There's Crack in Those Pastries

Belem is a suburb a few miles west of the city center.  The royal family happened to be staying there when the great earthquake of 1755 occurred and destroyed, along with the ensuing fires, most of the city.  They were spared and Belem became trendy for the well-to-do.  That would do it for me, too.  Throngs flock to Belem , allegedly to see the Manueline monastery, the monument to Discoveries and the Tower of Belem .  They’re really here for the pastries.  Pasteis de Belem.  They’re little custard tarts that are served warm from the oven, sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.  The secret is buying a few and finding a shady spot in the park across the street for sitting and enjoying the treats.  Otherwise, you’d be popping them in your mouth as quickly as they’d put them in front of you.  They’re pretty addictive.

 

Terry seems to find the Manueline architecture understated.  The south portal of the chapel is pretty typical.  It’s understated if you’re Louis XVI.  The Monument to the Discoveries is pretty powerful stuff.  It juts out over the Tejo (you call it Tagus ) and features the many who led Portugal to greatness. 

 

Back in town, we started the evening as we always do, along with hundreds of our closest friends, having a ginjinha.  At sunset and later, people show up and stand in line at these tiny holes in the wall, as the owner lines up shot glasses filled with ginjinha.  You pay your 1.10 each and join your friends outside to sip the stuff.  You can order the stuff com or sem (with or without the cherries), but it is always the same—a few cherries with pits are at the bottom of the glass.  Our spot is A Ginjinha (THE Ginjinha).  Across the street is Ginjinha sem Rival.  I think you always stay with ‘your first’.  It just seems right.  As you’re sipping your ginjinha, you ponder the number of stoneworkers it took to cut and lay the calcadas that make up every sidewalk and plaza—in varying patterns and colors.  They’ve been worn smooth over the last couple of centuries.  Fortunately, it’s been dry.  I’m betting that surgeons make a killing when the calcadas are wet and slick.