I got up in time to get packed and have breakfast with Sam and his school friends at the Hotel Moderno before they headed off on their sightseeing and I headed to the airport to Portugal. So strange to not have Sam in my room. Said our goodbyes and then as they headed off on their tour I took a map and wandered around the city. Their hotel is in the best location. This time I took Av de Mayor. I was able to go by the Plaza Mayor and past several churches and at the end of the way the quite roads led me to the Palace and to the main Cathedral. I have been here before but it all seems new. I was one of only a few that were in the plaza and could really enjoy the grandeur of the palace and cathedral without anyone around. Inside the church was as expected, spectacular. Although I have to admit, they are all blending together.
I arrived in Lisbon in the early afternoon and at my hotel the Lapa Palace Hotel. It was perfect, I was tired and it was sunny when I arrived and I parked my bag and went right to the pool where I fell asleep in the sun and had a salad for lunch. As soon as the rain started coming I grabbed my things and made a dash to the spa where I enjoyed a great massage. This feels like vacation! In the evening the concierge helped me try and formulate a plan for the next 4 days. We organized a driver and guide for tomorrow so that I can see what is open on Monday, and then see Sentra and it's castles and the beach area of Casias, where they will drop me. The concierge suggested a hotel for a couple nights in Casias, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind but after staying up for a couple hours late into the night researching where to stay and realizing most places were already booked- first time we have been traveling in high season all year, this morning I ended up just booking the hotel he recommended so I would stop thinking about it and have a plan.
For dinner they recommended a restaurant where I could here Fado, which is the famous music of Portugal and specifically Lisbon. Originally sung and written mostly by women mourning a loss of someone, their spouse at sea, love lost, no love, seamen singing of woes or love, but it is a passionate kind of music and with at least 2 guitars accompanying the singer. Last night at Sr. Leonardo Restaurant, which I couldn't even get a reservation until 8 which is a big change from Germany, and then the musicians came on around 9:30. The sound of the guitarists and and rich voice of the vocalists reverberated off the walls of the low cieling and solid plaster walls. It was truly dinner and a show. 4 different singers came on, I stayed for three of them: 2 women and a man. It was great to have different singers and appreciate the same genre but with different voices which all were different in tone and resonance. The Portuguese guitar, which has 12 strings, was so fun to hear- loved it!
I arrived in Lisbon in the early afternoon and at my hotel the Lapa Palace Hotel. It was perfect, I was tired and it was sunny when I arrived and I parked my bag and went right to the pool where I fell asleep in the sun and had a salad for lunch. As soon as the rain started coming I grabbed my things and made a dash to the spa where I enjoyed a great massage. This feels like vacation! In the evening the concierge helped me try and formulate a plan for the next 4 days. We organized a driver and guide for tomorrow so that I can see what is open on Monday, and then see Sentra and it's castles and the beach area of Casias, where they will drop me. The concierge suggested a hotel for a couple nights in Casias, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind but after staying up for a couple hours late into the night researching where to stay and realizing most places were already booked- first time we have been traveling in high season all year, this morning I ended up just booking the hotel he recommended so I would stop thinking about it and have a plan.
For dinner they recommended a restaurant where I could here Fado, which is the famous music of Portugal and specifically Lisbon. Originally sung and written mostly by women mourning a loss of someone, their spouse at sea, love lost, no love, seamen singing of woes or love, but it is a passionate kind of music and with at least 2 guitars accompanying the singer. Last night at Sr. Leonardo Restaurant, which I couldn't even get a reservation until 8 which is a big change from Germany, and then the musicians came on around 9:30. The sound of the guitarists and and rich voice of the vocalists reverberated off the walls of the low cieling and solid plaster walls. It was truly dinner and a show. 4 different singers came on, I stayed for three of them: 2 women and a man. It was great to have different singers and appreciate the same genre but with different voices which all were different in tone and resonance. The Portuguese guitar, which has 12 strings, was so fun to hear- loved it!
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