Portugal emails

From:damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 3:30 AM

Subject: Laughing in Lisbon

Short message but full of fun this week. Hope not to run out of power on the computer because we are not plugged in to electricity anywhere and not sure of the amount of "energy" it has right now.

Lisbon, not only in the rain but in the howling winds, was fun, colourful, very poor but amazingly happy - with the best Christmas street decorations we have ever seen.

The rain let up a little on one day and allowed us to climb up into the Alfama District. Tiny little lanes that still are lined with 16-17thC houses. In the Jewish Quarter we saw little old ladies still filling buckets from the communal fountain to take up several flights of stairs to their homes. These homes are built on top of what was the old Arab wall. The Arabs last dominated Lisbon in about 1147 (or something similar). The views from the tops of the seven hills on which Lisbon is set were great, despite it being a very grey day. No I'm not getting mixed up with Rome, Lisbon has seven hills as well and I think we climbed almost all of them!

One quick way to get to the top of one hill was to take the Elavator Santa Justa which was built in about 1902 and its engineer was powerfully influenced by Mr Eiffel (of Tower fame). The views over the Rossio (where our hotel was situated) and the surrounding areas was great. Unfortunately the elevator only went about half way up. The rest of the view was seen after walking up two very narrow, very circular staircases. In 1755 Lisbon was hit by (yet another) earthquake and the ruins of a huge church/abbey still remain and are best seen from the top of the elevator. The street decorations for Christmas were also a highlight from here. The patterns of the black and white stone paving (for which Lisbon is famous) were also much easier to make out from up the top. Many of the buildings in Lisbon are adorned with Azulejos (tiles), some very old, some very new.

Food in Lisbon is of "gargantuan" proportions and almost all fried or grilled. Chips and rice with everything. The food on the first night was okay - just far too much of it but the wine was excellent - Saradayres - a good solid 1996 red that would last a long time still (but not with us around I hear you say!).

Weather got really bad i.e. soaked to the skin even with wet weather gear on. Lots of umbrella skeletons abandoned in the streets, a nasty motorbike/car accident right in front of us and guess what - we are on our way to a Fado restaurant about 1km (uphill) away. Into the back alleys we go, both holding on to the umbrella for all we were worth. Having completely saturated the front mat of the restaurant, we were greeted warmly and shown to a table (in a restaurant that seated 56). Dinner was enjoyable and we sat smiling at the local drunk in a suit who looked as if he had been there since lunch time. We joked about the fact that he was probably the Fado singer - no joke - he wasn't drunk (although we saw him put a few away) but was blind and he was the MC for the night. A former Fado great (listed in the top 50 singers as no. 34) he introduced talent both young and old and the night developed into a wonderful occasion, well worth getting soaked for. At this stage we didn't know about his fame.

When we got to the restaurant we were the first there (at about 8pm - music due to start at 8.30pm) and the whole family of the boss was eating in the place - noise noise noise - lots of kids and NOISE. Eventually two very elderly gentlemen came in, picked up the guitars (both traditional and Portuguese) and the show began - with our "drunk" singing. He was very emotive but, being a bit cruel, he was well passed singing in public. Next, he introduced one of the girls from the family - she was great. Fado is very emotive, it is about unrequited love and, when sung by men is in the praise of women. Not sure who the women praise when they sing it (which was not acceptable for years) because we couldn't understand the words. Nevertheless, the family member brought tears to the eyes. Then came the "Diva". Large, dressed in black, heavily made up with a contralto voice full of vibrato but bursting with enthusiasm and, you guessed it, emotion. She sang a few songs to the thunderous applause of all in the restaurant, that had by now started to fill.

A guy walked in off the street (wet) had a cup of coffee (expresso), then sang two songs and left. Who next, we thought, the waitress? No, a couple more by the Diva, the MC and then - the waitress. Well I cried, and cried and cried - she was magnificent. The depth, the warmth, the emotion - it didn't matter that we couldn't understand a word she said - she was brilliant. No formal training and, as yet unable to afford to cut a CD (we bought her tape), she had the whole restaurant captivated and received standing ovations (much to the Diva's chagrin). By the time we walked back to the hotel (around midnight, in the rain) we were exhausted from the emotion of the whole thing - that is what Fado is all about. Incidentally we bought the MC's CD (remastered from his younger days and brilliant) as well as the Diva's (which is nowhere near as good). It made Lisbon a place to remember.

Can't be much power left now in the old computer. Will end. Talk to you next week.

Love

Deb & Arnold