A day of comida Portuguesa

 

Descending in the tram from Memmo in the morning, the Sé was in bright sunshine, and the heat already high ...

... and the views like this ...

Up in the Bairro Alto, after exploring bookshops, we had a welcome cold beer in the rooftop bar of the Bairro Alto hotel where they were spraying guests with fine mists of cold water and serving ice-cold drinks. These views over the Tejo make this bar one of the best little spots in the city ...

From here it was a 5 minute walk to José Avillez's Bairro de Avillez for lunch, and what a treat that was ...

Sitting under the huge tiled mural with excellent and friendly service, we had corn-bread, charcuterie and cheese with a good Alvarinho 

then tuna steak with grilled polenta

 

While we ate we entertained ourselves watching the preparation in the open kitchen in front of us ...

After lunch, walking back through the Bairro Alto ...

... we passed rival restaurant Cevicheria and peeped in inquisitively to catch a glimpse of the food and decor. These two sweet waiters immediately offered to jump into my photograph underneath the giant hanging octopus and we promised them we'd return another day for lunch.

In next-door Principe Real it was a relief to enter the cool interior of Embaixada, the palace that's been transformed into an outlet for small independent Portuguese designers and creators.

We wandered round the open-plan of small open-plan shops connected by this huge central staircase with painted murals  - 19th century traditional Portuguese architecture mixed with Moorish style. 

On the way back to Memmo, close to the pretty square with the bust of actor Augusto Rosa ...

and more jarringly, located right opposite the Sé cathedral, we passed the Aljube Museum of Resistance and Freedom. Located in the former, notorious Aljube prison where dissidents were tortured and incarcerated under the dictatorship.

Then it was back to Memmo for a couple of hours of air conditioning and a swim, with these views over the rooftops of Alfama ...

In the evening we walked back down through the Baixa ...

with the last of the sun on the Arco da Augusta 

to yet another of José Avillez's gems, the tiny Pizzaria Lisboa for pasta and the best mousse de chocolate of my life (so sublime I totally forgot to take a picture)

Finally passing the golden lit-up Sé once again at the foot of the steep climb back up to Alfama, this time by taxi, after a long day of walking.

Lisbon, Portugal

Day 13, Iberian road trip, June 2017