Praça do Commercio, Lisbon

With so many people going on off holiday at the moment, I’ve been daydreaming about some of my favourite destinations. When I’m not working on EssentialWriters.com I spend much of my time writing travel features for magazines and websites, and I’ve decided it’s time I shared some of those pieces with you here.

The following feature was originally published by Folio Magazine, issue 165, in October 2008, an issue devoted to weddings and honeymoons, hence the romantic theme.

Often overshadowed by its larger neighbour Spain, Portugal is a country that’s perfectly designed for honeymooners, from its beaches and vineyards to the beauty of its few major cities. The loveliest of these is the capital, while the most beautiful and romantic area of Lisbon is the Belém district.

Located just west of the city centre, this riverside area is home to some wonderful monuments for you to explore together, as well as one of the city’s best boutique hotels, Jerónimos 8.

After checking into this deliciously zen-like hotel, we strolled over the road to the exquisite Jerónimos Monastery. Inside, corridors of limestone are ornately carved with Biblical scenes, flowers and animals, and even on the busiest days it’s possible to find a corner of solitude where you can drink in the sense of peace.

The monastery stands opposite the waterfront, with the Monument to the Discoveries standing at one end and the Torre de Belém at the other. This area is also dotted with restaurants and bars where you can sit and gaze into each others eyes, or admire views of Ponte 25 de Abril, a crimson bridge designed by the same engineer as the San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate.

We opted for a restaurant called Queijadas de Belém. Set just back from the main tourist strip, it was bustling with local families, and prices were astonishingly low at €6 for a dish of succulent trout and €4.75 for a carafe of vinho verde, Portugal’s crisp young white wine. We turned down the basket of bread and cheeses that appeared as soon as we sat down, knowing that these can as much as double the price of the bill.

We finished our night in the hotel’s bar where illuminated black and white prints of Lisbon made up the area, offset with sleek dark red furnishings. The wine list is extensive, and the cocktails delicious, with the added bonus that we only had to make it as far as the lift afterwards.

The following morning we caught the tram for the twenty-minute journey to the centre, and found ourselves in Praça do Commercio. The square is surrounded by broad arcades that look onto the grand equestrian statue of King Dom José 1, and the Tagus river beyond.

From here we walked beneath the imposing neoclassical St Augusta Triumphal Arch into the major shopping area, the Baixa district, and up steep cobbled streets to St George’s Castle. This immense edifice is the perfect place to while away a few hours, meandering through dappled sunlight and gazing at the panoramic views of the city laid out below us like a painted tableau.

As Lisbon’s summer continues well into October, the breezes perpetually wafting through the castle ruins provide a welcome freshness. At the top of the castle ramparts we found the tower of Ulysses, who reputedly founded Lisbon.

Ulysses’ tower houses the Camera Obscura, a device invented by Leonardo da Vinci that projects scenes of the city onto a large disc, giving you the chance to spy on the locals as they go about their everyday lives.

Below the castle lies the Alfama district, one of the most atmospheric areas. While much of the city had to be rebuilt following the catastrophic earthquake of 1755, this part of Lisbon has barely changed since the 12th century. We took our time meandering through the steep streets, watching people carrying immense, colourful baskets of washing to the communal bathrooms or socialising on rickety-looking balconies that hung from the elegant, ancient houses.

Returning to Praça do Commercio, we dipped into Viniportugal, an association dedicated to promoting Portuguese wines. The organisation promotes three regions at a time, giving you the opportunity to sample typical wines from Portuguese vineyards, many of whom are little known outside the country.

There’s no charge for the tastings, and no pressure to buy the wines, only the invitation to enjoy them, give our opinions and spread the word. As we sipped deliciously meaty reds and fruity whites we completed forms describing the aroma; appearance and taste of each wine, giving us the opportunity to feel like proper aficionados until we wobbled back out into the sunshine.

Before arriving in Lisbon, I had no idea that the city was renowned for its pastry-makers. As it turned out, Belém is home to the most legendary of these, so the following day, we headed for Antiga Confeitaria de Belém.

As much a museum as a café, the confectioners is worth visiting just to admire the tiles covering every surface of the rooms and corridors. However, we were keen to taste the original Patéis de Belém for ourselves.

The custard tarts have been attracting foodies to Lisbon since 1837, and though you’ll find imitations of them throughout Portugal, these are the best. A bit of mystique adds to their appeal: only a handful of master confectioners is entrusted with the secret recipe at any one time.

Having eaten our fill, we had just enough time to visit the Torre de Belém, which turned out to be free on Sunday mornings. Decorated with sculptures of fantastical beasts, including a rather comical rhino, this is the point from which adventuring mariners such as Vasco de Gama set sail after praying for safe voyage at the monastery.

Climbing the endless winding steps to the top of the tower, we admired views of the river and surrounding area and wondered how soon we would be able to find an excuse to return.

For more information on Lisbon, please visit www.visitlisboa.com

© www.sxc.hu

I recently visited a friend’s house for the first time and it completely matched up to my expectations, especially the garden with its layers of lawn, flowerbeds studded with seashells, pond full of duckweed and vegetable plot heaving with potatoes, cabbages and tomatoes. Poppies glowed and figwort hummed with bees. It was like a corner of heaven on earth.

I love seeing inside people’s homes and gardens. In a way it’s like being introduced to a facet of their personality. The books on their shelves, pictures on their walls, odd knick knacks balanced on window sills are all clues to their hidden selves.

My home is a two-storey flat, a maisonette that the estate agent described as have two bedrooms, though one is little more than a large cupboard, with just enough space for a narrow single bed, providing you don’t want to be able to walk around it. My husband has claimed that room for his Blu-rays and DVDs, band posters and tattoo artwork, figurines of aliens, dragons and other gruesome beings. Everyone needs somewhere to remember themselves - somewhere to unfurl.

Fortunately for me, I get the rest of the flat - the saffron-tiled bathroom with its tiny square window gazing out over Bristol is where I lie and think and dream.

The kitchen, with its blue-painted walls, excessive cupboard space and window taking in miles of city views which we both love, is where I wash and slice and chop vegetables, stir bubbling pans, play with spices and herbs, and do some more dreaming.

The living room, with its view of rooftops and sky, bookshelves, paintings and struggling magazine racks, is where I work most days, perched in the corner with my lap top, covering the floor with scraps of paper - note, inspiration, ideas and more dreams. When I glance up from the screen I can watch clouds shift across the sky, birds swooping and, occasionally, hot air balloons drifting by.

But this room is also home to my husband’s towering speakers, his DVD player and Blu-ray machine, his immense flat-screen TV. This is where he unwinds, and I unwind with him, making this our space.

The maisonette is oddly upside down. When we first moved in I would get lost, coming out of the living room and expecting to go upstairs to the bathroom, when the kitchen, bathroom and living room are on the top floor, hence the amazing views, while the bedroom, the husband-room, and the shower room are on the floor below.

But the bedroom level is still a storey above street level, which I enjoy. I like being above the world, above the people passing by. Our bedroom has French doors that open onto a small balcony above a shop sign, and sometimes we sit out there watching the traffic and pedestrians, and no one knows we’re there.

The balcony offers some of the best views of all. On clear days we can see two of my favourite feats of engineering - Cabot Tower, a tall, red-brick homage to John Cabot, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge, spun across the Avon Gorge like the work of some extraordinary spider. In the sunshine it gleams white against the city’s buildings and I feel like I could walk there in a matter of moments, which is, of course, an illusion.

Inside, the bedroom is my favourite place in the house, the other room my husband and I truly share. It exudes peace and a delicious sense of sleepiness. Lilac and white walls, deep green furnishings, pieces from my childhood home and my husband’s… The bed is vast and comfortable, the bedside table is laden with books, and sometimes I think that’s all that I need - somewhere to dream.