Little Lettuces
“If I were to live this life again, I’d come back as a Lisbonite, a ‘Little Lettuce’ or ‘alfacinha’ as they refer to Lisbon’s locals!”
Ok, it’s expensive for G&T so stick to beer or wine. And there’s a constant cavalcade of entertainers eager to please.
It’s my birthday, St Valentine’s Day and we are staying in Chiado. Lisbon is quiet at this time of the year but there are still many concentric spots where tourists gather.
Brasileira do Chiado pulls them like a moth to a flame. Who wouldn’t stop and sit in that little cafe and watch the world go by? The fact that two Gin & Tonics set you back €30 is by the by. (For the price, we can get two meals in Madeira, including wine).
February in Lisbon is large on charm and light on tourists.
It’s not that clear that Fernando Pessoa actually frequented ‘A Brasileira do Chiado’ but they certainly lay claim to him and have erected a bronze statue. Pessoa was Portugal’s answer to Robert Burns, Bob Dylan and . He was certainly an interesting character.
You could argue that the writer suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder but I reckon he was just a creative fire hose that couldn’t be contained in one personality. In doing so he created
was a big deal in these parts and still is in Portuguese literary circles. He was a poet, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and probably the greatest poet in the Portuguese language.
The next day, we got on the No 28 tram and went up to Campo de Ourique where Elsa used to live as a student. It’s an interesting part of town for me and there are still well-dressed Portuguese gentlemen sitting outside cafes looking just like Fernando Pessoa. He lived here for 15 years and there’s a museum dedicated to him.
He was a snazzy dresser by all accounts
When dictatorship. the Sentece Coco Cola’s an acquired taste. First, you think it’s weird, and then it gets in your belly. In Portuguese it rhymes. The guy in charge of Health worked for Salazar. Coke means cocaiin. It never took off during the dictatorship.
Fernando Pessoa last sentence was written in English in the hospital bed, in November 29, 1935: ‘I know not what tomorrow will bring’.
message, from fernando Pessoa special edition
to do chiado
If you really want to dig deep into his style, Brasileira do Chiado is offering a commemorative reissue of the “Mensagem” to celebrate the poet who occupies our esplanade.
