Saudade for Lisbon

Praça Dom Pedro IV

How could I forget Lisbon?

A hidden European jewel unknown for many and well worth a visit. Facing Tagus River, Lisbon offers a beautiful view from any of its hills making almost unavoidably to fall in love with. A city for those who enjoy great foods and drinks, within a relaxing atmosphere surrounded by friendly people. 

This is how my Lisbon urban adventure started: Due to the lack of direct flights from Caracas to Barcelona, I had to make one stop and take another plane at some point in Europe. Alternatives were four: Madrid, Rome, Paris, Frankfurt and Lisbon. I thought Lisbon would be the best option for geographic location and for the lowest ticket price available at that moment, so decided to give it a try and get to know this city. Well, I stayed there for a week and I wish could have stayed longer! 

Food is delicious in Lisbon, dishes are generous and tasty. Feijoda and bacalao (codfish) are among my favorites. Portuguese cuisine is mostly seafood-based, but it's not limited to it, there are many options in the streets of Lisbon. As South American, I love heavy food, but when looking for something lighter, I had salads in Vitamins, there are several of them in the city. Malls are also good places to eat and hang around, Portuguese people love eat well and none of the fast food restaurants you may find will disappoint you. Don't forget to accompany your meal with a glass of wine, vinho verde (green wine) and the unforgettable (at least for me) vinho do Porto (Oporto or Port wine), much better while listening to fado, a traditional music very popular in Lisbon.

View from Castelo de São Jorge.

Places to visit are Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, Convento do Carmo, Elevador de Santa Justa, Castelo de São Jorge, Jardim Zoológico and Belém. At the top hill of Alfama, there is Castelo de São Jorge, from which a wonderful view of the city can be enjoyed, with its red roofs, the Tagus River, 25 de Abril Bridge and Cristo Rei Statue. Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon, and it can be noticed by the narrow streets, churches and nicely decorated balconies. In Baixa-Chiado there are many restaurants and shops, beautiful places to walk in the cobblestone streets. 

Balconies in Alfama.

Hills, hills and more hills, Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills, so be prepared to walk. After a day visiting different points of the city, Bairro Alto is the place to go out in the night. During the day, everything is closed in Bairro Alto, but in the night it surprised me all the people walking all along the narrow streets, many restaurants and bars. I didn't know which one to choose! People love to drink Caipirinhas and Caipiroskas, as I of course did. I highly recommend travelers that like partying to stay in Bairro Alto, you can have a drink and get to your hotel easily; however, it's your decision, taxis in Lisbon are not expensive. I stayed in BA Hostel, it is a great place to stay in, you don't hear any noise from people drinking outside, it's very clean and staff is wonderful, always willing to help.

The options to move around the city are taking the bus, the subway, the old electric tram or just walking. The vintage yellow tram is a "must-do". I took one from Miradouro de Santa Luzia to Campo de Ourique, it's a scenic trip that took me back in time. There are several routes, all hop-on hop-off, most popular is eléctrico 28. For more information, click here: http://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon-transport/electricos.html

Tram in Alfama.

Next place to visit is Belém. To get there, I took eléctrico 15 in Cais do Sodré, but can also be taken in Praça da Figueira and Praça do Comércio, get off at Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém.

Honestly, the reason why I went to Belém was to try the world famous pastéis de Belém, a "must-eat". It is a small custard tart, so delicious, one is not enough!

The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is really beautiful, the decorative features carved out the walls are stunning.  Torre de Belém and Padrão dos Descobrimentos are next to the monastery, after crossing a square. From these landmarks, I enjoyed a great view of Tagus Rives, 25 de Abril Bridge and Cristo Rei Statue. 

Praça do Comércio.

There are many things to see in Lisbon. Fátima, Cascais, Sintra and Estoril are recommended to visit for a day trip outside the city. Tour operators in Praça do Comércio offer this and more services for group travel, sightseeing tours and private trips. I will visit these places next time. Before Lisbon, I had been in Barcelona where I spent much money. 

I really enjoyed my trip to Lisbon and hope to go back some day. Porto and Coimbra are also among my next traveling plans. Portugal has so much to offer, towns, beaches, beautiful landscapes, vineyards and foods.

What does the word saudade mean? While and after writing this post, I felt saudade, a word that doesn't have an exact meaning. I found many opinions about its meaning on the internet, most descriptions are longing , yearning and simply nostalgia. 

                                                                                                                               Nostalgia for Lisbon.

VENEZUELAN BLACK LAKES

Laguna Negra - Mérida State.

The Spanish commonly given name for this type of lake is laguna negra. One of them is located in Mérida State. This black lake can be reached from Laguna de Mucubají, riding on horseback or just walking one follows a path surrounded by an enigmatic and cold atmosphere, foggy at times, so silent that the superstition might be true: the lake cannot be disturbed.

Even though locals say its darkness is due to a limitless depth, the true is that it has an end of 24 meters (78 ft.) in depth. Momoyes are part of it as in every lake and water body found in both Mérida and Trujillo States. But who are these Momoyes? Also known as water enchantments, considered protectors of nature and very evasive, they dwell in this lake and are the Venezuelan equivalent to the European gnomes.

The stillness of this place cannot be disturbed, don’t even try to make noise or throw garbage because you’ll get to know the anger of these beings. They can make more difficult your way back by causing heavy fog or a storm, would you dare to challenge them?

Last December, I found out that there is another black lake in Venezuela, in Trujillo State, less popular, but as enigmatic as the one in Mérida. It can be found in the way to Boconó from Guanare city, in a tourist place named Batatal. Some people call it Laguna Negra; others, Laguna de Agua Negra. It has a recent formation, between the years 1981 and 1982, as a result of floods that hit Boconó in 1981. The legend says that a young couple in love decided to drown themselves in this lake because their love wasn't allowed by their families. In full moon nights, one can hear the couple whispering eternal love to each other. Momoyes take care of this lake too, so be careful and avoid throwing garbage!

Laguna de Agua Negra - Trujillo State

It is said that this region is full of Momoyes, you can hear them singing, whistling and can also steal food from excursionists. When visiting Los Andes, you can ask trujillanos and merideños about all these stories, they’ll be happy to share their knowledge with you, and in case you meet a Momoy by chance, offer him chimó and aguardiente, so he’ll be your friend forever.

Probably unknown words:

Chimó: in rural Venezuela, especially in the western states, many ranchers, farmers and others who work out of doors chew chimó, a black, bitter paste made of tobacco juice.

Aguardiente: it’s a hard liquor made from sugar cane, very cheap and available everywhere in the cities and rural áreas.

SUNDAY IN GALIPÁN

In spite of living in Caracas for about 15 years, I’ve gone hiking only twice in El Ávila mountain. First time, the ascent was done through one of the mountain access named Sabas Nieves. I put all my efforts trying to go up, but it was a steep path and my physical strength disappeared. I just couldn’t make it. The second time, I tried by a path in Boca de Tigre (Tiger’s Mouth), giving me a totally different hiking experience!

On a sunny Sunday morning, a group of friends and I decided to go up to the mountain. We met at Cotiza which is one of the public access to the National Park. Once there, a 4x4 vehicle took us to Boca de Tigre, the point of departure towards El Picacho, a rocky outcrop of the mountain from which a wonderful view of the sea, Galipán town and Hotel Humboldt can be enjoyed, weather permitting. There are places to eat in Boca de Tigre, where one can have breakfast, maybe some coffee, hot cocoa, a sandwich or salty pastry. Much energy is needed.

As a result of my first hiking experience through Sabas Nieves access, I was deeply concern about walking El Ávila again; however, I knew I had to face my fears and hike this new trail. I found that this is narrower and not so rough as the first one, only a couple of difficult hills. It’s an enjoyable and quiet path, around 1 walking hour for those who take it easy, with singing birds as background music.

It was exciting to see El Picacho not so far in the distance. I walked the last part of the trail and voilà, a wonderful view of the Venezuelan central coastline and the mountain. The nice weather gave us a clear sky. Pleasant surroundings and good vibes from the group made this trip an unforgettable experience. Photos, photos and more photos!

Time to go back. Boca de Tigre once again and now moving in direction to eating places in Galipán. The roast pork sandwich is a must when visiting this small town. Many people go there to have lunch, the choices are usually fried pork chunks, cachapas with cheese, sausages, soups and hamburgers. For dessert, strawberries and apricots with whipped cream. Highly recommended to drink calentaíto and handcrafted wines.

It was a wonderful day, like a spiritual cleanse, a release from the big city, a day to clear up the mind and to exercise in the green lung of Caracas, a good alternative for those interested in having a different day without going too far from home.