alejestem

I like cake. I can picture my death certificate stating “Death by cake”. So, you can imagine my shock and delight to discover that the first time I visited the neighbourhood of Belém in August 2006, I completely missed the third most famous place to visit – La Fabrica de Pasteis de Belém (the Factory of Belém cakes). This “factory” has been in existence since 1837 and since those heady days has been churning out these delicacies (made to a closely guarded secret recipe) for the baying and adoring local population. I made my pilgrimage on a Saturday evening. Big mistake. The place was mobbed. I thought that mabye finally, the shop/café selling the cakes was closing down and there was a run on the final stocks. But no. Such is life in the Fabrica. The coffee shop itself is cavernous. Huge cannot describe it and not one seat to be had. People were fighting to get to the counter.

What you get is a box with six “pasteis” (pronounced pasteysh). They are still hot. Hot and custardy. They give you a little pack of cinnamon to shake over them if you are that way inclined. The first mouthful of hot custard and puff pastry is like a bomb going off in your mouth and you rapidly scoff the rest of the tartlet. You are anxiously waiting to finish so you can have a second one and by the third you are starting to feel like a big custard-covered pig. The remaining three cakes served as a pre-breakfast treat the next morning.

IF YOU DO NOTBUYTHESE “PASTEIS” YOUHAVENOTREALLYBEEN IN PORTUGAL!

When we left the Regency Hotel, my eyes were drawn to a shop sign for “The Wrong Shop” (Calçada do Sacramento, 25). I made a mental note to revisit and that’s what I did the very next day. Was it worth it? Yes indeed. I discovered a very ironic Portuguese sense of humour. This shop sells “playful and useful” objects. They look at things in an unusal and original way. They have a team of talented young Portuguese designers who create “wrong” gifts which are closely related to traditional Portuguese symbols. My favourites included the “Wrong Gift” which was a snowglobe with the Virgin of Fatima, the picture of the Mona Lisa with a hosptial background and the tagline “She tried to be a nurse and failed”. Ironic t-shirts with messages like “Portugal is just a country beside Spain” and “Portugal apologises for creating Fado” were must-buys. The poor girl in the shop thought I was a big freak as I walked around taking photos of all the “objects” and laughing to myself. In the end, I bought lots of things to bring home as gifts. This is a place you HAVE to visit if you want to find funny and original gifts that nobody else will have. Trust me. My friends are still laughing about theirs!

In February, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks working in Lisbon. Good fortune was with me and the weather held out while I was there. On my first evening in Lisbon, my friends brought me to a place everyone should visit at the beginning of their trip to Lisbon. On the Rua Nova do Almada 114 in the atmospheric neighbourhood of Chiado, you will find the Lisboa Regency Chiado Hotel. Like all hotels, it has its lobby, its bedrooms, its restaurants etc, but the most amazing thing about this hotel is its beautiful rooftop terrace with stunning views over Baixa, the Castilo de San Jorge and the Cathedral. Sipping a reassuring cup of tea and watching the sun go down over the Tago river in the open air is a true pleasure. From your vantage point in this “crow’s nest” you can choose all the things you want to visit during your visit to the beautiful Portuguese capital city. And all for a measly 1-2€. Who needs a journey organiser?