Two Weeks in Lisbon · Hippie Playboy

Two weeks ago I landed in Lisbon. This is the part of the trip where I stop moving for a while: a month in one city, one neighborhood, one front door. After all those weeks on the road, I wanted somewhere to actually settle in.

The flight in from Amsterdam does you a favor. You come down along the coast and over the river, and the whole city is laid out below you: red roofs on seven hills, the bridge, the Tagus going out to the Atlantic.

Aerial view of Lisbon on its hills above the river, with the 25 de Abril Bridge Coming in over Lisbon.

Home in Alfama

I'm living in Alfama, the oldest neighborhood in the city: a tangle of steep lanes, stairs and laundry lines that survived the 1755 earthquake when most of Lisbon didn't.

I'd originally planned on Santos, but I found a place in Alfama down near the water, which means I'm close to the action without climbing a hill every day. And I love the old-town feel. The apartment is newly remodeled, well stocked and convenient to everything. The wifi isn't the greatest, but I'm making it work.

There's no dishwasher, and my clothes dry on a line. I've come to like that. It slows me down.

The view from the window has become the first thing I check every morning. Rooftops falling away down the hill, the river beyond, and usually a cruise ship parked at the bottom like an apartment block that floated in overnight.

Alfama rooftops stepping down the hill toward a cruise ship on the river The view from home.

Sunrise over Alfama rooftops and the river Sunrise from the window.

On the first night I walked down to the Sé, Lisbon's cathedral, lit gold against the dark, just as a yellow tram 28 came rattling round the corner in front of it. It's the postcard shot. I'm not too proud to take it.

The floodlit Sé cathedral at night with a yellow tram passing in front Tram 28 and the Sé.

Settling in

The monthly transit pass has been a great call. I took a few Ubers early on, thinking they'd be faster. They aren't. The metro and trains are the way to get around here.

Work has found a good rhythm. I have a slow, easy morning to get things done before any meetings, and I try to knock off by 6 p.m. so my evenings stay mine. For the company, it just means I'm mostly available in the mornings and early afternoons. It hasn't been an issue. The western hemisphere or Asia would be a different story, but Europe's time zone works perfectly.

Halloween, Lisbon style

Lisbon has a serious late-night scene, and Halloween weekend was my introduction.

On Friday I went to Brunch Electronik Lisboa's Halloween party at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, a beautiful old pavilion in the park in the middle of the city. Deborah De Luca and Daria Kolosova were both amazing, and I had a backstage pass, which made it even better.

A packed dance floor lit red, with visuals on the screens Brunch Electronik, Halloween.

I didn't have a costume, so I wore my festival clothes, my bucket hat and the jellyfish from Same Same. Everyone loved it. The people were great, I met a bunch of them, and I came home with a handful of new Instagram follows.

The next evening, half the city seemed to be on the waterfront at Ribeira das Naus to watch the sun go down behind the bridge.

Eric in a selfie at sunset on the crowded waterfront Sunset crowd at Ribeira das Naus.

Saturday night I went out again, to the Utopia party at KAIS on the river, next door to Urban Beach. Fun, but not as much fun: a more pan-European crowd, fewer locals, and I went on my own without dressing up. If I did it over I'd pick something more local. Still, a great weekend, and a lot of dancing.

West along the coast

Lisbon's best trick is how close the ocean is. The train runs west along the river and out to the coast, and with the weather still nice I spent Sunday and Monday out that way, partly to see it and partly to meet up with a friend.

Sunday ended with sunset on the rocks at Estoril.

The sun setting over the sea beside a dark rock outcrop Estoril at sunset.

On Monday in Cascais, people were lying on the beach in the sun. In November. For a Florida guy chasing warm weather, this is exactly what I came for. I spent the day exploring the coast, worked from a café in the afternoon, and caught the train back to Lisbon before sunset.

A sandy beach in Cascais with sunbathers under a blue sky Cascais, November 2.

Fado

Back in Alfama, I finally went to hear fado, the music this neighborhood is famous for, over dinner with a new friend, Rebecca.

The food was amazing. The music is deep: the musicians choose the songs in real time from a huge repertoire of classics, and it's a little like a small opera. Not understanding the words takes some of the meaning away, but the music is beautiful and the emotion comes through anyway.

Musicians with guitars and a double bass playing fado in a small, packed dining room Fado in Alfama.

Sunrise across the river

One morning I got up before dawn and took the ferry from Cais do Sodré across the Tagus to Cacilhas, just to watch the sun come up over the city from the other side.

A red lighthouse silhouetted against an orange sunrise sky The lighthouse at Cacilhas.

A pale blue church with twin bell towers in early morning light Morning in Cacilhas.

The people

The best part of slowing down has been getting to know people who actually live here. Along with Rebecca, I've met Ari and Laura, and I've been spending a lot of time with both of them. Ari and I are getting along great, and she may even join me for some of the travels ahead.

On the weekend we headed into the center, where the Santa Justa lift rises over the Baixa like a piece of iron lace and the night is just getting going.

The Santa Justa elevator lit up at night above the Baixa rooftops Santa Justa at night.

Halfway

Two weeks in, Lisbon is colorful, historic and charming. It's also busy and expensive, like most American cities its size. It's an easy place to live, and so far the weather feels a lot like Southern California.

I'm looking forward to exploring other parts of Portugal, and to slowing down even more. Before that comes Marrakesh, which I expect will be a fun dose of culture shock and noise. English is everywhere here. I don't expect Morocco to be quite so easy.