I went to the wine bar in Belem. Got there at 3.00. I was impressed. They pour a VERY generous tasting. I tried four wines. the first was a Tintos Palmela 2003. The grape is CASTELAO. Not bad but nothing really special.

The next one was Quinta de Baixo 2004. The grape is BAGA. this is very much like a Nebbiolo. full bodied with the aromas that I associate with Nebbiolo. I like it a lot.

Number three was a Quina de Cortesia 2004 reserva. A blend of Tourga Nacional, Merlot and Tinta Roriz.  Tinta Roriz in the north of Portugal, Argones in the South = Tempranillo in Spain  . Very nice. Soft well balanced. Um good. The last was a selection made by the owner. It was a Douro Quinta da Revolta 2004 The grape is Tinta Francisca. Not a lot of vineyards grow this grape. It was different. Maybe better if I had had it before numbers two and three.

 The wines cost 4 euros each. A really good deal. So much so , that truth be told, I did n´t really walk back to the hotel. It was more of a slight weave!!!

I went and sat by the river for a while. The moon was almost full.  It looked quite spectacular against the indigo of the sky. The river was lapping against the steps and there were not many people about.  Very quite and nice.  Of course I was full too so maybe the mind was ´seeing ´something that the eyes were n´t!!!

 

I had planed on a slow day Friday. Just as well. I woke with just the faintest of headaches.  After coffee I bought some cherries and headed out for an area called Estrela. It is in the West of Lisbon. The other areas from East to West are Parque das Nacoes,  Castelo and Gracia, Alfama,   Baxia and Rossio, Barrio Alto and  Chiado, Marques de Pompal, Rato and Saldanah and then Belem.

 

Once you get to know the city it is not hard to navigate your way around. I have n´t managed to do that yet.  I keep getting lost. In my defence I must say that I often head down roads, lanes and alleys that look interesting.  I don´t always land up where I think I should. I have seen some sites that the usual ´Lonely Planet ´tourist would not see. Of course it is doubtful that they would want to!!!

 

Remember me telling you that some of the roads are so narrow pedestrians have to flatten them selves against the wall as the tram comes by. It´s true. I was wandering around in the area that the tram took me yesterday.  You know how you think that you have seen something before. Well, I had, but from the safety of the tram..

I had been up this hill before on the first day but did not really have an idea of where it was in relation to everything else. Now I do.

Found a really beautiful park. Lots of banyan trees, willows, olive trees, palm trees and monkey puzzles. After the hike up the ´ mountain´ I sat on a bench listening to the ducks and  munched on some cherries. It was very nice. I found the place that I wanted to see. It is named the Cemiterio dos Ingleses. Why did I want to see a cemetery´?     Albert Finney in the movie Tom Jones. Not a great movie but a great book. Written by Henry Fielding who is buried in the English cemetery. I was amazed at the number of people from England Ireland and Scotland who are buried here. I had no idea that Lisbon was home to so many ex pats. the oldest grave was dated 1749. I was also surprised by a monument to Boer prisoners of war who had died in internment  here in Lisbon.

 

One of the things  that I like about Lisbon is the number of little squares that pop up when you least expect them.  That is one of the good things about getting lost . Of course getting lost also has it´s down side. Away from the maddening crowds and picture postcard Lisbon is the other side that we don´t see unless we stumble upon it.

It is the area that houses the greater number of Asians , Africans and Brazilians.  After 1974 they arrived in droves and settled in the ´Ghettos´   Shanty type houses,  high unemployment,  and as a stranger  not a real good place to be.   I stumbled into one of the areas and after a few sullen looks from some of the locals turned around and headed back down the hill.    Guess I´ll stick to the grid covered by the map that I have. It´s a big enough area without having to intrude to where, through no fault of anyone, I am not wanted.

 

Headed back to a cafe that had a TV set up outside. Portugal played Brazil. The crowd was evenly split with a few neutrals like me. However, neutrality was easily discarded when a cup of beer arrived with the following condition.  Brazil get the cheer and Ronaldo gets booed every time he touched the ball. Boo Boo Booooooooooo!!

 

I´m off to Madrid tomorrow morning to see a friend. The flight is cheaper than the train or bus. And where the train or bus take nine hours the flight is just short of an hour and a

half.

 

I´ll let you know how the beer is.

 

Terry