Lisbon Blog

Fado is the Portugal’s popular music that expresses the feelings of the poor neighborhoods of Lisbon. It contains the melancholy and nostalgia for what is lost. The first records of Fado are from back mid-nineteenth century. This is music and bohemian marginality, which is performed by a soloist accompanied by a Portuguese guitar or viola. It was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and it is a point of attraction for people traveling to Lisbon.

For all these reasons and more, we will give some good advice on where fado is the king of the night, so you can travel to Lisbon well informed.

Clube de Fado is a very famous place, because in it, the traditional high Portuguese cuisine is mixed with the sounds of the guitar and Fado, which creates a warm, encouraging and charming atmosphere. Located in a classical building in the heart of Lisbon and just next to the Cathedral. The menu has 6 full menus, including wine, dessert, coffee, brandy, oporto and whiskey. Its prices range from 49 Euros to 95 Euros per person. In addition there are 4 full vegetarian menus, including dessert, wine, oporto and brandy. However, the best feature of this place is the extensive fado singers agenda to delight diners.

Mesa de Frades is a restaurant located in Alfama, it combines traditional Portuguese cuisine with Fado music. Its interior is a spacious and airy with a sober decoration. its food is good but simple and its prices are reasonable, the average cost per person is 35 Euros. The address is Rua dos Remédios 139 A.

Parreirinha de Alfama has a pleasant atmosphere where you can listen to very good Fado performers and sing along to them, while eating a great traditional dinner, as Caldeirada de Peixe, or Cabrito Assado no forno. Its address is Beco Espirito Santo 1 and the average values for a full menu is 45 Euros.

Café Luso is a bar and restaurant where you can listen to good Fado while having a drink or eating dinner. Its traditional Portuguese cuisine is tinged with a touch of gourmet contemporary cuisine. There is a huge variety of dishes a la carte; from appetizers, soups, fish and meat, with the best flavor of Lisbon. Its entertaining menus are classified according to the musical scale and the season. But the best part is, its Fado program that every day accompanies visitors. Its address is Travessa da Queimada 10 and it is open every day of the year from 19:30 to 02:00.

La Taverna do Embuçado is a bar and restaurant with rustic architecture where good traditional food is served, while enjoying traditional Fado sung by its owner and other local singers. Its address is Beco dos Curtume 10.

Nancy Guzman

If you like the Bohemian and fado, rent apartments in Lisbon and get to know each of these places, you won’t regret! have a good beginning of the year.

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Translated by: Hans
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Until the 22^nd of January 2012, Chiado Museum in Lisbon exhibits the video- art Marquise, 2007 by the French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. The exhibition is an interesting glance at the visual creation by Gonzalez-Foerster, artist who has been distinguished herself for having a sophisticated view to permanent changes in perceptions of space.

The work is a video, recorded on the ground floor of the Pavilion, at the First Biennial of Sao Paulo (1951), which was designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Through it, the artist ventures into the transmutation of perceptions in memory, leading to a simple reflection of how spaces are recalled, and if what its was considered modern it is still modern today. These simple questions make us think about the superposition our eyes as time goes on and how it is shaping our perceptions. The video is presented in DVD, English spoken and lasts 5 minutes.

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster was born in 1965 in Strasbourg, France. She studied fine arts at École de Beaux Arts de Grenoble, right after that she studied at the École du Magasin, at the National Center of Contemporary Art in the city and finally at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts in Paris. Her work has been developed mainly through the use of film photography; she also has interesting facilities and has entered in the net-art, architecture and fashion.

In her works, Gonzalez-Foerster takes places that evoke emotions to create a connection with the viewer and move him to think about the past, with a look from the present.

Her first works were done inspired on the 90′s. In them she is identified with the vision of space and evocations, especially in her installation “chambers”, or small rooms, in which she applies faded marks that suggest a situation that happened and remains only the memory of those strokes. Memory, presence and space are the permanent concerns of aesthetic representation.

Today with a mature work, Gonzalez-Foerster has become a benchmark for the European art scene. Her work The Immaterial (1985), presented at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, has contributed to this. This work caused a stir by sparking intellectual discussions about new media to represent ideas, since the presentation included the philosopher Jacques Derrida and instead of paintings or sculptures was an open space where the viewer could move between letters and texts.

Her career is full of milestones, in 2001; she won the RATP competition with a project for the refurbishment of the subway Monee Nouvelle station, the following year her work was awarded with the Marcel Duchamp Award. She has participated in Documenta 11 (2002), the Bienal de Sao Paulo 27 (2006) and Skulptur Projekte Münster (2007).

For more information http://www.museudochiado-ipmuseus.pt/en/node/1189

Nancy Guzman

One solution to ease the end-of-the-year stress is to spend some days in apartments in Lisbon and focus on the good landscapes; the city has to offer during January. So come and enjoy this intriguing work by Gonzalez-Foerster.

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Translated by: Hans
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New mobile technology is really impressive. An increasing number of applications can be added  to your mobile phone and that have a thousand uses and support various activities. From listening to music, find somewhere or creating sounds, there are no limits to all that that  can be installed in new phone models.

The question is to know how limiting it can be to give an application a real use, or to see that we are becoming too dependent  of applications on our cell phones. It is true that the practical use of some of these apps  saves us time and money and gives us the opportunity to travel more comfortably. However, they do not let your instinct and spirit of adventure roam free for they are contained as a practical solution at  the time of a new journey.

Today, you can install applications on your mobile phone to give you a detailed guide to different cities , for example get on the internet to find applications that are in turn tourist guides of cities like New York, Berlin, London, Barcelona, ​​Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, and so on. In addition to these, check the following applications that can be of great use when deciding your next destination.

Flightrack of Mobiata: This application lets you track all your flights. Departures, arrivals, airports, airlines, and let you visualize the route you are taking.

TripAdvisor: Tips on thousands of destinations on places to visit, hotels, places to eat, it actually offers much more and is completely free.

Maplets: It allows you to carry around essential maps of transportation such as buses, subways, trams, trains, parks, recreational areas. There are over 5000 maps in the United States and around the world.

Google Translate: Translate what you do not understand when you travel, from ads, messages, menus, etc.. This application also lets you translate phrases on your phone to your own language. Completely free.

Wi Fi Finder: Use this application to find wireless internet connections throughout the world. Get connected  faster than ever

Twitter: Yes, this well-known application, but if you do not need to post anything or send messages to your friends on your Facebook, Twitter allows you to keep abreast of news, events, local news and of other places around the world. Only a few lines are sufficient to keep you informed.

Ultimate Free Camera : Fully necessary travel application if you are into photos. This application will give your photos a greater resolution, and offer other tips to improve your photographic experience with your phone.

The options on the net about these applications are diverse. Many more are available free of charge. Just  test which ones best suit you or which are even more “user friendly”. Like any journey, the journey into mobile applications will require a good dose of curiosity and healthy ingenuity.

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Lisbon and use these great applications that will make your trip a much more practical and interesting experience

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Translated by: Marc
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Covering an entire city in one day is impossible. However, take one day to the fullest is more than possible. Lisbon is one of the most interesting and beautiful European cities. With a long history, it also offers many possibilities if you are looking for a romantic walk, visits to museums or galleries, music, various cafes and bars.

The most useful thing when traveling for short periods, is to plan ahead the route of the trip, get a better idea of where you are going, what you want to visit and eat, so that the time is well spent. Winter doesn’t need be a reason for not visiting a city in Europe. Thousands of choices in both art and culture are available in Lisbon; I can guarantee you a day full of new discoveries. This is a brief list of the most symbolic of Lisbon you should not miss:

The National Museum of Ancient Art: This fabulous museum has 70 rooms divided into three floors. In them, you will be able to find European paintings and decorative arts, as well as, antique Portuguese furniture. Similarly, Portuguese antique jewelry, ceramics, and an extensive collection of Chinese porcelain and some specimens of Japanese porcelain.

Pena National Palace: The palace of the Romantic era is in the municipality of Sintra, and you can access even on foot from the historic center of Lisbon. The palace is located on top of a hill and can be seen of course from the city. This national monument is considered one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal.

National Tile Museum: Founded in 1509, this museum is one of the most important in Portugal. Its collection of tiles is really impressive and is certainly essential symbol of Portuguese culture. It is also located in the former Convento Madre de Dios. They also have temporary exhibitions and educational events.

Berardo Museum Collection: If you’re interested in contemporary art, this museum is for you. Here you will find the best of American and European art movements of the twentieth and twentieth first centuries. Among the artists represented are Picasso, Dali, Max Ernst, Mondrian, Francis Bacon, among others.

Belem Cultural Center: This is the largest building in Portugal dedicated to the management and cultural diffusion. There are spaces for conferences, exhibitions and for presenting an opera, ballet and symphonic concerts.

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum: This museum contains an interesting collection of Oriental art and classical Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Persian and Islamic. Similarly, one can find French eighteenth-century art, sculptures and medieval decorations, Renaissance art. This museum is one of the lesser-known gems of Europe by its vast and diverse collection.

These are just some of the options you can enjoy for a day in the city of Lisbon. Be selective when deciding on destinations and stops on upcoming trips. See it all when traveling in a city is not necessarily the best option. At the heart of some views and experiences, are probably the best memories that you can take when traveling for short stays.

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Lisbon and enjoy the diverse cultural life, the capital of Portugal has to offer.

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Translated by: Hans
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Until January 22, 2012 the Modern Art Centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon presents “Silent Prayer”, showcasing the work of the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo. This is the first exhibition of Salcedo in Portugal and is organized by the Moderna Museet in Malmo, Sweden, and produced by the Contemporary Museum of the University of Mexico City, the MAXXI Museum of Rome and the Pinacoteca in Sao Paulo.

Doris Salcedo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1958. She studied Fine Arts at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano Universidad in that city, then later obtained a graduate degree in New York. Her work has been exhibited at the MOMA in New York and other major museums. Between 1987 and 1988 she was the principal of the School of Visual Arts at the Institute of Fine Arts in the city of Cali, and has received important scholarships from the Guggenheim Foundation.

Silent prayer is an installation consisting of 162 devices which are two tables placed together in reverse and with a soil structure that allows the growing of pastures. What is striking is that each unit has the length and width of a standard-size casket. It’s a strange appearance of a cemetery in a landscape that can be found anywhere in the Colombian jungle or rural areas, producing in the viewer a sense of oppression, despite the aesthetic harmony.

Salcedo’s work is a direct reference to the political violence in Colombia that has been present for over seventy years, changing social relations, coercing the political system, altering the human networks and disrupting the social fabric that make life possible. This phenomenon, which is a paradigmatic case of constant violence in Latin America, has not yet found a way to be solved given the various sources involved in the process.

What Salcedo seeks to demonstrate is the complexity that has led her country into a spiral of violence that has devalued the value of life and where the closest thing that exists in some areas, is death due to some of the conflicting issues.

In Colombia, unlike other countries where conflicts have a more specific source, violence is rooted in several historical factors that are intertwined, such as  political, and economic  issues with drug trafficking, which are interrelated. That complexity is what Salcedo has investigated interviewing people who have been victims of all sides of conflicts or who have lost a relative in this endless stupid war, in order to memorize the gross violations of human rights, especially the right to life, which is the first right which is lost in blunt violence.

Hence her work is highly political, because it avoids the tensions that means clarification in order to focus her work with international invisibility and insensitivity which is the case of Colombia, where every day people are killed or whole communities are displaced from their territories due to a product of  bombings or social clashing

For more information http://www.cam.gulbenkian.pt/index.php?article=71365&visual=2&langId=1

Nancy Guzman

A great exhibit that you should not miss, especially if you spend a few days resting in apartments in Lisbon and spend some quality cultural time visiting the Modern Art Centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian

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Translated by: Marc
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It seems hard to question that Rihanna, who will offer one of her spectacular concerts of her Loud tour of her last album (she just released her long-awaited sixth album, Talk That Talk, in late November), at the spectacular Atlantic Pavilion scenario in Lisbon on the 17^th of December (http://www.pavilhaoatlantico.pt/vEN/Agenda/Agenda/Pages/evento.aspx?eventoID=1083). Her recent appearance in the dazzling and surprising Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay’s latest album, performing the electro-pop song Princess of China, has been acclaimed by most critics as the best and most memorable track of that album, and the Loud greatest hits, such as California King Bed, Only Girl in the world, What’s My Name and the wonderfully controversial S&M, they all still magnetize the dance floors around the world. Well, magnetic is one of the adjectives that first pops up when thinking of the power exercised by the spectacular Barbados singer on  men and women and all sorts of musical tastes and orientations. Not surprisingly artists like the Cassidy sisters of CocoRosie, have declared their admiration for her in a more than enthusiastic terms.

More than admiration, it is even a numinous feeling of veneration which causes her incomparable stage presence, a presence that becomes extremely difficult not to surrender completely to her ineffable charms all those who have the fatal poisoned fortune to contemplate her.

It is a magical force excessively sexual emanating from her person into the stage. She said that the biggest difference between being sexy in a concert and in the bedroom is the public and there are few people in the world, who are fabulously sexy as Rihanna, as a proof of that there is a story occurred during the shooting of her latest video on a farm in Ireland, which had to be interrupted by the requirement of the property owner to the singer to put more clothes on (apparently the shooting produced major disruptions in traffic, including collision chains in a nearby highway).

Referring to a higher type of intelligence, the words genius and genitals are according to their etymology closely related, as it would illustrate perfectly the case of Rihanna, a singer extraordinarily intelligent and gifted than has been known to from the R & B with Caribbean origin without losing one iota of power and power-not for nothing she said, echoing as a Smiths song that it requires more strength to be vulnerable to harder and perhaps unique in that mix of fragility, softness and strength resides much of her unappealable appeal.

Paul Oilzum

In addition, she never ceases to amaze us with her exquisite, barely visible tattoos and ever-changing style and appearance, judging by which one can only augur the best line of clothing designed by her, which she announced to create a not too distant future. Love her with the mixture of reverence and holy fear that only the primary goddesses deserve if you rent apartments in Lisbon

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Translated by: Hans
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A lecture of Portuguese art of the last thirty years, an exhibition of the most outstanding and renown art by AICA, the International Association of Art Critics and Portuguese Architecture with headquarters in Paris and, best of all, free! Like very few events of this category in today’s day and age.

The National Contemporary Art Museum in Lisbon, better known as the Chiado Museum, is the organizer of this exhibition which tries to give a critical and educational view of Portuguese visual art since the 80s until today, with the biggest exponents of the different trends that hold the different types of visual arts. In these three decades, artists who began their careers decades before were winners of the AICA award, which meant that in the 80s there was a large number of artists who began to created in the 60s and 70s, and the same goes for the artists who won the AICA award in the 90s or 2000s.

The historical importance of the exhibition lies in the connexion of the works with the deep changes lived by Portuguese society throughout these decades in the political and social fields, but also in culture and, of course, art. For this, the museum, in collaboration with AICA, have worked with the utmost objectivity and rigor in the selection of the works as well as in the information, attaching to the catalogues, which go with the exhibition, a documentary and audiovisual area, as well as guided tours by experts.

There are thirty artists who have won the AICA award from 1981 to 2010, who are part of this exhibition which inaugurated on October 20th and which will end on the 22nd of January of 2012. On the museum webpage you can access the necessary information to attend the guided tours, which must be booked on the telephone in advance. It’s worth making the reservation because specialists will be giving an integral outlook on the works, the artists and the social changes reflected in this magnificent art exhibition.

For more information visit: http://www.museudochiado-ipmuseus.pt/pt/node/1135?page=3

Luz Obscura

A great chance to get to know more about the Portuguese visual arts. If you’re travelling or you’re planning on visiting the Portuguese capital on these dates, rent apartments in Lisbon and call the Chiado Museum to book your ticket for one of the guided tours.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Whoa!!, Christmas is coming!, Which means buying gifts for family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, pets, etc, etc. For many it is synonymous of great expenses and stress, but not all “Ending of the year”  scenarios are so stressful, let alone with a great expense involved, there are some shows with a Christmas spirit  which I must mention to you today, Firstly, the are free, and secondly they are interpreted by the best classic musicians in  Lisbon and in the most beautiful churches of the city !, This event is called”Music in the churches,” and every year for quite some time now , takes place in the city of Lisbon to celebrate Christmas.

They are the seven most important churches to be filled with music from the 5th of December until the 19th. The first of these churches is, the Church of Sao Nicolau, where a symphonic choir will present the Lisbon Cantata at 16:00 hrs. On the 10th  a school group of the National Conservatory of music will sing at the church of Madalena at 21:30 hrs, these shows are well worth arriving well before the appointed time in order to secure a seat. On the 11th  in the Memorial Church, the choral group from the Maia music school is presented at 16:00 hrs , on the 12th of December at the Grace Church the Regina Coeli choir  along with the philharmonic Da Beiras will perform, then to be followed by the youth symphony orchestra in the Basilica Star on the 17th at 21:30 hrs, on the 18th in the church of Santo Agostinho, the Castelo Opera  company will perform  at 16:00 hrs,  and finally the on the 19th the Portuguese chamber performs at the Sao Domingos church at 16:00 hrs.

Seven dates of music in the most beautiful churches of Lisbon feed and prepare the holiday spirit with the most beautiful baroque, classical and traditional music and tunes.

Luz Obscura

Seven days to enjoy the best classical musicians. Rent apartments in Lisbon and spent a month of December to enjoy the religious heritage and architecture of the most beautiful churches in Lisbon accompanied by the best traditional and classical music.

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Translated by: Marc
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The Lisbon International Marathon is a great international event which has been taking place ever year for 26 years in the city of Lisbon. In 2011, it will take place on the 4th of December. The start is at 9am and all amateur athletes over 18 years of age are invited to participate.

The beautiful thing about this race is that it’s an international event to which people from all over the world come to compete in, although it’s mainly the Europeans who visit Lisbon to run this marathon. There are various categories and they will give awards to the three first-placed ones in each one of them.

The categories are divided in gender and age. The veterans 1 are between 35 and 39 years old, the veterans 2 from 40 to 44 years old and the veterans 3 from 45 to 49 years old, and so on until the veterans 6 category, which is for over 60s. For the younger ones, the rules are the international ones.

Running and participating in marathons stimulates not only the muscles but also the soul and the spirit, because with the adrenaline that goes inside the body of the athlete, there’s a stimulation of the nervous centres which foment happiness.

There are various sponsors who will give out their products, always meant for sportsmen, such as water and energy drinks. They will also give out a shirt to every participant and there will be surprises and gifts.

The total distance is just over 42 kilometres, and you can see it on the official map which the organization of the event published. Every 5 kilometres there’ll be hydration spots where you can also eat a cereal bar or some fruit.

There are also shorter proposals for those who aren’t trained enough. They take place on the same day and they’re called Mini Marathon, where you only run 4km, and the Half Marathon, which is also another option.

For more information: http://www.lisbon-marathon.com/

d.b

If you rent apartments in Lisbon you’ll be able to enjoy a few wonderful days in this city and also run the famous International Lisbon Marathon. It will definitely be a fun experience, with the right mix of competitiveness and training.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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From 23 to 27 November, Lisbon will host the 2011 Lisbon Art Fair, held in Parque das Nações, along the Tagus River. The inauguration will take place on Wednesday 23 at 6pm and is open until 11pm. You need an invitation to attend. The public opening will take place on Thursday 24 at 4pm.

Arte Lisboa 2011 has become a space where contemporary art is democratized. It’s a place where art and contemporary artists come together with a public who do not often go to galleries or museums. Each year, over 2000 visitors come to Arte Lisboa to see the works on display and meet the artists who created them.

For this reason it has become the epicentre of Portuguese art, and especially so at a time when the international circuit is showing special interest in artists from these parts like Helena Almeida, Julião Sarmento and Pedro Cabrita.

For the organizers of Arte Lisboa 2011, the fair has become an instrument to measure interest in collecting contemporary art by galleries and the private sector. This is a growing concern, as every day there are more institutions wishing to acquire new artworks.

About 70 galleries will participate at the fair this year, having been selected according to the quality of their projects and the program of activities to be performed. This will be the 11th edition of this festival and it is expected that both established and emerging artists will exhibit their best pieces, as an event of this seriousness and professionalism requires.

Private collectors are also rubbing their hands with anticipation, hoping to find exciting new works and discover promising artists.

The activities performed at the fair are aimed at curators, gallery owners, critics, art historians and collectors. Discussions will be held exploring the current state of the art industry, the conflicts caused by globalization and the ongoing crisis in several areas ranging from creation to maintenance of art works.

The forum on November 24 will present the discussion “What is next?” or “The direction and future of corporate collecting.” The following day will be devoted to private collections, and the access that the public has to them, with “Private collections for a public gaze!” Finally, towards the close of the show there will be an interesting look at the role of the art curator in the discussion “The Work of a Curator”.

For more information http://www.artelisboa.fil.pt/?lang=es&page=feira/feira.jsp

Nancy Guzman

A great way to spend the autumn months is to rent apartments in Lisbon and enjoy some time in this romantic, sensual city. During the day you can soak up modern art at the Arte Lisboa fair.

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Translated by: Ben Palmer
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