The sights, sounds and spirit of Lisbon
Having recently joined HouseTrip, the time had come. It was time for me to go HouseTripping and experience first-hand what it’s like to rent an apartment the HouseTrip way.
Destination: Lisbon
David, our Chief Operating Officer would be joining me as we were to visit our colleagues there and I didn’t want to let him down by booking a one bed studio with no windows 2hrs away from the centre of town (that would just have been embarrassing). I had never been to Portugal, had no idea what was what or where was where in Lisbon and had never used HouseTrip; my mission was clear and the pressure was on!
I say that I had never used HouseTrip, which is true, but I had used a number of other holiday apartment websites in the past. I love travelling but don’t do hotels, finding them quite impersonal and cold. I also like to have access to a kitchen (it’s always an exciting experience to go to the local food market and shop for exotic produce then figure out what you’re going to cook up with it); I also like to be in an area surrounded by locals and feel the movements of the city, the vibe on the streets, the way people live out their day to day lives, it just gives you a deeper experience. My last holiday apartment experience was one I remembered well for al the wrong reasons, having made about 15 availability requests for flats in Dubrovnik I got turned down on every one before, a week later, being told that a different flat was available and that if I wanted it I just needed to send all my personal and credit card details to a complete stranger in Croatia. I’m not paranoid about online security but that was pushing it a little far even for me and I finally arranged to fax (fax??) the payment details over to them in the hope that it would work out. It did, and Dubrovnik was stunning, but the whole experience was not a pleasant one.
Anyway, I digress, back to Lisbon. As I started searching for apartments my fears of booking the wrong place were quickly laid to rest and I selected a centrally located two bedroom flat, paid online and immediately received a confirmation email with everything I needed to get there once in Lisbon. All I needed to do was print the map, note the phone number of the person who would be handing me the keys in order to call them upon landing and brush up on my Portuguese. So far, so simple.
We flew out on Tuesday afternoon and I called the owner immediately on arrival. They told me that they were waiting at the flat to give us the key and show us around. A short bus ride from the airport we hit central Lisbon and Rossio Square, with some great sights along the way, including amazing pieces of street art. When we arrived in Rossio square we were greeted by a typical Lisbon sight: the yellow trams.
We made our way up the steep steps towards the Castelo S. Jorge; an amazing sight perched on top of the hill. We got halfway to the castle, reaching the street where the flat was located, turned around and took in the sight, with a great view of Lisbon and out to the ocean.
We made it to the flat, were handed the keys and shown around a pretty little apartment with great views of the town. It had everything we needed and was a perfect place for anyone on a mission to explore all Lisbon has to offer.
We then made the most of the remaining daylight by strolling down towards the seafront and taking in this beautiful city, with its bright yellow buildings, beautifully ceramic tiled facades and vibrant street life. We followed this with a meal of seafood in a small local bar.
The rest of our stay was an opportunity for me to meet our great Lisbon team, who made us feel very welcome and took us to a local Nepalese restaurant (it’s not all seafood and Pastel de nata in Lisbon, oh no…) before we went to Bairro Alto where we experienced a stunning night time view of Lisbon (my picture does not do it justice I’m afraid) and went for a drink at one of the many small bars that line this lively and characterful neighbourhood’s narrow cobbled streets. You can feel the influence of Fado everywhere as you walk around and experience the area; the bars being full of sounds, posters and memorabilia paying credit to the country’s greatest Fado singers, especially Amalia, the queen of Lisbon Fado. You can read all about Lisbon Fado and the complex emotion it gives birth to, Saudade, here. Understanding Saudade(s) is probably understanding Lisbon a little better and this is a good short explanation of a complex spirit: “Lisbon and Fado have saudades. Saudades is the emotion of Fado. It brings the past into the present. Saudades is not easy to explain. Nostalgia, Longing, Melancholy, no English words capture it, but Fado music reveals the emotion.” It is quite fitting that a word that so beautifully defines Lisbon would be impossible to translate; you just have to go there to feel it.
By the time we were due to fly out on Thursday I felt as if I needed at least another week to really get to know the city, it’s little alleyways, hidden treasures, scattered local bars and restaurants, friendly inhabitants and engaging character. On the flight home I vowed to come back and discover more as soon as possible; Lisbon is a city that can not leave you cold, it has a true spirit of its own and I came back to London happy that I had experienced a great HouseTrip