The Start of Markovic Adventures: Honeymoon to Portugal, Part Lisbon

I started this blog a year and a half ago at the start of my European adventures called "study abroad." It's hard to imagine that only 18 months later, I am on my next European adventure with my new husband and most alarmingly - AS A MARKOVIC!

But as they say (or I say)... You can take a girl out of the Schlussel but you can't take the Schlussel out of a girl. Josh and my Schlussel adventures continue under the guise "Markovic." And here begins our honeymoon.

We arrived in Lisbon early Friday morning. It turns out that the reason it was almost impossible to get a hotel here (thank goodness for Hotwire) is partly because of a Rotary conference with 20,000 attendees. Our hotel, the Parque Real Hotel is a bit far from the center of things but walkable and completely clean and decent. They upgraded us to the top floor with a gorgeous view of Lisbon when we told them we're on our honeymoon so we have no complaints.

Pastais de Belem

Friday morning we dropped our luggage at the hotel and hit the ground running (classic Schlussel style - see the Extreme Travel blog posts from Greece and Turkey). We started in Belem and since we hadn't eaten since dinner shortly after takeoff (it was actually very edible plane food), we decided to begin with a famous pastry shop - Pastéis de Belém. We tried their signature pastry and it did not disappoint. It met the hype and then some. While topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar, the taste explosion upon first bite came mostly from the oozy custard filling. A local on-line behind us advised us not to think we'd eat one but that you need at least 3 each. So we ordered a box of 6 and a coffee and luckily found a seat in the crowded cafe.

A boy who loves his maps

After fueling up, we visited the Jeronimos Monastery and admired the grand architecture from the outside. We then went to the Marine museum, which besides giving us ideas for Purim costumes (first married Purim!), we found it a waste of time. Outside the museum, a man tried to sell Josh much-needed sunglasses but after negotiating and then changing his mind, Josh was chased down the street by the determined salesman who had called Josh in a thick accent "a man of da business."

We then walked along the water to the Belem Tower and climbed up the fortress. There was an interesting traffic system in the old building where an electric arrow would tell you if you could climb up or down the narrow staircase.

At the Belem Tower

A Man of Da Business

Next, we took the tram to the old part of the city and wandered through the narrow cobblestone streets, climbing up and up until we reached Sao Jorge Castle. There, we enjoyed stunning birds-eye views of the city and chatted with helicopter pilots who are lieutenants in the US Navy and finishing up a one-year deployment. On our way down, we stopped at the Se Cathedral and enjoyed its beautiful architecture.

We got back to the hotel with time for a quick power-nap before getting ready for Shabbat. We attended the Shaare Tikva Synagogue. [Note: if you go, email a copy of your passport to security in advance.] There, Josh was greeted by an American visitor from Englewood, NJ who told Josh he went to Frisch for high school. Upon learning this, Josh exclaimed: "My wife went to Frisch!" Such a married comment!! Anyway shout out to the Moed family visiting Lisbon to see an exhibition Eric spent the last few months working on - a pop up exhibition in the home of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese consul in France, who against orders issued over 1500 visas to refugees fleeing the Holocaust.

We ate meals at the home of a middle-aged ultra Orthodox couple whom we were put in touch with by good 'ole Chabad. They were an interesting couple who both were born and raised in Germany, converted to Judaism as adults, married, and moved to Lisbon for the wife's job at the EU as an IT person in drug regulation. They told us about the challenges of living in such a small community. Also at the meal was the husband's non-Jewish father, and an Israeli man studying in Lisbon.

Mojitos at Clube de Fado

Shabbat afternoon we explored the city, observing a number of street artists, and some free but mediocre museums. After Shabbat, we went to town for dinner at an all-you-can-eat-buffet Vegan restaurant at Jardim das Cerejas and then experienced traditional Fado music and very strong mojitos at Clube de Fado in Alfama, the oldest section of Lisbon.

While it lacks the deep history of Rome and bustle of Berlin, my major take-aways from Lisbon so far are that
1. The people are extremely nice
2. Cobblestone hurts your feet
3. Cabs are very cheap
4. The hilly city with red rooftops, surrounded by water makes for stunning views around just about every corner