Our First Month in Hilly Lisbon . . .

And we are LOVING it! Sarah and I have completed our first month here in the heart of Lisbon and we couldn’t be more delighted! Since this is our second move from the US across a considerable count of time zones–yet much closer than our move to Chennai, India four years ago–we had a simpler preparation this time . . . oh, wait, we didn’t have to deal with the virus last time!

At any rate, we are still under a lockdown here but things have continued to open under a detailed plan sequencing things to help out businesses while still managing exposure. In just the last week or so, we were able to buy drinks like a cappuccino at the many coffee shops, and, next week, restaurants will be able to serve diners outside on the terrace, and in a couple more weeks, indoor dining will resume with some seating and timing guidelines. We’ll be able to start to truly explore the many, many restaurants and cafes and wine bars here, from the deliciously local to the occasional Michelin Star.

And one thing we’ve quickly learned is just how compact the old city center really is–and how perfect our location in Chiado! Our new urban lifestyle with no car has introduced us to the many neighborhood grocery/sundry shops within easy walking distance as we make our nearly daily grocery and wine jaunts to fill our backpacks. We now have our favorite, go-to for most items, Pingo Doce, down the Rua do Carmo and near Praca dos Restauradores, where we have learned that paying anything more than €2 for a bottle of good wine is way too expensive! Pingo Doce has a line of “Seleccionado Exclusivo“ wines from the various wine regions here in Portugal, and our current favorite is their simple Vinho Verde at €1.69 ($1.99!!) with its light, refreshing, slightly effervescent character–and it’s only 10% alcohol versus a typical wine’s 12% or more. Some days, though we decide to splurge and pay an extra €0.30 (yes, that’s thirty cents) for a DOC from Loureira that is noticeably more tasty! We also shop on alternate days down toward the Rio Tejo at the Mini Preço not far from the Mercado da Ribeira.

And speaking of the Mercado da Ribeira–the Riverside Market–it is Lisbon’s main food market, selling fresh vegetables and fruits as well as freshly caught seafood. It opened in 1892 and apparently many chefs buy items for their restaurants there. We had stopped by early in our time here and a couple stalls had a scattering of items, but last Saturday, we gasped when we stepped in and found the entire space overflowing with wonderful offerings. We bought some gorgeous leaf lettuce and other veggies, plus a bag of mussels, all for just over €10! The sister venue, within the same historic building, is the Time Out Market where local restaurants serve everything from pasteis da nata to prego to canned seafood from a maze of stalls. We look forward to its reopening in April as the Deconfinement continues.

Of course, right next to the Mercado is the Farmers’ Market each Saturday on the Praca da Sao Paulo, where we love grabbing some pão, some gorgeous oyster mushrooms, and our favorite Piri Piri. And great news, the folks manning the Can the Can stall–don’t miss their Anchovy Butter–told me they will be open to serve on their terrace at the Praca do Comercio 5 April. Save us a table, por favor!

In the meantime, we’ve already made friends with the UberEats fellow who rides his bike up these hills to deliver our occasional takeaway meals–okay, our frequent takeaway meals! So far, we’ve enjoyed Poke House and Le Brasserie de Entrecôte, for fabulous steak frites, and Wurst–remember “Somebody Feed Phil” on Neflix?–and Jamie’s Italian (as in Jamie Oliver’s) and most recently, our first burgers here from the Dallas Burger Joint. We had actually asked for recommendations from one of the great Facebook groups of those living here (and those planning to move) for the best burgers and we got more than a dozen delicious looking recs, so we have our work cut out for us!

But, best of all, has been our connection with Joachim, the owner of a tiny cafe right across the street from us–Restaurante Gruta da Camoes. He has introduced us to simple, delicious, local style fare and we’ve enjoyed the salmao and especially, the choco (cuttlefish) and the polvo (octopus). These meals are inexpensive and served with the traditional boiled potatoes (they are quite flavorful here) and a vegetable, all prepared by Joachim or his family. He also introduced us to the fabled Ginjinha, or simply Ginja, a shot of the sour cherry liqueur with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the glass. It turned out, on our last order, our meals weren’t quite ready when we returned to pick them up, so Joachim gifted us a couple shots of Ginja to while away the time! Delicious, dark, with an unexpected caramel and spicy quality–no wonder folks here start drinking this invigorating stuff first thing in the morning and Joachim does a brisk trade in paper cups all day long!

And we’ve come to really grasp the truth of the guidebook note that Lisbon is built on seven hills. What isn’t stated is that those hills are really, really steep and it seems like there are far more than seven of them! We are living in Chiado, about half way up the hill on the west edge of the city center–the Baixa or “lower” area–and we have filled in the gaps in our personal mind-maps in all directions now, with all but north, further up the hill toward Principe Real, meaning that we have to climb back up to get home from any other destination . . . not to mention that the historic and lovely tiled sidewalks can have their own personality, leaning one way or another unexpectedly, plus they can be slippery, especially with a bit of rain.

Finally, we continue to love the small world connections we find in so many places. Here in Lisbon, we’ve connected with several other expats through a wonderful Facebook group–only virtually so far but we know that will change. Sarah recently joined International Women in Portugal as well as a book group and looks forward to future gatherings beyond the ubiquitous zoom platform! And thanks to our time in Chennai and our connections with friends still there or elsewhere in the world, we connected with a couple who just moved here after decades in Milan. They are Swiss and American by birth and international citizens and we have thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend time together . . . not to mention that one of them is a cigar smoker . . . Then, later this summer, a couple will be moving here from China and the gentleman will be taking over a leadership position at United Lisbon International School and, wait for it, he had previously been the elementary level principal at AISC–where Sarah taught for three years–but they had left just before Sarah and I moved there! We were connected thanks to another AISC faculty couple who are now working in Tunis. Connections, connections . . . and destinations, destinations!

So, one month in and we feel pretty much right at home here in Lisbon. Oh, but wait, what about learning the language and setting up bank accounts and accessing Netflix and buying things like metro tickets and printers and whisks and pots and pans and pillow cases to fill in our flat, oh my! And all the monuments and museums and famous Lisbon sights open again on Monday! Right, sounds like another story, doesn’t it . . .