Lisbon in Small Doses: Alfama and Pastel de Nata

As we moved into our second week here in Lisbon, Alexis is taking her turn at being sick. I wish there was a way everyone could just get sick all at once and get it over with. There was a small window where we all felt well enough to go out and explore for a bit. We walked to the neighborhood of Alfama, which is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon. We also tried the famous traditional Portuguese dessert – Pastel de Nata.

Where Lisbon Began

Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon and is often referred to as the “ancient heart” of the city. It’s the part of the city that largely survived the 1775 earthquake mostly intact and is a very popular tourist spot. Alfama is also very close to where cruise ships dock, so if timed wrong it can be extremely crowded. It was busy when we went, but didn’t feel overwhelming. We enjoyed wandering around the narrow alleyways that Alfama is famous for.

Dave and I went back there one afternoon and enjoyed a drink on a patio overlooking the Tagus river. So many stunning views here!

Pastel de Nata

When I asked anyone I knew that had been to Portugal what they would recommend, almost everyone said the Pastel de Nata. This is a small custard tart, that is a famous Portuguese dessert. A friend mentioned that her favorite spot for these was Manteigaria and we happened to stumble upon it during our time in Aflama. We all tried one and they were delicious! No one declared it their favorite dessert ever, but we will definitely try more during our time here.

Signs and Sunsets

Menos Tourismo, Mais Bairro

I noticed these yellow signs hanging from balconies almost immediately when we arrived. We walk past multiple of them on our way to the grocery store. I didn’t pay much attention to them, but after seeing them more and more, we looked into exactly what it says and what they mean. With Dave’s little Portuguese he took a guess at what they said and he was correct. “Less Tourism, More Neighborhood”

Apparently, this is a pretty big issue here. Short-term rentals like Airbnb have converted residential apartments into tourist accommodations, shrinking the housing supply for locals and increasing rent prices. It doesn’t feel very welcoming looking out the window of our Airbnb and seeing these signs. This problem isn’t specific to Lisbon, it’s happening in other places in Europe as well.

Lisbon Sunset

So far, Braxton has stayed healthy. He and I have enjoyed some long walks and recently stopped to watch the sunset over a lookout spot. It was extremely crowded, but we found a little place to tuck away from everyone.

As we were walking we talked about our favorite places this year and ones we didn’t like as much. Braxton said La Fortuna was his least favorite, which surprised me at first. There was so much nature there which he loves and different bugs to explore. After talking more about it, I realized he didn’t like it because that was the start of our year long journey and everything felt hard. We were still figuring out how to be away from home and together all the time just the four of us. Soon, we’ll have to figure out the opposite.