We’re back from a lovely week of sunshine and relaxation. We left early Thurs morning and drove to Bordeaux airport, without hitting too much traffic on the way. We arrived in Lisbon and took the metro to our hotel. I got the street right, but we walked right by the hotel so had a brief stroll in the rain with our luggage before doubling back to find it. It was a nicer place than we’re used to staying, but I got a good deal on it, so didn’t break the bank.
It was 14C and raining on and off the day we arrived, but cleared up after that. We strolled down to the old town and took in the sights before stopping for a cocktail at a sidewalk cafe. We returned to the hotel, made a dinner reservation and then hit the bars, starting with the one in the hotel. We were surprised how inexpensive everything is there, and discovered that it’s the most affordable capital in Europe (as well as the oldest). We ventured out and had another drink in a tapas bar restaurant where smoking is allowed. Technically, it’s against EU regs to allow smoking, but they put up a little blue sign and that makes it ok. We ate at a Portuguese restaurant which was fairly good, although we may have have been a bit too tipsy to fully appreciate it. There is a cluster of gay bars in the same neighbourhood (the Barrio Alto) and we managed to find a couple of them before wandering home.
The next morning, we headed out to the aquarium which is in a newer part of town. We took the metro, which covers the entire city, including the airport and costs €1.45 per ride. Although we got off at the right stop, it took us nearly an hour of wandering before we found it. This was mostly along the banks of the Targus river, which is a large estuary like Bordeaux. The aquarium was really interesting, consisting of a large main tank representing the Atlantic, filled with sharks, rays and loads of other fish. There were divers in the tank, feeding the fish by hand, including the sharks. Surrounding the main tank are smaller areas, representing the other oceans, including one with a pair of sea otters. Will eventually dragged me away and we spent a pleasant time wandering around and taking pictures (see the album above).
We took the metro back to the centre and had lunch at an outdoor cafe, located on a pedestrian street. We chose the only place where there wasn’t a guy outside, showing you their menu and trying to entice you inside. It rained hard for about 10 minutes while we ate, the only time it did so that day. Afterwards, we both had shopping success: Will got a pair of sandals and a jumper; and I got a new pair of blue shoes. Then we wandered up the hill towards the castle at the top. I believe it dates to the 6th C, so there isn’t much left except the walls. It’s got great views of the city from inside, but there was a long queue and it’s expensive, so we found a free vantage point nearby. Lisbon is very hilly, with old trams and cobblestone streets, so not the easiest place to navigate on foot. We stopped at the same cafe as the previous day and enjoyed a caipirinha while watching a protest march go by, then made our way back to the hotel.
Will graciously agreed to indulge my sushi cravings, and we found an excellent Japanese restaurant that night. They also serve gyoza and noodles, so Will didn’t go hungry. I had an enormous combo platter with over 30 pieces of sashimi, rolls and nigiri and it was divine. We ate in a separate room where the two tables were low to the ground and you ate sitting on cushions. At the other table was grandma-mother-daughter trio from NY. We amused ourselves listening to them order, and pester the server with questions and requests. There are tourists from all over in Lisbon, including some Americans, but the majority seem to be French. We were surprised to learn that for many locals, the second language is equally if not more likely to be French than English. We went back to a few of the bars that night and overheard the barman carrying on a fluent conversation with a French couple. It was an early-ish night since we had to be up in the morning for our flight to Cape Verde.
We left the hotel around 7am and got the metro to the airport. We were flying Air Portugal along with the rest of the world, so the baggage drop was a bit chaotic. I’m pleased to report that we only had one flight delay of 30 minutes, but no major hassles. However, we were stymied many times by our fellow travellers, especially around security and passport control. On our flight home from Lisbon, I had to wait behind five women who each had bottles of water and juice boxes in the carry-ons. Also, passport control is all done electronically, which requires placing your passport in a slot and waiting, then standing on big yellow footprints to have your picture taken. This process seemed to baffle a number of people, usually the ones just in front of Will. The flight to Cape Verde was full of middle aged French women, who spent much of the flight standing in the aisle and talking loudly.
It was a four hour flight and it went quickly enough. We needed visas to get into the country, which meant handing over €50 and getting our passports stamped. We were off the plane quickly so didn’t have to wait long. There was a taxi waiting to take us to our hotel in the main city of Mindelo. The country is made up of 10 volcanic islands, in two five-island chains. We were on Sao Vicente, towards the western end of the northern chain. The city is built along a bay and has a decent sized port. Most of the buildings were built in the 60’s or 70’s at a guess, so aren’t architecturally interesting, but are painted in bright primary colours. We took a walk along the seaside, then had a drink at the hotel. Our criteria for a hotel were pool, bar and near the beach. The place we stayed was the only one that fit the bill, and although it was probably the most expensive, it was the same price as the Ibis in Lisbon. Everything there is cheap, especially the caipirinhas at €2 a pop in some places.
The food there isn’t great, even when taking into account our high standards. We rely on Trip Advisor to find restaurants so we weren’t expecting culinary delights based on the reviews. Despite this, we had some decent meals featuring lots of fish for me and pasta and chicken for Will. They mainly have tuna and serra, which is like swordfish, and I had both, grilled and as carpaccio a couple of times. Our most interesting dining experience was at a place popular with the locals – more of a bar but they served food. The owner is from Canada so speaks perfect French as well as Spanish and Portuguese. We had fried croquettes with fish and crab that Will tried and enjoyed with rugai as the main, a sausage dish in a spicy tomato sauce. We had heard he makes a good mojito, so tried one before moving on to a kiwi caipirinha, which needed eating with a spoon.
During the day, we mainly read by the pool, both morning and afternoon. It was 25C most days, but there is a constant wind that keeps it feeling cool. It can be gusty at times, and with patches of cloud, it was a bit of struggle to sit pool side. Undeterred, we wrapped our legs in towels and wore long sleeves until it calmed down. The hotel has a bar restaurant on the nearby beach, so we hung out there a couple times. We went into the ocean up to the knees, but it wasn’t really swimming weather. The people there are very smiley and friendly, especially at the hotel. I mentioned it was our honeymoon, and they sent up a fruit plate and sparkling wine on our first night. We did get hassled once or twice by people asking for money, but nothing threatening or dangerous. One guy in particular, a rasta named George, started following us after we passed, told us about a restaurant we should go to and then hit us up for cash. We later read a negative review of the place on Trip Advisor from a few years ago, and they mentioned the same guy. He probably isn’t aware of his infamy but it amused us anyway.
So we passed a very pleasant four days, reading lots of books and sampling the caipirinhas. The hotel bar even had Absolut Raspberri, which we’ve been enjoying at home recently after Anne & Andrew brought us a few bottles. We had to check emails every day, and respond to a few only to say that we were away and would respond when we return. The server behaved itself, so I didn’t need to use my old laptop that I’d lugged along for emergencies. We left on Wed afternoon and got to our hotel in Lisbon around 7:30. Although there were a few places doing pizza on the island, we decided to save it until we got back to Lisbon and we were wise in our decision. We stayed out near the airport in a modern area of town with lots of offices, residential buildings, hotels and restaurants. We found a local place with a limited menu, but excellent pizzas, even better than the ones we get here. We were up early for our return flight and arrived at our car at the airport at midday. It only took a bit over 2 hours to get home, in time for lunch that Andrew had left for us.
Anne and Andrew arrived the day before we left to work on their place, and look after ours and the cats. They went shopping for fixtures and are also looking for a wood stove/oven for the kitchen. They made good progress on the wainscotting plus got the outbuildings cleared for their demolition. Jean, the plumber/electrician has been making progress too, albeit slowly. Will and I had been working up until the moment his parents arrived, so we had a simple supper of eggs and hashbrowns that night. Anne flew back on Sunday, and Andrew left yesterday. He also made a chicken pie for the three of us for our return dinner, so we got to chill out the afternoon returned.
Friday wasn’t as relaxing as we’d hoped. We’d told clients that we’re back at work on Monday so hadn’t planned to work yesterday. However, a client rang us at 9:30 with an emergency, so we spent the day on that plus doing lots of other catch-up from our week away. We had dinner at Manu and Mathilde’s last night, along with Phillipe and Francoise. She is back from Australia, finishing up her thesis. She called by the day before we left, and we had a nice catch-up over an aperitif. She was hoping to find work there, but it didn’t pan out so she’s back. Once their divorce goes through, she will sell the house and plans to buy an apartment in Nice. It will be nice to have her here even if it’s not permanent.
M&M served an excellent meal, as usual. Manu made an African dish of chicken legs slowly cooked in a peanut sauce, served over rice with spiced sweet potatoes and carrots. Mathilde hit a home run with her first go at banoffee pie. She decided to try it after Will explained what it was and that it was his favourite. Today we’ve both been busy doing chores, including many loads of laundry for Will, and a run to Nontron to see a client and do the weekly shop for me. It’s Ben’s 50th birthday today, so I’ll be chatting with him later on. I had a Skype convo with Mike – first time we’ve chatted in a long time. Ok, with this chore now done, I’m off to relax.