Freedom Day

We found out accidentally that today is Freedom Day in Portugal, which meant that most shops were closed and a small demonstration with slogans chanted and flags fling brought traffic to a halt around our square for a while. That didn’t stop us enjoying a jug of white sangria at a nearby café where customers were watched over by a memorial to some author or other.

After that we mulled over the idea of taking a tuc-tuc tour or hopping on one of the Lisbon trams we’d experienced on our previous visit. We sort of did that, getting on a small electric bus which has taken over from one of the tram routes. This brought us up to the Santo António area where we spent the rest of the day, sampling the wares in the Gin Lovers building and having a bite to eat in Faz Frio, a restaurant that specializes in traditional Portuguese food (extras). We finished off in a rather strange Argentinian steak house with a civilized glass of port.

The weather was lovely, the views from Santo António were spectacular, the food was unusual — all in all, it was a terrific day.