Tag Archives: europe

10.30.26
by

EUROPE 2026 – PART 3 – CALABRIA

Monday, 10/26

After Taormina we drove to Messina where we caught the ferry to Reggio Calabria, where we spent the night at Athena Luxury Rooms. A very comfortable room even included breakfast, for under 60 euros.

After cocktails a block away at Mida, we set off for dinner at Officiana del Gusto, another excellent choice. We were the only English speakers in this busy and popular spot.

The quality of the food was impeccable, He started with meatballs and I had stockfish salad. For mains I had octopus and he had braised beef. We couldn’t resist dessert as they had a pistachio semifreddo, which was as good as the one we had at lunch (love love love pistachio).

With this Calabrian wine and water, the bill was, remarkably. only 100 euros.

Tuesday, 10/27

In the morning we visited the duomo first.

After that we stopped off at the art museum, which was not terribly interesting, so we continued along the Corso Garribaldi to the archaeological museum.

Most of it is dedicated to broken clay pots and metal tools, but what everyone goes to see are the bronze sculptures.

Next came lunch at Drogheria Culinaria, another popular and very busy place.

Again we were the only non-Italians. Stanley began with a plate of prosciutto and cheeses and I had prawn tartare. Next he had stuffed rabbit and I had stuffed squid. For dessert we shared pistachio tartufo. Everything was delicious and we had the best wine of the trip so far, a Duca de ? from Librandi, a producer of Calabrian wines we have been buying at home.

After lunch we headed back to the car and drove to Lamezia Terme, where we checked into the B&B Casa Lissania.

The 2 corsos in Lamezia:

For dinner I chose Merlo Rosso, which turned out to be decent but unexciting so I won’t go into detail.

Wednesday, 10/28

This was a long day of touring, to Rossano and Corigliano.

In Rossano we visited the cathedral.

After that it was time for lunch. We had chosen Sei Ulivi, which is in the town center away from the historic district.

This was an excellent choice. I started with arancini and Stanley had scallops. For mains I had beef filet in a port wine and foie gras sauce and he had gnocchi with mushrooms in a butternut squash sauce. With an excellent bottle of Calabrian wine. water and coffees, the bill was 99 euros.

After lunch we continued on to Corigliano, where we toured the ducal palace, which was fascinating.

Back in Lamezia, we had a terrible time finding a decent restaurant open on Wednesday. I finally came upon Rustic Osteria Contemporanea, which turned out to be excellent, and a major deal.

I had a caprese and he had bruschetta, then I had lamb chops and he had porchetta. We skipped dessert but had limoncello. With a delicious primitivo from Puglia, and water, the bill was just 82 euros.

Thursday, 10/29

We only visited one town, Santa Severina. First the castle.

Then the duomo.

We were too late getting back to Lamezia for lunch, but we were able to have a mini pizza and a mini sandwich, with spritzes, and tiramisu with coffees.

Our dinner plans went bust. The restaurant formerly known as 102 and now Arama Bistrot is only doing private events, but the proprietor was kind enough to serve us dinner, nothing fabulous but decent food.

Friday, 10/30

We drove to Cosenza, where we found a parking garage and walked along the pedestrian street, Corso Mazzini, which is lined with nondescript businesses. We continued on to the Piazza Duomo, where we had a very nice lunch at Calabria Bella.

Stanley began with melon and prosciutto and I had bresaola. Then he had baked lamb and I had veal filet. Everything was top-notch. With a bottle of Calabrian wine, water and coffees the bill was 96 euros. The owner offered limoncello on the house.

After lunch we stopped into the duomo next door.

Back in Lamezia, we went back to Rustic Contemporeana, which we liked so much on Wednesday. It wasn’t quite as good this time, but for 80 euros we aren’t complaining. The dishes were massive but a bit “rustic”.

This concludes our time in Calabria. We enjoyed it very much, though there were some disappointments. The best thing about it was that it was a genuinely Italian experience. We didn’t see or hear Americans, Germans, French etc. If there were tourists they were all Italian.

10.27.26
by

EUROPE 2026 – PART 2 – TRAPANI, ORTIGIA WITH STOPS IN AGRIGENTO, NOTO, RAGUSA AND TAORMINA

Friday, 10/23

We departed Palermo and got a taxi to the airport to pick up the rental car, then drove to Castellammare del Golfo.

We had lunch at Egesta Mare, which was recommended by my barber, who is from Castellammare and goes back every summer.

He said the seafood risotto was a must. We started with canolo of sardines, which sounded better than it tasted, and a caprese with mixed salumi, which was very enjoyable. Then we had the risotto, which lived up to expectations, and spaghetti with sea urchin, which was tasty but didn’t see to have much urchin in it. Coffee, oddly, was served in paper cups. With water and a bottle of Nero d’Avola, the bill was 96 euros.

After lunch, we proceeded to Trapani, taking the secondary road rather than the autostrada. It was very scenic and took no longer. Arriving in Trapani we easily found parking 3 blocks from Albergo Maccotta, a lovely small hotel in the heart of the historic district.

We strolled along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main thoroughfare in the old town, and stopped into the duomo, which is quite simple.

Dinner was a short walk away at Il Moro.

This is an elegant restaurant with a very imaginative menu, quite different from what we have experienced so far in Sicily. Service is formal but not stuffy. Dishes we had were veal cheek meatballs, marinated amberjack, fettucine with pork cheek, stuffed quail, pork cheek confit, and for dessert a lemon shell filled with white chocolate and served on chocolate crumbs. This doesn’t begin to describe the many ingredients in each dish. With cocktails, an excellent nero d’avola and water, the bill was 240 euros.

Saturday, 10/24

Leaving early from Trapani, we drove to Agrigento, to see the valley of the temples, where we spent an enjoyable and interesting 2 hours.

We had a quick bite at the snack bar and headed on to Ortigia (the old city of Siracusa) where we stayed at Ortigia Mastrarua Rooms, a nice inn close to the waterfront and very convenient to the parking garage. Our room was 2 flights up (no elevator). In addition to the king-size bed there was an another twin bed. The only complaints I have are that the bathroom floor was dirty, and the bathroom had an unpleasant smell, like sewer gas (tolerable but weird).

We strolled around the old town and stopped for cocktails at Cortile Verga, a charming bar in an open courtyard, serving creative drinks along with traditional ones.

We dined at the restaurant on the ground floor of the inn (not related).

Food and service were excellent, and great value. We shared squid to start, then paccheri with pistachio sauce, cherry tomatoes and swordfish. For mains, Stanley had baby chicken and I had swordfish. With a good bottle of nero d’avola and water, the total was 100 euros.

Sunday, 10/25

First we walked to the Duomo.

Notice the columns along the outer wall. This was obviously a Greek temple before it was rebuilt as a cathedraL

Then we drove to Ragusa. The 2 things to see here are the Ebleo Garden and the Duomo.

After these, we had lunch at Cucina Sincera, and we could not have been more pleased.

Great value and delicious food. I began with grilled caciocavallo cheese, and Stanley had bruschetta with tomatoes and mozzarella, which I also ate part of. Next, he had lasagna with spinach and sausage, and I had 2 dishes (because I couldn’t decide between them), gnocchi with sicilian pesto, and eggplant parmigian stuffed with vegetables and ham. With a half liter of house wine, water and coffees, the bill was 77 euros.

After Ragusa we went to Noto which is notable for its duomo and other elaborate baroque buildings.

Back in Ortigia, we had cocktails at Barcollo, a beautiful bar with outdoor tables and comfortable chairs, and a choice of creative drinks, just 3 blocks from the inn. It was also better value than Cortile Verga, with much more generous sized cocktails.

Afterward we strolled the short distance back and had dinner at Ciauru Anticu next door.

We ordered too much food because we wanted to sample a number of dishes. I started with the tuna pasta, and Stanley had caponata with tuna. Then I had a filet of orata and he had pasta with sausage and mushrooms. We could only eat about half as the portions were huge, but it was all delicious.

With this excellent bottle of nerello mascalese, and water, the total was 130 euros.

Monday, 10/26

We got an early start to Taormina.

The big attraction here was the ancient Greek theater, which is remarkably well-preserved.

We took a look into the church in the center, but is wasn’t worthy of photography. We had lunch at L’Arco dei Capuccini, which in my careful research I had determined would be wonderful, and indeed it was. It’s a bit off the beaten path so was not at all busy, which is a shame.

Stanley started with a beautiful plate of grilled vegetables, and I had an excellent caprese. Then I had almond crusted grouper and he had mixed fried fish. For dessert we had a pistachio semifreddo, which was superb. With a bottle of Nerello Mascalese, water and coffee, the total was 130 euros.

10.23.26
by

EUROPE 2026 – PART 1 – PALERMO

Our itinerary for Sicily was 3 days in Palermo, one day in Trapani with a lunch stop in Castellammare del Golfo, then 2 days in Ortigia (Siracusa) with a stop on the way in Agrigento, and side trips to Noto and Ragusa, and finally a half day in Taormina before taking a ferry to Reggio Calabria. Next, 5 days in Calabria, the first in Reggio and the remaining 4 in Lamezia Terme, then a flight to Paris for 4 days.

Tuesday, 10/20

We arrived in Palermo in the morning and settled into Porta Maqueda B&B, located directly across the street from the opera house Teatro Massimo.

Beautiful large high-ceilinged room, lovely welcome and a perfect location in the center of everything. Not suitable for the disabled, though, as there are steps in addition to an elevator. The breakfasts were lovely and staff very welcoming and helpful.

For lunch they recommended Lo Bianco Osteria, a 7-minute walk away, which was an excellent choice.

We shared spaghetti with sardines, raisins and fennel (a Sicilian classic), then I had an oven-braised lamb with vegetables and potatoes, and Stanley had tripe in a tomato sauce. Both were delicious. With a half-liter of house wine and water, the bill was only 45 euros.

The remainder of the afternoon consisted of a most enjoyable tour of the Teatro Massimo, then a nap before dinner.

Built in 1897, it is the third largest opera house in Europe and seats 1,350 people.

After a restorative nap, we headed off to my dinner choice, Il Culinario, which was nothing less than fabulous. Located on a pedestrian street with touristy restaurants, this one stands out for originality and quality.

For starters, we shared sardine meatballs, then shared paccheri with a pistachio sauce and guanciale. For my main course I had the catch of the day, orata, perfectly grilled with a salad on the side, and Stanley had stuffed swordfish rolls, also with salad. With cocktails, water and an excellent bottle of Nero D’Avola, the bill was 111.50 euros.

Wednesday, 10/21

We began with Palazzo Butera.

It’s now a museum of art and objects, but still retains the original decoration.

Next we walked over to Palazzo Abatellis. It was almost entirely religious art, not very interesting, and the rooms were devoid of decoration. We didn’t find it very interesting.

Lunch was at Palazzo Sambuca. I forgot to take photos except for the wine, which was wonderful. The food was spectacular too. We shared shrimp tartare with bottarga to start, and gnocchi with swordfish and cherry tomatoes next. For dessert we had a very good tiramisu. Bill total was 139 euros. I thought I had reserved on The Fork, which would have resulted in a 20% discount, but somehow the reservation didn’t complete. It was a bargain nonetheless.

Following that we went to Palazzo Chiaramonte.

The palace also incorporated a prison used during the inquisition. The following photos are graffitti made by prisoners. It had been plastered over, but has been exposed.

The next photo is the interior courtyard of the palace.

From there we walked over to the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, which is decorated with magnificent mosaics.

That night’s dinner was at Sapori Perduti (lost flavors).

Sorry, again I forgot to add photos. Best to sit outside as it’s more atmospheric than the overly bright interior. Food was wonderful, comparable to Il Culinario but different. We shared octopus to start, and it was not only flavorful but so tender too. Next we shared a mixed seafood couscous. This was very tasty but not as exciting as the pastas we had at Il Culinario and Palazzo Sambuca. The main courses, pork medallions and sea bass parmigiano, were outstanding. We shared a sable with peach sauce for dessert, also very good. With aperol spritzes, water and a bottle of nero d’avola, the total was 143 euros.

Thursday, 10/22

This was our day to go to Monreale. We took an Uber and it was only about a half-hour trip.

After touring the cathedral and cloister, we had planned to have lunch at Taverna del Pavone, a short walk away. Unfortunately we found it was closed, even though the hours are listed as open every day, apparently due to a brief truckers’ strike. Several others were closed as well. We eventually ended up at Ciuri Bottega e Cucina, which turned out to be quite good.

We shared a caprese to start, then I had eggplant rolls stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, and Stanley had a burger. The menu is simple and limited but perfect for a light lunch. With a bottle of rose, water and coffees, the total was 59 euros.

Returning to Palermo, our first stop was Palazzo Gangi. Unfortunately I hadn’t realized it required advance booking and was very expensive. We continued toward the cathedral, passing through the famous intersection, Quatro Canti.

We then toured the bishop’s palace across the street.

Back to the B&B and then to dinner at Tannura Osteria.

This was a good choice, very busy and elegant atmosphere, without being stuffy. The food started out great but then fell a bit. Stanley had mussel soup and I had baked caciocavallo cheese to start. Both were delicious. Next we shared an order of pasta with rabbit ragu, which was also a treat. The main courses were less successful. He had lamb chops, which were tasty but thin so a bit overdone. My duck breast, despite the fact that the waiter and I agreed should be rare, came out medium-well. With cocktails, an excellent bottle of nero d’avola, and water, and a 20% discount for reserving on The Fork, the total was 129 euros, so I can excuse the shortcoming.

10.07.25
by

PARIS 2025

Thursday, 10/2

We departed Porto in the morning and flew to Paris via Munich, arriving in time for dinner at Chez Michel, an old favorite of ours.

The prix-fixe menu is 48 euros for 3 courses. A few dishes carry supplements. Stanley started with pate de campagne, and I had soupe de poisson. Then I had grouse, as they always offer it in season and I always order it. He had coq au vin. For dessert we both had ris au lait (rice pudding). With a bottle wine for 30 euros, the bill was 144.

Afterward, we took an Uber to La Varenne, where we stayed

with our friends Ana and Bertrand.

Friday, 10/3

We started our day in Paris with lunch at Gemellus.

This 2-year old restaurant has gotten rave reviews, so we were expecting a lot, and it delivered. From the amuses-bouche to the mignardises, everything was excellent. We chose the 3-course lunch for 55 euros. The first course was morels with bread and egg in a delicious sauce. The second course offered 2 choices, so we had one of each and shared; iberian pork and rascasse. We preferred the fish but the pork was good too. For dessert I had a chocolate souffle and he had figs. Service was flawless.

With a bottle of cotes catalan for 60 and coffee, the total was 180.

After that we went to the Rodin museum.

Following that, we went to the Musee d’Orsay, where we saw a temporary exhibit of paintings by John Singer Sargent, including many of his best and most famous works.

Dinner was at Amarante, another old favorite, where we met 3 other people whose acquaintance I had made through Hungry Onion (all Americans no Parisians unfortunately), where we all participate in discussions of food and restaurants. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the company.

I had calf brains and guinea hen. Stanley had lentil soup and sweetbreads. We had 2 bottles of wine for the 5 of us, a white from the Savoie for the first course and a red from the Languedoc for the second. The total per person was 64 euros.

Saturday, 10/4

The first order of business was lunch at Maison.

This is another example of a restaurant in Paris run by a Japanese chef, creating dishes that are French with an Asian twist, very creative and delicious. We very much enjoyed our 5-course tasting.

With wine and coffee, the total was 229 euros.

After that we went to the Bourdelle museum.

Antoine Bourdelle was a major sculptor of the early 20th century. The museum was formerly his studio. Inside are displayed his castings for the sculptures, while outside in 3 gardens are bronze sculptures, not his originals which were commissioned for public spaces elsewhere, but reproductions made by later artists from his castings.

After the museum we went to the Marais, where we strolled for a while before heading to dinner at Le Servan.

Stanley started with corn ravioli and I had beef tartare. These were good. For the second course, we both had carre de cochon. Though tasty, uinfortunately mine was almost entirely fat and gristle. His was better, but still partially inedible. For dessert he had ice cream with figs and I had an almond tart with berries. These were also very good. The wine was 44 euros but the bill showed 50, so I had them correct it, a reason to always check the charges. The total was 167 euros.

Sunday, 10/5

We spent the day at home with Ana and Bertrand. Ana accompanied us to the farmers’ market in the morning, where we bought food that Stanley and I would cook. The afternoon meal consisted of smoked herring for appetizer and sausage-stuffed quails with a girolle mushroom sauce, haricots verts and mashed potatoes for the main course, and flan for dessert. For the evening meal I made sauteed rouget with herbs, garlic and mustard, and served it with carrots and noodles.

Monday, 10/6

We left for the airport in the early afternoon. Originally we had planned to leave on Wednesday, but we heard the past Thursday that a strike by air traffic controllers was planned for 10/7 to 10/10 and that it was very likely to happen, so I changed the flight to Monday rather than risk being stuck in Paris. As it turned out, they called off the strike on Sunday, but we were content to stick with the plan to leave on Monday. We had a lovely 3 and a half days in Paris so no regrets.

We got to the airport in the early afternoon so we could have lunch before our 5:00 flight. The only sit-down restaurant is Bistro Benoit, which has some vague connection to Alain Ducasse, but you’d never know it from the food. Not that it was bad, just overpriced and unexceptional.

I started with an heirloom tomato salad with tuna mayonnaise, which was quite good, and Stanley had cream of carrot soup, which was decent. We would have ordered chicken, but they didn’t have it, so we were stuck with orechiette pasta, which was poor. There were very few choices on the prix-fixe menu, and a la carte would be a lot more expensive. For dessert we both had poached peach with unripe strawberries and currants, topped with a lot of whipped cream and shortbread cookies. The wine, which was marked up a lot from retail at 30 euros, was excellent. With coffee, the total was 122 euros.

The flight was comfortable and we arrived on time.

10.01.25
by

PORTUGAL 2025 – PART 3 – PORTO

Sunday, 9/28

We took a morning train to Porto, arriving before noon at Sao Bento Residences, an apartment hotel directly across the street from Sao Bento station. We had a huge studio apartment, complete with kitchen and 3 balconies. It’s an amazing deal at about $325 per day.

Lunch was at Vinum, with a winery tour and port tasting at the adjacent Graham’s cellars.

Lunch was superb. I started with clams in garlic sauce, then had duck with foie gras. Stanley had seafood soup and suckling pig. With a glass of wine each, and coffee, the total was 132 euros.

Next was the tour and port tasting, which cost 60 euros each.

It was a great tour with a very informative guide. The tasting consisted of 3 different ports, with an accompaniment for each, chocolate, cheese and a custard tart. Afterward, we bought 2 bottles of port to take with us.

Dinner that night was at Gruta, a Brazilian restaurant with a rather small menu comprised entirely of seafood.

We enjoyed everything. I chose to have 3 appetizers, starting with oysters and then going on to langoustine with kohlrabi and lemongrass, and a mixture of barnacles, mussels and razor clams. Stanley had the cod. We shared a baba au port for dessert. With wine and cocktails, the bill was 180 euros.

Monday, 9/29

This was the day of our tour of the Douro valley. We started at the meeting point at 7:40 am. Thankfully it was pretty much across the street. The reason they start so early is that they can’t have all these tour buses in this area after 8:00. That means we get a 25 minute stopover in Amarante on the way to the tours and tastings, which is not an entirely bad thing as the town does have some charm.

We continued on to the first tour and tasting, with lunch. This producer specializes in moscatel, the lesser-known sweet wine of the Douro region. It was good, though we can see why port is the more important one. The lunch was very good, consisting of a leek and potato soup, lettuce and onion salad, gratin of cod and potatoes, roast pork with potatoes and cabbage, flan and fruit for dessert, a glass of moscatel for aperitif and one for dessert, and coffee.

We then were taken to the port of Pinhao for the 50-minute river cruise. On the way we stopped to take some photos.

After that we continued on to the Quinta da Roeda, the vineyard and winery where Croft port is made.

Back in Porto, we had dinner at Digby.

We had a very nice dinner, starting with a sardine tartlet for each of us. Stanley had suckling pig and I had a tripe and bean stew with a hunk of perfectly medium-rare to rare pork. I made a mistake when I ordered the wine and ended up with a reserva at 88 euros instead of the 38 euro I had intended to get. Of course it was a wonderful wine though, and with cocktails the total was only 208 euros anyway.

Tuesday, 9/30

Our first stop in the morning was the cathedral, just up the street from the hotel.

Next to the cathedral is the bishop’s palace, which is definitely worth exploring, even though there is a separate admission charge.

Then we headed to Casa Guedes Progresso for lunch. No reservations so we arrived early, but it turned out the restaurant was not busy at all.

We both had francesinhas. This is a sandwich that is a specialty of Porto. They offer 2 versions, the traditional and the Guedes. I had the Guedes which contains Bread, Roasted Pork, Egg, Mortadella, Red Sausage, Fresh Sausage, Ham, Gouda Cheese and Special Sauce. Stanley had the traditional, which has steak instead of roast pork. The slices of cheese are on top of the sandwich, then a fried egg is placed on top of that, and the whole is smothered in gravy. You eat it with a knife and fork, and it is heavenly. I drank a glass of sangria with tangerine and ginger and he had stout. With coffees the bill was 41 euros.

After lunch we took a 2-hour boat cruise on the Douro, which was lovely.

Dinner was at Casario, where we sat on a terrace overlooking the river, a beautiful setting.

This was the best dinner yet in Porto, and the cheapest. It’s a small plates restaurant, and they suggest ordering 3 or 4 dishes for 2 people. We started with cocktails made with port from the Cruz winery, which were excellent. We then shared 4 dishes: Crab terrine, asparagus souffle, turbot and guinea fowl. A bottle of wine from the Douro was 27 euros. The total came to 100. Quite a bargain.

Wednesday, 10/1

We began with a visit to the Soares dos Reis Museum.

It wasn’t especially interesting. The 2 paintings above were the only ones I thought worth photographing.

Then lunch at Ora Viva.

It’s a small restaurant that takes a limited number of reservations only up to 12:30. We arrived at noon without a reservation and got right in. The food is good but very traditional. Stanley had melon with smoked ham and then grilled flounder. I had octopus salad and cod. With a half liter of sangria and coffee, the bill was 66 euros.

After lunch we went to the Bolsa (formerly the stock exchange, which moved to Lisbon, it is now the chamber of commerce) for a half-hour tour.

For our last night in Porto, we had dinner at Almeja.

This is a very attractive restaurant with a limited but interesting menu. Dishes we had were pig’s head terrine with apple and brioche, goat cheese with honey and truffle, grilled pork with blood sausage, and roast kid goat on rice. With a bottle of wine, and cocktails, the bill was 135 euros.

The next morning we left for our flight to Paris via Munich.

09.29.25
by

PORTUGAL 2025 – PART 2 – COIMBRA

Saturday, 9/27

We took the train from Lisbon to Coimbra, arriving late morning. Our room wasn’t ready so we left the luggage and went out for a stroll until 12:30 when we had lunch at Devaneio Bistro.

The food was very good though portions were small. I had seabass crudo and tiger prawns. Stanley had braised shrimp with asparagus and grilled sea bass. With a glass of wine each, the bill was 100 euros.

After lunch we were able to get settled in our room at the Hotel Mondego.

Then we went to the university for our 3:00 tour of the library. They don’t allow photos but the architecture is spectacular. This also inluded the Sao Miguel chapel and royal palace, shown here:

After relaxing back at the hotel, we went to dinner at O Palco.

This was Stanley’s birthday dinner and was suitably spectacular. We don’t normally care for tasting menus but this one seemed like it would be worth it, and it certainly turned out to be. The philosophy is to use only local products and to waste nothing. Each dish has many ingredients, which the staff painstakingly describes. Palco in Portuguese means stage, hence the acts and scenes of the menu. We also were lucky to get the one table that faces directly into the open kitchen so we could watch the chef and his assistants at work.

The menus offered are 5, 8 and 12 courses. We chose the 8 course:

With a bottle of wine for 29 euros, cocktails and one coffee, the total was 240.

Sunday morning we departed and took the train to Porto.

09.27.25
by

PORTUGAL 2025 – PART 1 – LISBON


Tuesday, 9/23

This begins our first visit to Portugal, starting with 4 days in Lisbon, staying at Hotel Metropole (great location on Rossio square) arriving in the morning.

Our room was ready, so we dropped off the luggage and took the subway to El Corte Ingles, where we bought some port and sherry, and then had a light lunch in one of their restaurants, Cafetaria.

We enjoyed our dishes, shrimp salad and smoked salmon salad. These were generously portioned and very reasonably priced. The bill, including a lemonade and a ginger ale, came to 32 euros.

After lunch we returned to the hotel for a much-needed nap.

Before dinner we stopped off for cocktails at the Hotel Mundial rooftop bar then headed to dinner at Prado.

We had a superb dinner. It’s a small-plates restaurant, so we ordered 5 to share, mackerel, sea trout, eel (all served at room temperature). sweetbreads and alentejano pork. With a bottle of wine for 45, the total was 140 euros. Service was attentive and sincere, atmosphere beautiful, overall perfect.

Wednesday, 9/24

Took an uber in the morning to the National Tile Museum.

This is a fascinating museum, very worthwhile if you are interested in ceramics.

Next was lunch at O Velho Eurico.

Arriving at around 12:15, we waited nearly an hour to get in but it was worth it. Others who arrived around 12:30 were turned away, so be warned. We ordered blood sausage, chicken hearts with grapes, and sardine toast. It was a lot of food and delicious. With a beer, a glass of wine, coffees and water, the bill was 42 euros.

After lunch, we took an Uber to the Fronteira Palace, north of the city, in Benfica. This magnificent palace and gardens is now occupied by the 14th generation of the original family. Photos are prohibited inside the house but I got shots of the exterior and the gardens. We had a wonderful guide, an art historian, who made the whole visit very special.

Back to the hotel and then another rooftop bar, in the hotel Altis.

Following that, dinner was at Solar dos Presuntos.

This was another exceptional meal at a very reasonable cost. We started with lobster soup and clams, then roasted kid goat and veal in puff pastry. The wine the waiter recommended when I told him we prefer very full-bodied reds, and that I was looking in the 30 to 40 euro range, he came out with what turned out to be stunningly good, for 29.50 euros. The total was 138 euros. Service was flawless and the atmosphere is elegant.

Thursday, 9/25

This was the day of our small-group tour to the Pena Palace, Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira and Cascais, beginning at 8 AM. On the whole it was a nice day, but not without a couple of disappointments, though our guide, Xavier, was wonderful.

Here’s what happened. I had booked a tour that did not include the Regaleira palace, because in my research I found it to be not very interesting. The tour would have included more time in Cascais to see the town and have a leisurely lunch. The day before, I received a call from the tour operator, Inside Lisbon, telling me they had added Regaleira to the tour and that consequently it would be an hour longer. That was fine with us but I asked if everything else remained the same and she said it did. This was not true. We spent over 2 hours at Regaleira when it could have been seen in under an hour. This left us with only 15 minutes in Cascais, and our only choice for lunch was to get a sandwich in Sintra.

I assume what happened was not enough people booked the same tour I did so they decided to substitute the one I had decided against, and lied to me about the differences.

First stop, Pena Palace:

This was a very interesting and informative tour, led by our guide Xavier. By the way, unlike the other guides we observed, he spoke nearly flawless English, in addition to being very knowledgeable and charming.

Next stop, Sintra:

We had a quick sandwich lunch before walking up to the Regaleira palace.

Regaleira palace:

The interior was not fascinating but here are a couple of exterior photos:

Dinner was at Federico in the Bairra Alto.

Note the height of the room, looking up to the skylight.

Another impressive dinner. Here is what we ate:

Foie gras, crusted goat cheese on toast with ham, cod, sea bass, pistachio sponge cake with raspberries, strawberries, raspberry cream, strawberry ice cream (scrumptious!).

With wine and cocktails the total was 175 euros.

Friday, 9/26

We began with the Museum of Decorative Arts.

View of the harbor from across from the museum:

Then lunch at Taberna da Rua das Flores.

We arrived a few minutes before noon and there were just a few people waiting for it to open. They don’t accept reservations or credit cards. Everyone who came during lunchtime got in without a wait.

This is another small-plates restaurant, where it makes sense to order 2 dishes per person. Everything was perfectly done. I started with 6 oysters, and we shared baby squid with garlic sauce, veal tongue and pork belly. Stanley had a glass of red wine from the Douro and I had a white, Albarinho. The bill was 75.50 euros.

And after, the National Museum of Ancient Art.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Santini for ice cream.

Wonderful ice cream. He had chocolate and dulce de leche. I had pistachio and chocolate. What a treat!

Dinner was at Palacio Chiado.

This was yet another fabulous dinner, set in a true palace. We arrived early and had cocktails at the bar, then moved to our table, where we had perfect service, and great advice on wine. I forgot to photograph the wine but here it is from their list:

HERÉDIAS
CASTAS | GRAPES: TOURIGA NACIONAL, TOURIGA FRANCA,
TINTA RORIZ, TINTA AMARELA 26

We had tiradito of amberjack, shrimp and fish soup, rack of lamb, and duck breast. All were superb.

The total with water was 156.50 euros.

This concludes our time in Lisbon. Train to Coimbra in the morning.