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Las Fallas and beyond: Nikki's trip to Valencia and Lisbon

Las Fallas and beyond: Nikki's trip to Valencia and Lisbon

Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 04:32 AM
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Fabulous, Nikki!
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Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 05:14 AM
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Thursday we are meeting our friends for a drive to Sesimbra, where we will have lunch. We walk to Rossio, a large plaza with a tile pattern that creates the sensation of walking over the waves. Seriously, I feel I need something to hold onto. I find a bench and plan to wait here for our friends. There is a couple from Manchester, England sitting on the bench and we start talking. They are on a cruise. They have been to the Canary Islands but didn’t like it. Everything is the same there, nothing to see. They are really wanting to get home to Manchester. Can’t wait till the ship leaves Lisbon and heads home.

Glad that we don’t feel this way, we see our friend Lobo approach. Lobo was an active member of this message board some years ago; I first met him and his wife at a get-together in Lisbon in 2006, when a few visiting Americans and some locals from Lisbon had a memorable evening of dinner and fado at a restaurant in Belem. Alan and I have gotten together with them several times over the next couple of years but it has now been ten years since we saw them. I am so very happy to see him, and we go to the car where his wife is waiting. Hugs and kisses all around.

As we drive off toward the bridge that looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, we reminisce about the last time we were all together, in Evora in 2009. We were driving around the town in circles looking for a particular restaurant. We stopped several times to ask directions and were sent down any number of wrong alleyways. We even asked the police, with no greater success. The restaurant, when we finally found it, was wonderful, a quirky little place with a fixed menu and a slightly manic chef.

We are talking so spiritedly that Lobo misses his turn. We drive some ways and he announces that we are completely off course. This is starting to feel familiar. We are entering the town of Setubal. This is all very interesting and we find ourselves driving along the waterfront. We leave the town and see a sign for a cement factory. We are told that this was a very controversial project. In a short while we understand why; we are now driving through a beautiful natural area with winding cliff roads along the ocean.












At some point it becomes clear that we are headed in the right direction, and we do make it to Sesimbra, where we are heading for Taberna Isaias. This is a tiny place with a grill outside the front door and a case of fresh fish inside. You pick out the fish for them to put on the grill. We select razor clams, fish eggs, red snapper, grouper, and some other local fish. It is all wonderful.




















After lunch, we walk down to the waterfront and pick a cafe to sit in, where we enjoy sardines for dessert. These sardines are a type of pastry, however. We while away the afternoon with coffee and conversation before heading back to Lisbon. The ride back is much shorter than the ride out, and Lobo drops us off at our apartment. We are having dinner with them tomorrow evening, so this is a short good-bye.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 09:57 AM
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Such nice pictures. Happy to see that you are still surfing successfully the GTG wave.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 01:18 PM
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Great report Nikki. And great that you were able to see Lobo again.



Question about your camera - I know you also have a 'regular' DSLR and you mention that this one is smaller. Do you notice it significantly lighter and easier to haul around? Do you think it takes as good images (the ones you posted are wonderful)? How does it do in low light? (Must be ok as I assume some of those shots were inside and or at night). I'm in the market for a new camera and thinking I'd love to get something smaller/lighter.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 01:30 PM
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Isabel, I haven’t taken out my DSLR, a Canon Rebel XTi, since I bought my mirrorless camera. One of the reasons I bought it is that it has much higher iso settings available than my DSLR, which is now over ten years old. So you can take photos in very low light. And it is certainly significantly lighter and easier to haul around. I can’t compare whether the photos are better, but I am certainly happy with the ones I get. I liked the Olympus particularly because it has a view finder, and when I was looking a couple of years ago, the mirrorles cameras didn’t all have them. If I were you I would look at reviews of mirrorless cameras and see what you think.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2019, 07:05 PM
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Friday morning we walk around the neighborhood, stopping in the little shops, buying some souvenirs. We stop to sit at one of the many outdoor cafes along the pedestrianized Rua Augusta for drinks. Then I am attracted to an ice cream. Then I decide it’s time for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. At some point we finally leave.





Later this evening we meet Lobo and his wife and their son for dinner at the Cafe Imperio. There is a local soccer match this evening and the large downstairs dining area has a huge movie screen showing the action. We sit upstairs where there is still a large screen television, but it is a little less intense. This place has a real vintage feel, and is actually located in a former movie theater, but it has been a restaurant for a very long time. We all order steaks with a fried egg on top and a special Imperio sauce, which Lobo’s whole family usually has here, but my order is lost somehow, and I end up changing my order after seeing what everybody else got, so all is well. For dessert I have a lovely fresh ripe mango.






We spend hours here talking and finally say our goodbyes late at night, hoping we won’t have to wait ten years before getting together again.
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 01:21 AM
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Hey Nikki! Well done - a great read

Best … Ger
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 03:10 AM
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Saturday is our last day in Lisbon before flying home. We walk down to the Praca do Comercio, where there is a small craft market under the arcades. Then we have drinks at a cafe, where I hang out while Alan goes off to find something for our grandson at one of the shops we looked in yesterday.





Next we head to the train station, Cais do Sodre. We are going to Cascais to see a friend who lives there. After a forty minute train ride, we arrive in Cascais, where our friend is waiting at the station. We met her ten years ago when she was managing a wonderful bed and breakfast inn in the hilltop town of Terena in the Alentejo. She entertained us with stories of her colorful life while we stayed there, and we had a memorable dinner with her in a small, friendly, and very local restaurant in the countryside which has apparently been shut down since by the board of health.

As we drive off, she asks what we would like for lunch, and we tell her we will go anywhere she likes. As she is thinking about it, we pass a place along the road, and she says this is her favorite little restaurant, so this is where we stop, at Casa Ze Viana. We are the only customers at this somewhat awkward hour between lunch and dinner.





The family who run the restaurant are sitting at a table having their own meal, but they get up to prepare and serve our lunch.

Our friend and Alan both order the daily special, which is salt cod and potatoes, while I order lamb chops. For an appetizer, the proprietor brings over a heaping platter of something I have never had before but I knew immediately that I wanted some. They are goose neck barnacles, a delicacy that is harvested with great difficulty in the local waters. It is sold by weight, and we pick out enough for us each to have one cluster, which resembles a fan. You peel and suck the meat out of the tubes. It tastes somewhat like steamed clams. Alan goes for a second one. When will we ever see this again?








After a long, chatty lunch, we head for a drive around the area, which is beautiful. We pass many tour buses along the long and winding road to the westernmost point of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca. It turns out this is where all the tour buses were coming and going. There is such a crowd that we don’t even stop. We drive past the lighthouse and admire the view as we go. We drive along the ocean all the way back to Cascais. There are many people here, but our friend tells us that it is so crowded in summer she doesn’t go out at all on weekends.







She points out many beautiful homes, tells us tales about the celebrities who own and owned them. We hear stories of her life in the area and see where the secret places are to pick freesia and lupine, which we see blooming profusely along the roadsides. When we reach the station, we say our good-byes, happy to have had this opportunity to catch up and remind ourselves why we all got along so well when we met before.

After the train ride back to Lisbon, it is time to pack up our things. Alan goes out late in the evening to find something for supper, but it is too late for me and I am asleep when he returns. He has gone to a cafe and gotten into a conversation with a couple of tourists. I admire his stamina when I hear about it in the morning.

The Lisbon airport is enormous, there has been a real change since the small, older terminal I remember from ten years ago. Our flight back home is uneventful, just the way we like it. The snow on our street has mostly melted. And now, at home, I am warming myself with thoughts of vibrant street festivals and sunny beaches.


Last edited by Nikki; Apr 4th, 2019 at 03:35 AM.
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 06:31 AM
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Another great read! Wonderful photos. Thank you.
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 10:44 AM
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Brava, Nikki!
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 11:05 AM
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Wondeful trip report Nikki. You are a good writer, and I like your clear and fun photos. I wish i could go to more GTG's and this one in Valencia was very special!! Thanks.
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Old Apr 4th, 2019, 11:03 PM
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Love your report from both places - we went to Las Fallas 20 years ago - loved it .
You forgot Ann from UK in your who was there list !
What a wonderful way to see Lisbon with locals
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Old Apr 5th, 2019, 01:38 AM
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I would never forget Ann! I am not sure what list you are thinking of, but I have avoided naming the people in my photos because I am afraid of getting someone’s name or screen name wrong.

It was wonderful having local connections in Lisbon. I had a long list of things to do and restaurants to try and didn’t get to any of it. This was much better.
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Old Apr 5th, 2019, 05:19 AM
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Still enjoying reading your delightful report. You are a good storyteller. Did you like your Lisbon apt? If so would you mind sharing a link to it? Thanks!
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Old Apr 6th, 2019, 07:30 AM
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The Lisbon apartment was exceptionally convenient, an excellent location. It is brand new and somewhat sterile, but that’s to be expected in a serviced apartment like this. it had only one drawback in my mind, which was that the walk-in shower was exceedingly slippery. I do not have a link to the apartment but I booked it on booking.com (if I try now to get a link it keeps taking me to the app, from which I can not share a link) and you can search under Residentas Aurea.
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Old Apr 9th, 2019, 12:39 PM
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I would never forget Ann! I am not sure what list you are thinking of, but I have avoided naming the people in my photos because I am afraid of getting someone’s name or screen name wrong.>>

if you forgot me, Nikki, I wasn't aware of it [til now!]

Thank you so much for doing this so I didn't have to - the Valencia part at least! And thank you too for the account of the rest of your trip in Lisbon, which is a place that I have always wanted to visit but not managed yet. Fabulous photos too, plus descriptions of our doings. Such a great time we had, didn't we, with friends old and new.

<<Thanks, Nikki! I've done some reading since posting my questions to you and it definitely sounds doable--in terms of finding some peace away from the action when we needed a break. I'm definitely going to keep it in mind, especially since it would be easy to pair with Madrid, where we wanted to spend more time.>>

Indyhiker, from my PoV the AC Colon was hard to beat, though some of the rooms, not mine, had a slightly strange configuration. Though it was close to the action it was far enough from the heart of it to be relatively quiet, there is a nice bar, and it's close enough to walk to Valencia Nord station too. [free shuttle bus to Joachin Sorolla Station which is where the trains to Madrid start and end]. I booked my tickets to and from Madrid about a month in advance which got me a reasonable price but I think I could have got a better price if I'd remembered to do it earlier. IMO the first class was worth going for - it's very comfy and you get drinks and a snack which ended up being my breakfast the next day!

Of course the city was busy but unless you were trying to get across the main procession route it was easy enough to get around, and they erect a pedestrian bridge to help you cross over the procession. As Nikki's great report describes it is a unique experience being there during the festival and though there were lots of people you could still get into bars and cafes. We had the luxury of mostly having restaurants reserved for us but I'm sure we could suggest places between us and you could book in advance if you wanted to. When the need arose The Fork app worked very well in Valencia and in Madrid where I spent 3 nights after Valencia [with a one night stop over in Toledo en route]. And if you got fed up of all the people it's dead easy to jump on a train for a day trip to one of the lovely little towns and cities in the region. I wouldn't hesitate to go again if I had the chance.
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Old Apr 13th, 2019, 04:42 PM
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Really enjoyed your TR, Nikki -- we are headed to Porto and Lisbon for 3 nights each in September.
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Old Apr 14th, 2019, 03:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Nikki
I am sure some regular attractions were closed; for instance the central market closed for several days. And streets were closed in the center of the city.
just want to clarify this —- the information that the market was closed due to Las Fallss was subsequently learned to be false. It was closed as per usual on Sunday and for a stat holiday on Tuesday. I mention this as it would be a non starter for me to miss that market — if indyhiker feels the same!
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Old Apr 14th, 2019, 03:53 AM
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Thanks for the additional perspective, Annhig. I’ve not yet talked my husband into it. He’s a light sleeper (and someone who is a bit particular about getting his sleep), and I think he’s having some anxiety about all the fireworks. But even if I don’t succeed, I think this report at least made us take a closer look at Valencia, which seems to offer so much to do and see. A fallback plan may be to go a week later (in 2021) to Valencia. From there, we’d return to Madrid for Semana Santa. Less intense than, say, Seville, but interesting all the same.
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Old Apr 15th, 2019, 03:45 AM
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Sounds like your whole trip was a great success -as usual. I'm wondering did the festivities extend to all areas of the city center or just the main squares? I'm always curious how different a city feels when there is a festival on. When I was there just over a week later I still saw some fencing (main square) and crowd barriers being taken down and such. Anyway, probably both times are great to visit just different. I usually try to stay away from festivals as I like to see places in their 'natural' state, but when I have been somewhere during a festival it's always been a great experience.


I see in that last photo you have your Olympus. I am just about to buy an EM5 (thanks in large part to your suggestion to look at Olympus). Wondering what lens you have (and do you switch lenses on a trip)?
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