Fado - Portuguese Blues

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Lisbon Day #6

The Alfama - the oldest quarter of downtown Lisbon if a tight-knit community where the homes are 500 years old and originally inhabited by the Moors and the Jews. The Alfama is the soul of Lisbon and Fado is their music, sung solo or in groups with the accompaniment of two guitars. We attended a Lisbon by Night Fado Dinner and Show last night that our travel agent had booked us in a great big restaurant called Pateo de Alfama. We were the second to arrive at 8:00 and were seated at the front edge of the stage. Within 30 minutes the restaurant filled with another 30 people from France sitting on the stage behind us, and 120 at long tables in the main level. There was also another room in the lower lever that held 40. They efficiently loaded the house in 40 minutes, and everyone was offered red or white wine and cod or pork. We both ended up choosing red wine, still water. Soup or Salad, roast pork over spinach, and thin sliced potatoes, passion fruit cream dessert for Downard and Portuguese custard with burnt camel topping for Cusack and Coffees.

The Singers and musician would come and go between courses. We stayed for 3 of the performances. It was amusing and professionally produced for tourists. It had little authenticity or soul. There are many many other Fado experiences we could have had, but this was fine, the pork was good and the French Boomers all made me feel still young. Cusack was the best looking male tourist in the group.

Today is our last full day in Lisbon. The rains have moved on and it promises to be sunny. We talked last night about touring Belem, a district between downtown and downriver towards the Atlantic. But first we have to get up and go to breakfast.

Check out Belem, Portugal in wikipedia for hints about where we'll spend out last day here.

Tomorrow we train North to Porto, 2.5 hours by high speed train. Obrigado (thank you, in Portuguese) for following our adventures...

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