of all of central Lisbon. The cobblestones are not easy to walk on, especially when wet.

A typical narrow lane in the Castle Town

Patterned cobblestones near the Hotel Avenida Palace

As we descended further, we arrived at the Alfama neighborhood. A lookout near a church offered another view of Lisbon. Here we found a tile mural depicting the reconquest of Lisbon from the Moors by Afonso Henriques.

We continued through the winding lanes, looking at the ancient houses, crumbling but drenched with character, with narrow balconies hung with laundry, thick walls, and many without bathrooms.  (There are public bathrooms for the neighborhoods.) Farther down we came to tiny fado bars, where you can enjoy the local music.  (More on fado on another day.)

You have to really look at the tiles. Not all of them are 300 years old.

At some point we got lost and could not follow Rick’s route, but you can’t get too lost here. We kept going downhill, and arrived at the Fado Museum, where the walk ended.

We went back to the hotel and did another Rick Steves self-guided walk called Bairro Alto & Chiado Stroll. This walk started at the Elevador da Glória. This is the funicular that was involved in a tragic accident a few weeks ago. Needless to say, it was not in operation. We had to walk up a very steep hill.

At a small park at the top, we found yet another viewpoint with a view back across the city towards the castle.

Next up was the São Roque Church, boasting a richly-appointed chapel that came from the Vatican. Our next stop was supposed to be the oldest beer hall in Lisbon, but we could not find it. Somewhere near here we passed a bar where ladies left some souvenirs. 

Sunday

We went back to finish the Bairro Alto & Chiado Stroll.The world’s oldest bookstore is located in this neighborhood.

We also happened upon a different level of the Santa Justa elevator, which I mentioned the other day. This photo shows how a walkway extends from the back of the top of the elevator to the upper neighborhood known as Bairro Alto. 

Finally, we went to the site of a former convent to do an Earthcache, which is a type of geocache that has a geology theme. In this case, the theme of the Earthcache was the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. The earthquake has been estimated to have been 8.9 on the Richter Scale. It was felt throughout Europe and North Africa. Some 85% of Lisbon’s buildings were destroyed by the quake or the subsequent firestorm that engulfed the city. A series of tsunamis triggered by the quake inundated much of the port area and caused more death and damage. It was a catastrophic event for the city and was the first earthquake studied scientifically over a large area. Enlightenment philosophers debated whether God was punishing Lisbon for the evil behavior of Lisbon’s citizenry.

The remains of the Carmo Convent have been left standing as a reminder.

Rebuilding started almost immediately. As a result, the central downtown area benefitted from some early urban planning. There are parks and other open spaces, and the buildings are all four stories tall. The architectural style is relatively minimalist and uniform. The main streets are straight, wide, and tree-lined. 

We then said goodbye to Central Lisbon and to the delightful Hotel Avenida Palace and took an Uber to a newer part of Lisbon about 20 minutes away. Here we checked into the Corinthia Hotel to begin the next stage of our trip.  I will talk about that in my next post.

Today’s fabric is “Saudade” by selmacardoso for Spoonflower. Saudade is a Portuguese word that does not have an English equivalent. It is a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is characteristic of the Portuguese temperament. All of the images on this pattern evoke important symbols of Portuguese culture which might give rise to a feeling of saudade.

Foodies’ Delight

Friday, October 31, 2025

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate. It is definitely celebrated here in Portugal, though not as universally and enthusiastically as at home.

Today is our first full day in lovely Lisbon, and it helps that we slept in a real bed last night. With a clearer head, I went to finish off the final stage of yesterday’s geocache. It was easy, but at the end a homeless man appeared out of nowhere just in time to see us return the cache to its hiding place. Oops.

I was still there a few minutes later when the homeless man returned and made a beeline to the cache to retrieve it. I tried to discourage him, but I really didn’t have the ability to communicate with him about anything that specific. I suspect he will be back in a few hours to get the cache. When he finds that it does not contain drugs or money he will probably throw it on the ground and the cache owner will have to obtain a new cache container and find a new hiding place.

Next on my agenda was getting a manicure. People coming and going from the salon were doing a lot of hugging and cheek-kissing with the owner and the staff. It seemed like a warm and happy place. 

Next, it was time to go to a church in the Alfama neighborhood to meet our guide, Gisela, from Culinary Backstreets, for a food tour. It turned out that we were the only two people on the food tour.

We started the tour with a visit to a nondescript little tasca (pronounced tash-ka). It means a small, no-frills neighborhood tavern or bar selling food.

Gisela and Ken discussing the role of the tasca in a neighborhood’s life

Arroz malandro (naughty rice) is a Portuguese comfort food. Gisela served us two types: arroz polvo (octopus rice) and frango assado (roast chicken). I have never been willing to try octopus because the thought of it makes me gag. I decided to be brave and try it this time. I ate one small piece. It wasn’t rubbery as I expected - but I only wanted one piece. Now I can say I have tasted it.

Octopus rice, roast chicken with rice

Plus, salad and wine in traditional pottery carafes

On the way to our next stop we tried castanha de ovo. It was a very sweet custard dessert shaped like an egg. Traditionally, this treat was made in a convent. Next, we tried a wonderful donut called bola de Berlim.

At a school started by a labor union in a poor neighborhood we took a break at a coffee shop. We were schooled by Gisela in how to order coffee. Uma bica means a shot of espresso. It will be served in a tiny cup. Pingado means “with milk.” Bica garoto means “with foamy milk.” Meia de lette means half-milk and is similar to a flat white. Galão is comparable to a latte.

At another tasca we tried tremoço, or lupini beans.

I was very surprised to learn that they come from the lupine flower. Wild lupine grows abundantly in our part of Alaska.

Lupines
Photo by schnuddel, at Getty Images

The important thing to know is these beans are poisonous, unless cooked first. I really liked the vinho verde (green wine) we had with the beans. It was very light.

And while we were eating the tremoços, a dish of Portuguese clams arrived (amêijoas à bulhão pato) arrived. Very garlicky. We sopped up the sauce with the ubiquitous rustic bread.

We had some small shrimp, too - gambas à guilho (garlic shrimp). Scenes from the 2nd tasca:

After our “dinner” we stopped at a neighborhood bakery for queijada, a type of traditional cake made with cheese. We couldn’t eat any more, so we took it with us in a bag. We ate it the next day and it was nice, though very sweet. The cheese was quite mild. We also drank some fresh-squeezed orange juice at the bakery. The Portuguese grow a lot of oranges, and they are rightfully very proud of them. 

Saving the best for last, Gisela finally took us to a small , beautiful reastaurant called Garum. (Garum is a fermented fish sauce that was used by many of the ancient Mediterranean cultures.) We met the chef/owner, Phillip,  who had spent several years working in Japanese restaurants in Portugal. Phillip has developed his own versions of garum, using sardines and other local fish. He placed a drop of a clear liquid on the back of each of our hands and we licked it off. It was light, but rich and complex. Just amazing. Then we were served shots of a gorgeous fish soup. You can’t tell from the photo how captivating this soup was.

Then came a drop of a tea-colored garum, followed by a nigiri sardine. Phillip blasted the sardines with a blow torch at the table, and then put a little bit of chunky sea salt on the fish. Oh, my!!!

The small bottle in the background contains garum.

On our way out , Phillip showed us his prep room in the back. It was spotlessly clean, of course, and full of various kinds of fish that he was drying. 

This tour lasted for 6 hours! It was phenomenal!  Thank you, Gisela, for a memorable tour.❤

Back at the Avenida Palace, we found some Halloween chocolates and a useful tote bag on our bed, gifts from the hotel. 

Today’s fabric is Sardines Portuguese - Big by ewa-brzozowska for Spoonflower.