Lisbon, Portugal
("Lisboa," for the Portuguese speakers out there!)
August 16-17, 2010
My parents and I went to the airport together Monday morning; they traveling back to Dublin for one night before going home to the U.S. and I was off to Lisbon, Portugal for work. Our European Lodging offsite will be held there next month and I was meeting Manish, my friend and colleague from London, to work through the lodgistics and meet with the event coordinators.
Manish met me at the airport and we took a cab to the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel, Lisbon's tallest structure and a 5-star hotel. We later found out we got ripped off (12 euros for the ride which shouldn't be more than 7) and the trick to airport taxis in Lisbon is going upstairs when you arrive at the airport and getting a taxi from the "departures" area -- that is allowed in Lisbon (as opposed to most American cities) and they are typically more fair with their fares.
We met Miguel, Expedia's Market Manager for Portugal at the hotel. Miguel manages Portugal's hotel relationships and picked the Sheraton for our event. Miguel is a master linguist (he speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Danish, German and English), a knowledgeable guide in Lisbon and is loved by all of the contacts at the hotel. Manish and I were in great hands.
We had meetings with the events, marketing, audio visual and banquet staff all afternoon and toured the space where we will be hosting about 280 Expedia employees for three days next month from all over Europe and certain parts of Asia.
When we wrapped up around 6:30pm the Sheraton events team took us to the bar on the top floor for a glass of wine and some spectacular views of the city.
The first thing that caught my eye was the large statue next to the Ponte 25 de Abril Bridge in the distance (it's really teeny in the center of the photo above but it was clear in real-life!). I honestly questioned myself for a minute -- Christ the Redeemer ... Lisbon?? The statue in the distance looked like the statue in Brazil, Christ the Redeemer. Turns out Lisbon's Cristo-Rei, "Christ the King," was in fact inspired by the monument in Rio de Janeiro and built in 1959. And it's actually in the town of Almada, Portugal on the other side of the Tagus river.
The statue isn't the only landmark that is likened to another. The 25th of Abril Bridge (the world's 20th largest suspension bridge) is lovingly referred to as Lisbon's Golden Gate Bridge because of its red color. It was even built by the American Bridge Company that did the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and built from American steel. Until 1974, the bridge was named the Salazar Bridge after Portugal's Prime Minister. It was renamed in 1974 commemorating April 25th, the day the Carnation Revolution began -- that's the revolution that changed Portugal from a military dictatorship to a democracy.
This was just one of the many things Manish and I learned from Miguel!
After I had a few work calls (the Seattle time difference can be tough) we all met in the lobby to go out to dinner. Miguel decided to drive so that he could show us around town.
We first started driving from the Sheraton towards the waterfront along the beautiful Avenida da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue). At the exact same time I was thinking it (and we were zooming by the Prada store!) Miguel said, "This is Lisbon's equivalent to the Champs Elysees." Check out the beautiful street design.
Next we drove by the Praca do Comercio (Commerce Square).
The square is still refered to as "
Terreiro do Paco," because it was the site of the Royal Palace until a major earthquake and tsunami hit the city in 1755 and destroyed the palace. The palace was not rebuilt but the statue of King Jose I on his horse still adds some royal flare!
Miguel told us a lot about the earthquake (and how they are expected, "Oh, every two centuries or so." Greeeeeat).
We had dinner at Tertulia do Tejo, what Miguel said is the best seafood restaurant in Lisbon's "dockland" area under the 25th of Abril Bridge.
After the three of us nearly licked our appetizer plates clean after being served the most delicious shrimp in a garlic sauce appetizer (and even I tried a few clams that were pretty good), Manish said he was craving a particular fish entree that he's had a few times with the Expedia team in Madrid. Miguel knew right away what he was talking about (thank goodness because I saw it AND ate it and I still have no idea what it's all about!).
Apparently the fish is cooked in some crazy salt block (water retention, much?!). In the photo above the server was cutting the top portion of the block and opening it like a book to reveal the fish inside. Who knows what the story is but it was GOOD!
It was a great little scene around where we ate. There were many different restaurants with outdoor seating and a view of the river. The clubs were starting to get going when we finished around 10:30. We had a lot of Expedia business talk but it was great to catch up and hear what is going on throughout the EMEA region.
As we walked back to the car, Miguel said we needed a picture of the three of us. Here is the self portrait he took (while Manish was trying, awkardly, to take one at the same time with him blackberry!).
When we got in the car Miguel asked if we were okay going to bed 15 minutes later. Sure.
His tour of Lisbon continued by driving by Praca do Comercio again then on to Se de Lisboa, the cathedral. It was built in 1147 and still stands after many Portuguese earthquakes.
We continued the drive up to Old Town and caught glimpse of Portugal's famous Belem Tower in the distance and one of the big tourist icons of the city, the yellow Lisbon tram line. When I was in our event meetings earlier in the day I asked if we could do some giveaways for the guests that would be a special reminder of "Lisbon 2010" and a miniature tram was brought up. I'm glad I got to see it. It's much smaller than expected but that's perfect for the steep hills and narrow streets throughout town.
Miguel said he had one more stop and as he turned a corner he pulled right in behind a garbage truck. We waited there for awhile (I couldn't believe how narrow the garbage truck was too!) and Miguel finally decided to go around.
He said our view wouldn't be "perfect" as he intended but we'd make do. He drove around a few streets and parked and I think it was fate that we were delayed by the garbage truck -- ahead in the distance from the "Graca" part of town was the most amazing view of the water and bridge in the distance. It was gorgeous and with the moon setting at such a rapid pace, our timing was perfect.
We lingered in this outdoor spot for awhile and bought some bottled water to rehydrate from the fish (!) while we enjoyed our view. There were a lot of people there all with the same idea. The little vendor right behind this vantage point sold spirits and wine and must do very well on gorgeous nights like this.
The next morning we were back at work, meeting with the print vendor first thing. Miguel told us before we went back to the hotel to meet with the events staff for the rest of the day we needed to make a stop. He took us to a local tea shop for Lisbon's famous custard tarte. What is a custard tarte, you ask?! A little slice of dessert heaven, I say!
Apparently Catholic nuns in the 18th century started making these tartes and the Casa Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon was the first tea house outside the convent to cook up this dessert after the monastery closed in the early 19th century. The tarte now goes by the tea house's name, Pasteis de Belem, and the original recipe is Portugal's best kept secret. Miguel told us some places use more lemon ("not too authentic") and people often sprinkle cinamon on top. The tea house we visited, Versaille, is very famous and a close second (I can only image what the original must be like!) to the original. Here's a tv spot being shot next to us featuring the yummy-ness Versaille has to offer.
They are really delicious. Miguel said they are Portugal's equivalent of the "Philadelphia cheesesteak." I love his global perspective!
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Miguel enjoying the Pasteis de Belem
at Versaille tea shop |
We enjoyed our mid-morning break and went back to the Sheraton for the rest of the day's meetings before Manish and I had to catch our evening flights back to London and Geneva.
Thank you, Miguel, for showing us such a fabulous time. We'll see you in five short weeks, Sheraton Lisbon. This marketing girl has a lot to do before then!
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Get ready Sheraton Lisboa,
Expedia's coming to town! |
