Como Está, Portugal!

Did you know that it was the Portuguese who were the first to colonise India? Way back in the 1400s their enclaves of Goa, Daman, Diu and Nagar Haveli, were collectively known as Estado da India.

When India got her independence from the British Empire in 1947 the Portuguese Government under the then prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar refused to relinquish their territories despite attempts by the Indian Government at peaceful diplomatic negotiations.

To cut a long story short, on 10 December 1961, Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru submitted the following press release: “Continuance of Goa under Portuguese rule is an impossibility”. A week later a numerically superior Indian Armed Forces quickly overcame the Portuguese garrison in Goa.

History tells us that prime minister Salazar’s orders were chillingly clear. Hold Goa at all costs till reinforcements arrive. Even it meant adopting a ‘scorched earth policy’ – a military tactic of destroying everything including crops, livestock, buildings, and infrastructure.

Thankfully, the reinforcements never came. As a direct response to India’s support during the Suez Crisis of 1956, Egypt had blocked the Portuguese navy at the Suez Canal.

Despite his orders, Governor-General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva was forced to surrender and on 19 December, 1961, 451 years of Portuguese rule in Goa was brought to an end.

All this had a direct bearing on my family as we originally hailed from Goa.

My grandfather, Dr. Joseph Alban D’Souza, was one of the many Goan Catholic families that moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) once it came under British rule.

Having fought in the First World War he went on to become an active member of the Indian National Congress. A medical practitioner of some repute and Mayor of Bombay in 1945, not least of his many achievements was being knighted by the Vatican Council for his role in formalising the rights of Indian Christians in the Constitution of Independent India.

I have it on good authority that the epicentre of the Goan Catholic community that migrated out of Goa at the turn of the twentieth century was in and around the Dhobi Talao area in South Bombay.

The image above shows the Pius X building located in Cavel in the North Eastern part of Dhobi Talao. Built in 1902, in her heyday she housed many a prominent Goan Catholic family. 122 years have inevitably taken their toll but she still stands defiant, proudly flaunting her status as heritage structure.

My grandfather and his family occupied the first and second storeys of the wing on the left.

Many of the residents have since moved on but way back then, occupying an apartment in the right wing, lived a Pinto family. By some happy coincidence, over a century later, we were invited to the nuptials of their great-grand niece and the beautiful city of Sintra in Portugal was the chosen location for her destination wedding.

It was a fabulous three-day wedding and I got some great images. In the interest of respecting the privacy of the wedding party I will share only one image that was taken on my iPhone by a friend. (FYI, the image below is not representative of the bridal couple.)

This was our first trip to Portugal. Centuries of Portuguese rule had left an indelible mark on every aspect of Goa. In fact, a few months ago I came across this Konkani proverb in the food menu of all places, of a Goan restaurant:

“Jea konnem Goa pollelam, tannem Lisboa pollonvchi goroz nam.” (“He who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon”.) We were eager to find out for ourselves!

Post the wedding we took a bus to Porto where we checked into the Se Cathedral Hotel. For first time readers of my travel blogs let me tell you, it is Vanessa who does the research and makes all the decisions including the cities to visit, the sights to see, places to stay, etc. For one, she enjoys the exercise. Almost as much as the travel itself. Furthermore, if left to me, I tend to gravitate more towards remote locations, focussing on ambience and natural beauty without giving too much weightage on sightseeing, amenities and creature comforts.

The Se Cathedral Hotel is a very nice hotel with a funky lobby conveniently located less than 500 meters from the Douro River and overlooks Porto city center.

It is ‘walking distance’ from historical churches, museums, and metro and trains stations. We were upgraded to a junior suite and our room was spacious, clean and comfortable and the staff were attentive and helpful. All in all, a hotel I would recommend.

In Porto, as in most places we visited in Portugal, the term ‘walking distance’ is a very misleading phrase. Walking from point A to point B will almost always include a considerable gradient and the relief of having to walk downhill to get to a place quickly vanishes on the way back.

A case in point is the Dom Luis bridge (above) that spans the Douro River connecting the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

The city centres of both are on opposite cliffs. The terrain drops steeply from each elevation down to the river. The bridge is a ‘double deck’ one. The upper level (pedestrian and tram) connect the cliffs, Porto (on the left) to Vila de Gaia (on the right). The lower ‘deck’ (pedestrian and cars) connects the areas on both river banks.

If one is inclined to walk, (pun unintended), the steep 45 metre drop to the water’s edge can be covered via a calorie-busting, never-ending series of steps (a section of which is seen above). A more comfortable alternative is the funicular which is a single track 25 seater tram (below).

Alternative options include travelling by car or, more interestingly, firing up Google Maps to negotiate one’s way down to the river through a maze of narrow, sloping and unevenly cobbled streets that can become dangerously slippery after a shower of rain (below). If one is not careful it’s a disaster just waiting to happen but a very enjoyable option nonetheless.

Irrespective of how, getting down to the river is well worth the effort.

Restaurants, cafe’s, shops, street performers … this place buzzes with activity and we had a couple of memorable meals here.

Taking one of the hour-long Douro river cruises is also highly recommended as one gets a whole new perspective of the city. The images below and the image of the Don Luis bridge earlier were taken from a cruise.

It could be my imagination but Portugal does seem to have more than its fair share of graffiti. The two images above were both taken on our river cruise. Even churches, it appears, are not exempt from the muralist’s canisters.

I’m sure there are many who feel that it clashes with the architecture especially when there could be several centuries separating the two. IMHO however I somehow feel it adds another visual dimension or perhaps it is just the photographer in me that is doing the talking.

Be that as it may, it has certainly prodded the creative side in me.

Igreja do Carmo

We spent two nights in Porto and one of the churches we visited is the Igreja do Carmo. The gilded altars inside are spectacular.

It is actually two churches separated by a very narrow space.

The space contains a multi-storeyed living accommodation that is known as the hidden house (seen in the image below, it is the narrow area that has a white, multi-paned window).

Built in the 17th and 18th centuries respectively the one on the right housed Carmo monks while the Carmelite nuns occupied the structure on the left. Legend has it that the space between was to discourage potential scenarios that would have a detrimental bearing on their vows of celibacy.

Entrance to the left side is free while a fee of 5 euros allows entry to the Carmo Church on the right side as well as the hidden house.

On the left wall of the Ingreja de Carmo is an alter with a statue of Jesus carrying a cross (image above on the left). In 1858 a special door was created (centre) from within the hidden house to allow access to the statue from the rear. Its sole purpose was to allow the monks and devotees to kiss the foot of Jesus (image above on the right).

If you ask me, I would think that kind of defeated the very purpose for which the space was created in the first place.

In the early 20th century a tiled mosaic of blue and white azulejo tiles was added to the external walls. Although still very impressive it is covered with a protective white netting that does not allow one to truly appreciate the deep blue of the artwork.

Azulejo is a term derived from arabic whose literal meaning was ‘polished stone’. It refers to the beautiful ceramic tiles that can be seen all over Portugal and Spain. Much of this can also be seen in Goa.

We were told that it was the Arabs that initiated the trend of using tiles as a facade for religious places and mansions of the rich and famous. Apart from its aesthetic appeal it was supposed to help reduce the dampness and humidity.

Several locals have confirmed that reduction in dampness was more wishful thinking than reality. However the aesthetic beauty is indisputable and I have lost count of the number of times Vanessa squealed in delight each time we encountered a tiled structure.

Igreja de Santo Ildefonso.

The original chapel (below) dates back to the 13th century and was rebuilt in the 18th century. The Azulejo tiles were added in 1932 – approximately 11000 of them – depicting scenes from the life of St. Ildefonso and scenes from the Gospel.

Estação de São Bento or São Bento Station in Porto (below), touted to be the most beautiful train station in Portugal is another great place to see azulejo ceramic artwork.

No blog on Portugal is complete without a mention on its cuisine.

For me personally, leading the list by a country mile is the pastéis de nata or Portuguese custard tart (below)…

… and the best place to have it, in my humble opinion, is at any of the Manteigaria outlets that are spread across the length and breath of Portugal.

Speaking as a foodie with an exceptionally sweet tooth, it is tantamount to sacrilege not to have at least one pastéis de nata per day. (Although I’m not sure it will have the same effect on the doctor as does an apple.)

The francesinha (above) was a product of Vanessa’s research. A recipe originating from Porto, it is a toasted bread sandwich filled with a variety of hot meats, covered with a melted slice of cheese and a fried egg. If that was not enough, it is generously ladled with a tomato and beer sauce and served with French fries.

Apart from the fresh new plugs in my arteries I have absolutely no regrets in indulging in one of these!

One of the places to visit on Vanessa’s check list that we had not yet done was the Porto Cathedral or Sé do Porto and the adjoining Bishop’s Palace.

Thankfully we had a couple of hours to kill before we boarded our train to Albufeira. I say thankfully as it would have been a real shame if we missed it. The Se Cathedral was beautiful and the Azulejo murals in its courtyards are spectacular. Unfortunately, my camera got stolen on the train to Albufeira and with it went the images I took that morning. However I did take a few shots at the Bishop’s Palace, Paço Episcopal, with my iPhone.

Originally built in the 12th century it was the residence of the Bishops of Porto till the 19th century. The sheer grandeur and opulence in the living arrangements of the senior clergy is staggering, almost to the point of being obscene. (Above: the massive ceiling of the grand stairway inside the building. Below: A small section of the dining table showing a table setting)

Yes, you read right.

My camera was stolen on the train when travelling from Porto to Albufeira. We were among the first to enter our first class compartment. On locating our seats I placed my camera bag along with Vanessa’s knapsack in the rack overhead. The thief must have followed us, removed the camera from the bag and then replaced the bag. The fact that he knew exactly where to look makes me feel that there was more than one person involved. I have heard of this happening on trains and even in planes but, as is always the case, we never imagine that it will happen to us.

Those who know me know how much I care for my cameras and it’s not only because of the value… although that too was pretty substantial. Anyway this is neither the time nor the place to lament. Suffice to say when you travel be careful as you never know who is eying your valuables…

Albufeira was my kind of place.

A picturesque seaside town buzzing with action with little or no churches or monuments or museums to visit.

We stayed at the Vila Origens, a 23-bedded, delightful little boutique hotel that was close to both the old town and the sea.

The Old Town (above) reminded me of the one in Malaga, Spain. Full of shops, cafe’s, restaurants, cocktail bars and people… lots and lots and lots of people!

The entrance to the hotel was unique. A short walk down a cobbled lane ended abruptly at a huge wooden door. The door operates automatically with one’s room key. As it slowly swings open the beautiful Middle Eastern decor gives one the feeling of stepping into a scene from Ali Baba!

The room we stayed in was small but functional and the welcome platter of delicious Portuguese marzipan had us craving for more.

Our enquiries on where would get similar authentic sweets led us the Riviera with very simple directions on how to get there. “Take a left, then go straight and keep climbing till you reach it”.

The calories we lost on the long uphill walk to get there were quickly recovered. Unfortunately the Prawn Risois and other savouries were so delicious that we were never able to get to the marzipan.

The Vila Origens only offers breakfast served on tables overlooking the heated pool. It was an unusual, entirely Portuguese spread, and for the next couple of days my intermittent fasting schedule got thrown out of the window!

Of all the hotels we stayed at, for its ambience and friendly and attentive staff I would rate the Vila Origens highest. Despite the small room size and the lack of a coffee maker in the room (although a round-the-clock coffee machine was available at the breakfast area).

Without my camera, my iPhone was the next best thing to take pics… predictably, the number of selfies skyrocketed!

The two nights at Albufeira were relaxed. We spent our time aimlessly wandering around with no fixed agenda. The only ‘structured’ sightseeing we did was a boat trip down the Algave Coast that culminated at the awesome Benagil Cave (below).

This is a tourist seaside town with typically Portuguese architecture, many of which were quite unusual like the cocktail bar below that was decorated entirely with shells and yes – ideal for another selfie!

Like I said… this was my kind of town!

And so, with our batteries fully recharged, we caught the train to Lisbon.

This was where I really missed my camera. The Jacaranda trees were everywhere and in full bloom. Convenient as it is, my iPhone simply did not have the resolution to do justice to many of the images…

… apart, of course, from its selfie-taking capabilities whose impressive depth of field opened a whole new range of creative possibilities.

We stayed at the Madalena Boutique Hotel centrally located in downtown Lisbon. Here too, Vanessa’s choice of Hotel was spot on.

The theme of the hotel we were informed was a ‘celebration of the feminine’.

From the moment one steps in one is transported several decades back in time. This is not a tacky hotel. Far from it. Unlike most up-market establishments where the ambience is tasteful yet purposefully designed to blend in the background, this one goes out of its way to punch you in the face, demanding to be taken notice of. The oyster shell tiling, gold accents, gilded furniture, loud, floral upholstery and provocative wallpaper scream of female sensuality and it does take a while to get comfortable with it.

The rooms too, though thankfully more subdued, carry the same gold trim and decor and one can’t help but be impressed with the attention to detail. Right from the porcelain tea cups and saucers to the gold sanitary fittings. Including, bless their hearts, a gold water spray!

There were, however, a few things that were not quite kosher. The large oval mirror at the foot of the bed for starters had an ominous red light glowing from somewhere inside it that could easily be mistaken for a hidden camera. A TV remote on my bedside table with no visible evidence of a TV made me put two and two together to figure out a cleverly concealed TV behind the mirror.

The central location and painstaking attention to detail certain makes this hotel stand apart from most others. In my book however, functionality and service always trumps ambience and aesthetics. An irritating water leakage in the washroom that tended to creep into the passage and minor issues like the hidden TV or an exquisite porcelain cup that stubbornly refused to stay balanced on the coffee machine cast a cloud over the multitude of stars with which I would love to rate this unique hotel.

Lisbon was all that we had hoped it would be – a vibrant city steeped in history. We were on the last leg of a fabulous Portugal trip and had visited several places each different with its own particular charm.

And yet many similarities persisted. The narrow cobbled streets, typical architecture with beautiful azulejo facades, pastéis de nata, steep gradients, and the love for codfish. The last being the only one that I could not really get myself to come to terms with. (Give me a crumb-fried chonak (barramundi) that has been generously coated with spicy Goan reichado masala any day of the week.)

The Portuguese doches (sweets) more than made up for the cod! The basic ingredients in most sweets were egg and sugar but from there on the sky seemed to be the limit!

There is something for everyone in Lisbon. For those who love sightseeing, (ahem, Mrs. D’Souza), three days was far from enough.

Our hotel was centrally located and everything was ‘walking distance’, although here too, the same caveat applied as in Porto. Often we’d simply walk out of the hotel and sooner rather than later we’d hit something interesting.

In fact, that was how we landed at the Praça do Comércio or Commerce Plaza, a huge ‘U’ shaped plaza with the Tagus river completing the open boundary. Steeped in history, its huge corridors are filled with eateries, cafes and stalls. Step through the imposing Triumphal Arch and a long, wide pedestrian street reveals itself, lined with shops that had virtually anything and everything that would attract a tourist. If the Plaza was busy, this strip with its beautiful mosaic paving took it to another level. Well worth a stroll through and yes… you guessed it… just perfect for another selfie!

Lisbon was the last leg of our long trip to Portugal and even the missus’ batteries were running out of steam. The enthusiasm to check all the boxes on the never-ending list of places to visit was nowhere near the same as when we started off in Porto.

There were however a few of those ‘boxes’ that we did make it a point to check out.

The first was a visit to Castelo de São Jorge. St. George’s Castle is built on a hill. More gradient to negotiate but a couple of public elevators thankfully took care of most of the climb.

Entry requires a paid ticket. Once inside the castle is a maze of gardens and wide cobbled pathways that gradually lead upwards towards the ramparts. The oldest fortifications date way back to the 2nd century and it is fascinating to see the changes made over the ages. At various levels one can get beautiful vistas of the city of Lisbon and the Tagus River.

Peacocks roam freely and I really missed my camera. Especially for my first ever sightings of a leukocytic peacock and a common wood pigeon both nonchalantly grazing not more than 15 feet away. The iPhone takes great images but they are not a patch on a dedicated camera with a full frame sensor paired with a suitable lens.

Another item on the checklist that we were keen not to miss was a Fado performance.

A Fado is a genre of Portuguese music that goes back several centuries, possibly originating in the bohemian areas of Lisbon and typically characterised by sad, mournful tunes accompanied by string instruments. Similar musical genres and dances were popular in Goa during the mid 20th century. Unfortunately they are now gradually dying out.

We booked tickets for a Fado and Food show at the Cafe Luso (above), a well established Fado establishment located in the beautiful Bairro Alto borough of Lisbon. Both the food and the music were outstanding and was one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal.

Apart from walking there are a couple of other unique transportation options to explore the city. Lisbon’s trams (above) are iconic. So much so that images of a yellow tram against a typical Lisbon skyline is high on the checklist of any touring photographer worth his salt. Established in the nineteenth century they are a great way to see the city.

On our last day, a Monday, we took a tram to Belem to see Geronimo’s Monastery. Unfortunately it is closed to the public on Mondays (possibly the only blot on Vanessa’s otherwise perfect planning) and we had to satisfy ourselves with the detailed stone carvings on the external walls. This may sound like sacrilege but they did remind me a bit of Goudi’s Sagraga de Familia.

A short walk from the Monastery is Padrão dos Descobrimentos or the Monument of the Discoveries. Built in cement and rose-tinted stone and rising 56 metres from the Northern bank of the Tagus river it depicts 33 famous individuals in Portugal’s history on the prow of a caravel, an ancient Portuguese vessel that was used for exploration.

A couple of fearless, exotic geese, (I found out later that they were Egyptian geese) feeding by the river had me down on my haunches with my phone camera and it was only the heady aroma of barbecued pork that dragged me away to one of the several riverside food stalls…. and yet another selfie!

Another novel form of transportation is the ‘tuktuk’.

We rented one of these electric 3-wheelers for an hour-long tour of the city. Our driver, Lisa also doubled as our guide. Originally from Brazil, Lisa was a qualified lawyer but discovered her true calling as a tuk-tuk guide/driver.

The tuk-tuk has two huge advantages. It is a super way to get a guided tour that covers several places of interest in a relatively short period of time. Secondly, and definitely not necessarily in that order, it takes the confounded Portuguese gradient out of the equation!

I’m not sure how many of you have stayed upto this point but, speaking for myself, I’m beginning to get a bit fed up of writing this blog.

There is however one last place that I must include before signing off…

Instead of carting all our extra luggage all over Portugal we decided to leave our wedding attire in a couple of suitcases at our hotel in Sintra. We would to be flying out of Lisbon and we could pick them up a day or so before as Sintra was only a short drive away.

The wedding was wonderful but hectic and Vanessa’s only regret was the fact that we could not visit some of the places there like Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle and a few others.

To cut a long story short – (and that is something I really need to concentrate on doing in this piece) – Vanessa booked a ‘skip the line’ tour of Pena Palace when we picked up our stuff from Sintra.

You have probably figured by not that I do not have the same exuberance for touring castles, museums, churches and the like as does Vanessa. Having said that (or typed as the case may be) Pena Palace was spectacular and I’m really glad Vanessa bulldozed us into visiting it. The queues are huge and getting a skip the line pass is vital.

I’d really love to share all the gory details of this eventful segment of our Portugal trip including the part on how we almost missed it. Suffice to say, as castles go this one is unique. It’s like a nineteenth century Disney creation for royalty.

We were to fly out the next day and by now we were quite happy to be going home. Our last supper was a typically Portuguese meal of Mussels and veal at a cute little eatery a short distance from our hotel.

The meal was outstanding and if you are in the area I would strongly recommend the Velho Macedo.

It also gives me one final opportunity to post a selfie and if that is not some sort of a world record then I’m a Dutchman!

And that was Portugal. So… was there any substance in the Goan proverb found in the menu?

The Portuguese did rule for four and a half centuries and there are bound to be similarities. For me, these only serve to provide a delightfully unique flavour to an otherwise typically Indian State. The vast majority of people would agree that the blend is perfect. Not only in making it one of the more popular tourist destinations in the world but also a great place to retire. Although I daresay there is a small and possibly growing section who are miffed at the Egyptians for not minding their own business.