Day trip to Obidos
by fairy_dust
If you're looking for a nice day trip, Obidos is a good place to go. It's a small town surrounded by a Medieval castle wall, with narrow cobblestone streets, and filled with cute little shops and restaurants. I enjoyed shopping and climbing up into the castle walls.
Lisbon Tip
by Snoekie
Everybody kept telling us that the 'Fado' they play for you in restaurants isn't a real Fado, but it's created for tourists. When I visited the beautiful fortress in Lisbon (Sao Vicente I believe) there was an appr. 80 year old lady sitting on the castle walls singing so beautifully. I listened to her for about a half an hour and I don't think I will ever forget her. I think she showed us a real Fado
Post Office - Correios
by keeweechic
The main Post Offices, known in Portugal as Correios, are open from 8.30am – 6.00pm on Weekdays and until 12.30pm on Saturdays. If you are purchasing stamps then the Portuguese word for it is ‘selo’. Many shops (which show a red horse) will also sell stamps.
Portuguese Custard Tarts - Pasteis de Nata
by a2lopes
These are the famous Custard Tarts as you can find almost everywhere in Portugal.
Of course there are small variations among the different "pastelarias" (pastry houses) throughout the country. The most well known are the Pasteis de Belém, but like everything else ...when they start to be famous... sometimes the quality fades... unfortunately this was the case (although they are still quite good). I prefer the ones from small pastry houses out, unfortunately "off the touristy trail" ("Espiga Sol" in Telheiras, a neighborhood in Lisbon, for instance).
Pastry to line the containers:
• 500 g flour
• 300 g water
• 10 g salt
• 400 g margarine (for pastries)
Work the flour with water and salt, make a ball, cut it in the shape of a cross until its middle, pull the 4 sides outwards (forming a 4 point star), place the margarine in the centre and grab the points upwards (mix the margarine); with a pastry roller extend the mixture till up to 40×15 cm, fold 1×3 (simple fold) wait 10 minutes and fold again, fold 1×4 (book fold) wait 10 minutes. Extend the mixture until it gets a thickness of + or - 4 mm, sprinkle with water in all its extension. Roll it like a tort and with a diameter of + or - 4 cm, cut it in round slices 1 cm thick and place them in the containers (8 cm diameter but you can use other shapes). Wait 10 minutes.
Wet your thumb with water, press the centre of the round slice and push the mixture
to the top of the container.
Custard cream:
• 0,5 l skim milk
• 70 g flour (no raising powder)
• 5 g corn flour or cornstarch (aka Maizena)
• 0,5 L sugar syrup 32º Baumé
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• Vanilla (a bit)
To prepare the sugar syrup: 1 kg sugar, 0,5 L boiling water = 32º bumé.
Dissolve the flour and the corn flour in part of the milk, approx. 1 dL, boile the remaining of the milk, pour it over the four and mix energetically so that it does not crumble.
Add the sugar syrup bit by bit, always stirring. Add the yolks and the egg.
Cook at approx. 180º C (350º F) for about 8 minutes, not more.
Enjoy
SURPRISES...
by LysDor
Now that you've made it to this point of my Lisbon site, did you know that you can find a statue of Virtual Tourist in Lisboa?
It is by the Belgian scupltor Folon who had an exposition of his statues at Castelo as well as some placed around the city!