June 5 and 6 – Lisboa, Portugal, 2022

June 5 – After arriving in Lisbon from Fes, Morroco, we checked into our Hotel, the Pousada Lisboa and spent the evening with Ana Paula, our food tour guide, who would take us through the oldest part of Lisbon, the Alfama neighborhood, where we would sample street food. 

During our tour we sampled Pastel de Nata, the most iconic pastry in Portugal and one of the most delicious gifts that Portugal ever gave to the world. Because egg whites were needed by the nuns to whiten their clothes, monks combined the leftover egg yolks with flower, sugar, and almonds – and the famous Pastel de Nata was born.

In early June Lisbon celebrates St. Anthony, the patron of lost things. So, the city has a huge party starting June 1st that climaxes on the evening of June 12th. As we walked the narrow and packed streets of the Alfama district that evening, we sampled codfish fritters and whole grilled sardines on bread. Eating Sardines during this time of year is a tradition, like Americans eating Turkey during Thanksgiving. It is common to see sardines being grilled street-side everywhere during this long festival. 

June 6 – The next day our guide, Claudia, who is from Lisbon, gave us a detailed history of Portugal and Lisbon, from the celts, to the Phoenicians, to the Romans, to the Moors, to the Christian Crusades, where the Moors would be expelled back to Morocco. Claudia said that most southern Portuguese, including those from Lisbon, have mostly Moroccan/Berber ancestry. Both areas also produce olives, walnuts, cork, and wine.

Although Portugal’s boundaries have been one of the most stable in Europe over the past 700 years, and despite being a world power for over 300 years, it is now one of Europe’s poorest countries. Brazil was one of its largest colonies at one time. Its current economic situation can be traced back to the almost 40-year dictatorship of Antonio Salazar, who ruled Portugal under a very oppressive and authoritarian regime from 1932 to 1968.  Salazar’s policies pushed Portugal backwards economically.

After our history lesson, Pete and I spent the rest of our birthdays (we were both born June 6^th) in Lisbon wandering the streets of the city, treating ourselves to birthday massages at our hotel, and finally ending the day with a wonderful birthday dinner at Palacio Chiado.