Well its that time of year again; yes Mudge is about to celebrate her 28th birthday... for the third time, although she has been telling everyone she is only 58! Well this time we decided to all meet up in a location we have never visited, sunny Lisbon!
I have to say the prospect of our annual November family trip had me very excited, not only because we were all getting together to celebrate Mudge's birthday, which of course would involve copious amounts of food and alcohol but also because it was one of those increasingly rare occasions that we were all visiting a new country for the first time.
Now call me cautious but as every boy scout would attest, the best way to be prepared is to be prepared. If I shut my eyes tightly I imagined that Lisbon was going to be a balmy 30 degrees C with copious sunshine. However, back to reality I expected that it might be a tad cooler and that there was potential for precipitation. So rather than pack my trusty X100F, I tooled up with the XPro2 and the 23mm Fujichron. A perfect combination for some wet weather street and travel photography.
I have to say that Lisbon is a most wonderful capital city to visit. Mrs C and Auntie Jackie had done their research and the whole trip was planned to military precision.
A tip for travellers, when arriving at the airport be prepared for a bit of a hike to get through customs but once through, taxi's are a plenty, the drivers very friendly and the 15 minute ride in to the centre of Lisbon costs about Euros 20.
Our residence for the long weekend was the hotel Turim, located in the heart of lisbon and a 5 minute walk from the Praça Do Comércio. The rooms were quite spacious and very comfortable and at Euros 100 per room per night it proved to be a great choice.
I knew Lisbon was going to be a great destination for street photography as the moment I stepped out of the hotel I bagged my first keeper. A definite promise of things to come.
As usual on any trip, Mrs C had us up very early as we set off to grab tickets for public transport for the day whilst the rest of the family slept soundly. First destination was the wonderful Praça Do Comércio
It was then on to the Ferry Terminal to buy everyone a 24 hour travel pass. This is highly recommended as for Euros 6.50 you can hop on and off buses and trams and also it gives you free entry in to The Elevador de Santa Justa....more on that later.
As we arrived at the ferry terminal the light was very moody and it allowed me to capture one of my favorite images from the trip. Lisbon awakes!
It was at that moment the rain started so it was a quick sprint back to the hotel to meet everyone and a short walk around the corner to the charming Portela Cafés, where we enjoyed a coffee, croissant and a Pasteis de Nata (a wonderful little custard tart for which Lisbon is famous) all for Euros 1.95 a head. As Delboy would say, "You know it makes sense Rodney" but you had to get there early as by 9.00 a.m. it was standing room only!
Having had a good breakfast our travel co-ordinators had planned that we would return to Praça Do Comércio, jump on the 15E tram and head-off on the 30 minute journey to the famous Tower of Belém and the Jerónimos Monastery.
Well as you can see the Praça Do Comércio was no longer deserted and having joined the queue for the 15E tram (being British we are good at queuing) we patiently waited for 30 minutes as three trams passed, so full of people that it was impossible to get on!
However, standing in the queue did allow me some creative time and as the skys darkened and the rain threatened it provided some "moody" imagery.
Moody Lisbon at 10.00 am in the morning….
Not quite the balmy 32 degree C I had been hoping for…….
However, sometimes a touch of rain adds some gloss to the street from a photographic standpoint….
Well needs must when the devil drives so Uncle Phil and I took an executive decision, decided to throw money at this problem and hailed two cabs and we were off to Belém.
It was at this point that the rain started to fall in what can only be described as biblical proportions and i was getting quite concerned that we actually might not get there due to the roads flooding. However, with the usual Dunkirk spirit and my chin set firm with Churchillian fortitude I promised our driver a tip the size of Portugal's GDP, which provided the required incentive to press-on regardless.
As we arrived at Belém there was a short break in the weather and I managed one image of the Belém Tower before the heavens opened with such force that Noah would have been forced to don his life jacket and give the order to abandon ship!
Now I am a great believer in the fickle finger of fate and as i managed to hail one of the few taxis brave enough to venture out in this weather, (actually I stood in the middle of the road so he either stopped or ran me down), I opened the door and to my astonishment it was the driver who had collected us from the airport on arrival. With a toothy grin and knowing that a significant tip was in the offing, he was very glad to brave the storm and take us back to our hotel.
Well so far our first day was no quite shaping up to be what we had expected. Nevertheless, as the rain slowed to a mere monsoon status, we decided to do what La Famille Chivers always does in times of crisis, head off in search of food and alcohol. For sure with the promise of a glass or two of rosé Mudge and Brian suddenly had a decernable spring in their step!
Our destination was the Timeout Market, a place where rumour had it, we were assured to find distractions of a restorative nature.
A Table for seven please waiter…..I think not sir!
Mines a large one please….. Ooops sorry wrong blog!
Standing Room Only!
At this point desperation was setting in but as we exited one of the side doors we found an excellent little restaurant that served some delicious Iberico ham, a very interesting cheese platter, delicious Pizza and a cold beer. Not particularly Portguese gastronomy but just the job! This Chap new exactly what I was after.
In the end it turned out to be both a delicious and creative lunch-break.
Fully fortified and with the weather looking decidedly better, we made a collective decision to walk-off a few calories. So armed with google maps we set off for The Elevador de Santa Justa.
With his nautical training Uncle Phil volunteered for sat-nav duty. I am not sure we took the direct route but as we walked through the streets of Lisbon it was definitely what I would term as a photo-rich environment.
Eventually we arrive at The Elevador de Santa Justa. This marvel of engineering dates back to the 19th Century and stands elegantly amongst the buildings of the Baixa district. However, be prepared to spend at least an hour queuing as this is one of Lisbon's most popular tourist attractions.
Other than being popular, the other reason for the long queue is that the lifts only allow 20 people at a time on the way up, and 15 on the way down? You can also pay Euros 5.30 on entry or like us get free entry using our 24 hour travel card.
Upon stepping in to the lift and starting our ascent with a significant jolt, Mrs C had inadvertently crossed the Rubicon and entered her "Discomfort Zone". As we reached the viewing platform I sensed an initial sigh of relief as it was enclosed and felt quite secure, only for the realization that we then had to climb up a narrow un-enclosed winding staircase to the open air-viewing platform. Mudge and Brian sensibly declined but sandwhiched between me and our son Simon, Mrs C bravely closed her eyes, thought of England and pressed on. Not for the first time I might add :-) Ooops wrong blog again!
Once at the top we were treated to a truly spectacular vista of Lisbon.
Well that was certainly worth the effort and fair play to Mrs C for making the effort. I definitely felt a record of this event was necessary and managed to snap this photo of team Chivers to prove it.
Left To Right - Uncle Phil, Mrs C, Simon and Aunty Jackie
Whilst at the top I persuaded Uncle Phil to do a bit of modelling and I managed to grab this environmental portrait. He is a good looking boy! My Little Bruvver….
Well, after all that excitement (Mrs. C prefers to call it trauma), we collected Mudge and Brian who had sensibly waited on the level below and headed-off for a well earned cup of tea. Yes you can actually get a cup of builder's tea in Lisbon. Hooray I hear you all cry!
We took our afternoon refreshment on a charming terrace next to the The Elevador de Santa Justa and were afforded a tremendous view of the city. What a great way to end day one of our Lisbon extravaganza.
We finished the day with a super meal at one of the local restaurants which Mrs. C had booked through he 'The Fork" app. Food was great, fresh tomatoes and feta cheese follow by grilled lamb chops, all washed down with copious amounts of the local vino. Due to booking through the app we were afforded a 50% discount and with the final bill at Euros 100 for 7 people, I was definitely in my happy place again. Unfortunately no pictures were available due to me having problems with my autofocus, or was it my focus? Anyways, this seems to be an affliction I often face after the second bottle of red. I must write to Fuji about this!
Day two started with our usual local breakfast and then we were to catch the infamous Number 28 tram and visit the famous Castelo de S. Jorge. Once again we waited patiently as tram after tram passed us by and after 30 minutes it was clear that the tram was not an option.
I then mistakenly suggested that a brisk walk up to the castle might be in order. Mudge uttered a matriarchal mutter mentioning something about crampons being required as she gave me one of her 1000 yard stares. Whilst Uncle Phil and I were firmly in charge we immediately went back to our usual problem solving double-act of throwing money at the situation, hailed two cabs and we were on our way.
On arrival at the castle we Brits felt very much at home as we stood patiently at the back of a long queue. Entry is about Euros 10 per head but it is definitely worth the visit and provided more spectacular views of the city with the Vasco De Gama bridge in the background.
Time to get a little arty!
The Elevador de Santa Justa from a different perspective.
With such a stunning back-drop I even managed to persuade the birthday girl to pose for a photo.
As we walked around the castle grounds I was greeted by a small Japanese gentlemen, who had about $40,000 dollars worth of Leica gear around his neck. He had seen the Fuji and as a fellow "range finder" devotee seemed to give me a nod of approval and suggested that I might like to have a try at a reflective shot that he had taken earlier. I was quite pleased with the result if I say so myself.
Seeing from a different perspective! Clever fellows those Japanese. Then A different view of artifacts in the castle museum.
Well, as the Grand Old Duke of York famously said, as we had marched to the top of the hill it was time to march back down again. Once again and in anticipation of feeling Mudge's 1000 yard stare burning in to the back of my neck, I quickly suggested to Uncle Phil that he get back on to Google maps and find the nearest tram stop so that we may take a ride on the elusive No.28 tram. No worries he replied, follow me, as it was just around the corner. The only problem was that everything seemed to be at an angle!
Some twenty minutes later and after a bracing walk there appeared to be some muttering from the assembled party constantly referring to a "Clucking Bell"? Thankfully we eventually found the tram stop for the elusive No. 28. Problem was it was just around the corner from the hotel! Something about being able to cut the silence with a knife comes to mind!
Anyway, the Chivers family never gives in and it is fair to say that when Aunty Jackie has the bit between her teeth, we were going to have a ride on that tram. So we again waited and eventually we took a ride to the Praça da Figueira.
Once again standing room only!
Arriving at Praça da Figueirawe spotted a food market. No better place to replenish stores. Absolutely wonderful sights and smells as we toured around the various stalls. My favorite was the suckling pig quiche, an absolute treat.
Can't you just smell that grilled pork?
Anyone for Cheese?
As we walked back to our hotel we came across a most wonderful shop selling all manner of tinned fish. So colourful and old school. They had this wonderful old cash register still priced in Escudos.
They let me taste some of the fish, smoked trout, sea bass, Black Cod and king Fish, to name but a few. Absolutely delicious and the head chef was kind enough to pose for an image.
As some of our party took a well earned siesta, a few of us walked back up towards the castle to visit the Lisbon Cathedral.
The surrounding streets were so typical of Lisbon and another opportunity for me to have fun with the Fuji.
Well there we have it, our November adventure drew to a close. They always say that I am never in any of the pictures; thats because I enjoy taking them so much. However, just occasionally I end up the other side of the lens.
Yours truly - looking a bit dishevelled but very happy after a great Lisbon break
I believe that there is nothing better than getting together with family and sharing good times over a glass of wine and delicious food. I constantly tell everybody it is just about making the effort.
I also believe that our Mudge has sacrificed a great deal over the years, she has always put family first and indeed continues to do so, has been there to pick us up when we have fallen down and we have both laughed and cried together. We only have one Mudge, we love her so much and she means the world to us all.
From Lisbon with love.