Pasteis de Belém and the LX factory

From Cascais we drove into Lisbon on a Sunday morning, making an essential stop along the way in Belém for pasteis de nata at the original Fabrica de Pasteis de Belém

where we got caught up with the tail end, so to speak, of the changing of the guard passing from the nearby president's palace.

These cavalrymen were absolutely not going to be distracted by the surrounding chaos of cars, tuk tuks, people hanging out of their windows and the crowds queuing for their pasteis. It was clearly a serious business for them

First we tried a sneak peek into the kitchen where 20,000 tarts are made daily 

but this is as close as you can get, because the mystique around this place relies on the original nuns' recipe being kept top secret.

The proof is in the eating, and as always these lived up to their reputation as the ultimate pastel that will ruin any lesser pastel for you. Is it partly because of their extra freshness? With one being made every second, they come to your table in the grand tiled, high-ceilinged sala still oven-warm 

Fortified by the rites of holy pasteis, we drove a little further into Lisbon, to the LX Factory,

parking outside these fabulous traditional buildings in what used to be a poor, industrial area, now decorated with artwork ...

Under the suspension bridge on the riverside, old disused factories have been reappropriated to create a huge market space.

There's everything from fresh produce to cafés to outlets for loads of independent creatives and artisans.

In the boiling heat, trees gave shade for the crowds at outdoor cafés, but there were also quiet courtyard spaces outside artists' studios

Portugal's literary greats are not forgotten - 

Saramago ...

and Pessoa ...

We spent a good hour browsing in the fantastic (both aesthetically and for content) bookshop, Ler Devagar (Read Slowly)

before considering trying the 'best chocolate cake in the country' at Landeau ...

but still too full of pasteis de nata, we just had a life-saving ice-cold drink here instead

and drove up the hills of the city into Alfama, to the gorgeous Memmo ...

 with these views over the rooftops of Lisbon and the river ...

Lisbon, Portugal

Day 11, Iberian road trip, June 2017