Today the movie “Milk” premieres in theaters here in Lisbon. Winner of 8 Oscar nominations last week, that movie stars Sean Penn, with James Franco in a major secondary role. If Franco sounds Portuguese to you, you’re right. He’s just one of the now several young Hollywood faces with a Portuguese background. Of about the same age as Franco is Al Santos, a former model turned actor who’s made appearances on the “CSI: NY” series and on movies like “Jeepers Creepers II.” He was born in New York, but his last name originates in his relatives in the city of Aveiro in Portugal.

Another rising star is Lyndsy Fonseca, last seen on last season’s “Desperate Housewives,” although she was also part of the cast of “The Young and the Restless.”
Yet another Portuguese-American actress with a start in soap operas was Vanessa Marcil (the real last name is “Barrigas”), who went from “General Hospital” to star in “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Las Vegas.“

Perabo is an unusual Portuguese name, but it is Portuguese. Actress Piper Perabo was born in Texas, but grew up in New Jersey, home to a large Portuguese community. Her major role was as the star of the “Coyote Ugly” movie, and she’s also appeared in other films such as “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “The Prestige.”

You wouldn’t tell by her last name, but Brooke Burke is also partially Portuguese. She was last seen as the winner of season 7 of the American series “Dancing with the Stars,” but became known as the host of the “Wild On…” program on the E! network.

For more famous Portuguese-American faces in the world of entertainment, see GoLisbon’s Portuguese People page.

They’re both built over a series of hills, are crossed by turn-of-the-century trams, have a big suspension bridge built by the same company as one of their icons, share a history of earthquakes, and offer a mild climate year-round. If there is such a thing as twin cities, they are Lisbon and San Francisco.

Another link to Lisbon in San Francisco is its most famous skyscraper, the Transamerica Pyramid. It was designed by the Portuguese-American architect William Pereira who also designed other projects around the world, and especially in Los Angeles (CBS Television City, Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and IBM headquarters).

There is no Portuguese community in San Francisco, but there is a significant Portuguese population outside the city and around California. In fact, it was a Portuguese explorer who discovered California. His name was João Rodrigues Cabrilho, although he is mostly known under the Spanish version of his name Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo since he was working for Portugal’s rival at the time. You’ll find the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, and there is also Cabrillo College in Aptos, the Cabrillo Bridge, and the Cabrillo Freeway traveling through San Diego’s famous Balboa Park.

Although a New World version of Lisbon somehow emerged in California as San Francisco, the only taste of the Portuguese capital found in that American city is at Grubstake Restaurant. It offers a menu called “The Portuguese Corner”, listing the most famous of all Portuguese soups, “Caldo Verde,” in addition to (you guessed it) a couple of codfish dishes.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Portuguese in California, visit the website of California’s Portuguese Museum.

Also see:
Lisbon in Paris
Lisbon in New York

The city with the most Portuguese people outside of Portugal is Paris. Portuguese immigration to the French capital in the early to mid-20th century has given that city two generations of Portuguese residents, with successful second-generation Franco-Portuguese now found in all sectors of French society. A more recent example was Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota who is the current director of the Theatre de la Ville, but even prominent Portuguese artists of the past found a second home in what is the world’s capital of the arts. Painters like Mario Cesariny and Vieira da Silva were greatly influenced by Paris, and lived in the city for some time. It was also through Paris that Fado diva Amalia Rodrigues or designer Fatima Lopes went on to achieve international fame. Portuguese architect and designer Miguel Câncio Martins has also worked on international projects in large part thanks to his work on Paris’ famous Buddha Bar. To celebrate and promote Portuguese culture in France today, there’s Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation’s home in Paris.

Gulbenkian Paris offers a library specializing in Portuguese culture, and also hosts exhibitions and concerts. The Gulbenkian headquarters in Lisbon is also home to a world-class calendar of events from classical music to international conferences, although it is mostly famous for its museum of both Eastern and Western treasures.

Until the 22nd of February, another of Lisbon’s major cultural institutions will be present in the French capital. The Berardo Museum has lent part of its modern art collection to the Luxembourg Museum for a temporary exhibition called “From Miró to Warhol – The Berardo Collection in Paris”. It’s attracted almost half a million visitors since its opening in October, and if you are from Paris or will be there before your visit to Lisbon, it’s a must-see not just for the exhibition itself, but also as a preview of what you’ll find in Lisbon.

If you want to try the Portuguese gastronomy there, there are several Portuguese restaurants in the city, with Restaurant Saudade and Chez Dina being two easily accessible options.

(If you’re not in Paris but in New York, see our previous “Lisbon in New York” post)

The American/Texan newspaper Dallas Daily News has published an article about Lisbon written by the famous travel writer Rick Steves. Famous for his TV series “Rick Steves’ Europe” and his guidebooks, Steves returns to Europe every year looking for all that’s changed, all that’s new, and all that remains the same in the Old Continent.

On his most recent trip to Lisbon, he decided to experience Fado as the locals do. Although that’s nearly impossible (Fado these days is more of a tourist trap than an authentic experience), and the article itself is a little romanticized, GoLisbon recommends it because Rick Steves also recommends GoLisbon.com at the end of the article

If you’re interested in knowing more about Fado and where to hear it in Lisbon, see our fado section.

To read the full Rick Steves article, click here.

GRAND OPENINGS
Vincci Baixa Hotel
The opening of this hotel brought a breath of fresh air to the grid of streets of Lisbon’s downtown. The city’s most interesting hotels are found in the old historical quarters of the city, but those streets of Baixa so close to the river house mostly charmless budget hotels. Vincci Baixa brought modern design and a better 4-star service to the neighborhood, and the good news is that others are scheduled to follow it in the next couple of years.

VIP Grand Lisboa
Finally a good 5-star hotel within walking distance to the Gulbenkian Museum! Lisbon’s culture vulture tourists never miss the Gulbenkian, and in fact I have known a few who’ve visited the Portuguese capital just with that museum in mind. Those wishing to stay at a hotel close to it always had many good options, but they were the standard business hotels with good but not exceptional service to make your Lisbon stay more memorable. VIP Grand also caters to business travelers (it’s located in the heart of uptown’s financial district), but adds 5-star services also sought by leisure travelers such as a spa and a good restaurant.

Silk
Lisbon’s most exclusive hotspot opened early in the year and in less than 12 months is already the talk of the town, especially among those curious to check what it’s all about but can’t get on the restrictive guestlist. If you’re staying at an upmarket hotel, you may very well be one of the lucky few. You’ll find an elegant space, a sophisticated ambience, high-priced drinks, and views of every corner of Lisbon.

Kaffeehaus
Lisbon has been conquered by Vienna. Sure there are only two Austrian cafes in the city, but they have become two of the favorites. Pois Café in Alfama was a mandatory stop in the neighborhood when a second Vienna-inspired café opened in the city, but in the Chiado district. It now competes with the hip Deli Delux as Lisbon’s favorite Sunday brunch destination.

Orient Museum
Lisbon finally offers a major attraction that it was lacking. As the European capital that most contributed to the cultural ties between the Far East and the West, Lisbon had to have a space dedicated to showing the best of the Orient, and that happened in 2008. With the opening of the Orient Museum, visitors can now learn about traditional art from all over Asia, and see how Portugal influenced and was influenced by that part of the world.

Blindness in theatres
This was not only an opening in Lisbon. It was an opening around the world, but it had more relevance in Lisbon. Critics didn’t seem to like the Hollywood version of Portugal’s Nobel Prize author Jose Saramago’s novel “Blindness,” but as the first novel that the author allowed to make it to the big screen, it was an event Lisbon looked forward to see. Some were pleased, others were disappointed, but everyone enjoyed seeing Saramago’s work come to life. And this year it was also announced that the writer will have his own foundation housed in the city’s landmark Casa dos Bicos soon.

GRAND RE-OPENINGS
Fado Museum
The museum dedicated to showcasing Lisbon’s special music went through major renovation works and reopened later in the year. It got rid of attractions it felt it didn’t need, and added new features such as new sample audio tracks. Also of note is its new restaurant, given a surprisingly minimalist and completely contemporary look, further showing that Fado is very much a traditional sound of the past, but also with a very strong present.

Cravo e Canela
It’s one of the best restaurants in Bairro Alto, but remains underrated perhaps because it was closed for a few months. It’s now reopen and remains an excellent choice for those looking for a different gastronomic experience made up of contemporary international dishes with a small dose of exotic flavors. It’s served in a low-lit and very comfortable space, which you’ll only want to leave after a few hours, and to move on to the bar by the entrance.

Kubo
This got our vote as the best place for late-afternoon/after-work drinks. It’s been a summer hotspot for the last couple of years, and we welcomed it again in 2008. And this year it was even better because it was also transformed into an autumn destination, and although it’s closing on the last day of the year, we look forward to it next summer again.

Rossio Station
Major works were needed to renovate the tunnel that connects Lisbon’s central Rossio Station to the suburbs that lead to Sintra, the country’s most beautiful town. So the station closed in 2004 and only opened this year with a cleaned-up façade and with a new terrace on its left side featuring cafes offering outdoor seating.

Miradouro São Pedro de Alcantara
Only when it was closed for so many months did the people of Lisbon realize how much they love this garden-terrace outside Bairro Alto offering a panoramic view of the city. It was so spotlessly clean when it opened, that some have said it lost a little of its charm, but there’s no denying that it’s much more welcoming, and the new kiosk-café only invites you to go and stay longer even more.

ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
Berardo Museum
This museum could also have very well been the attraction of 2007 as it was the year when it was opened and so talked about, but in 2008 it remained the city’s there’s-no-excuse-to-miss attraction, as it prolonged its free entrance for one more year. Throughout the year it also hosted a couple of major temporary exhibitions, and renovated the permanent one. So it was free, there was always something new, and you got to see Warhol, Picasso, Dali, Magritte, and Bacon under the same roof. No other attraction in the city could beat that, and 550,000 visitors took advantage of that this year.

MILESTONES
2008 was a special year for:
Lux: Lisbon’s most famous club turned 10

Downtown Lisbon: Baixa’s Renaissance is 250 years old, and there’s much debate over where it goes from here.

Botanical Garden: It’s charmingly decadent and it was remembered when it turned 130.

Manoel de Oliveira: The world’s oldest film director turned 100 years young.

Incognito: It celebrated two decades this year, but in true Incognito fashion, it did it without much fanfare and to the sound of the 80s.

THE WORST
Party Poopers
Some people are trying to silence Bairro Alto. That neighborhood of multiple personalities; the quiet old lady in the morning, but a partying 20-something at night, likes to stay awake until very late/early. As a result, the people who can’t deal with the noise she makes at night as everyone joins her for drinks outside, have succeeded in making city hall close the bars’ doors earlier, at 2AM. In Lisbon time, that’s when you’re still leaving your house or a restaurant after dinner. Old habits just don’t die like that, and the battle between the below-40 generation and city hall is still not over.

Where’s the Design Museum?
First it was supposed to reopen in 2007 in a mansion to be renovated by the Santa Catarina Viewpoint. Then it was postponed for the end of 2008, and then for early 2009. Another change in plans moved the location to a building downtown, to be reconverted in time for a reopening in late 2010. Lisbon’s Design and Fashion Museum still seems to have an uncertain future, and in the meantime, the city and its visitors are without one of its major cultural attractions.

So this is Christmas?
Could Lisbon’s 2008 Christmas decorations have been in any poorer taste? The ones around Chiado do their job of bringing the season’s spirit to its shoppers, but what was everyone, anyone, someone thinking when they approved the advertisements masked as decorations in Rossio and Comercio Square? The central monument of Rossio was given a kitsch décor by a national charity house (which also oversees the national lottery), while the central space of Comercio Square was taken over by gigantic “lightbulbs” serving as advertisement for a national cell phone company. Sure it’s time for cutbacks in this financial crisis, but it’s better to not have any decorations than to see your emblematic public spaces invaded by shameless advertisements.

Recently there’s been a lot of talk about Portugal’s last Nobel Prize winner, José Saramago. A major Hollywood version of his novel “Blindness” was just released in theatres, he just published a new critically acclaimed book that’s already a best-seller, and not too long ago it was announced that Lisbon’s landmark Casa dos Bicos will be the headquarters of a foundation and cultural institution in his name.

But today is the day to remember another Portuguese Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Egas Moniz. He died on December 13th, 1955, six years after winning the prize for medicine due to his discovery of the therapeutic value of leucotomy in certain psychoses. Basically what that means is that he was the inventor of the lobotomy neurosurgical procedure, the culmination of a long career that started as a graduate of the prestigious Coimbra University.

His accomplishments are honored with a hospital in Lisbon baptised with his name, and you’ll surely see it on your way to the Belem district on tram 15 when you visit Lisbon.

As announced here on GoLisbon Blog, Lisbon’s Film Museum showed every single movie ever directed by Manoel de Oliveira last October. That legendary Portuguese director has the record of being the world’s oldest filmmaker and turns 100 years old today. Despite the age, he doesn’t have plans to slow down any time soon. He’s currently directing yet another film, and plans to write his autobiography.

A special box set of all of his films has just been released in Portugal, and includes a book about the themes of his movies and his film-making style. The set includes his latest release “Columbus: the Enigma” about the famous explorer’s identity, and the award-winning “The Letter” and “A Talking Picture” with John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve.

There probably won’t be another director with such a long career for quite some time. But as also proven by the Portuguese lady who is currently the world’s oldest person, some people are simply born with better genes.

Mrs. Edna Parker, the 115 year-old American woman who was recognized as the world’s oldest person has died.  According to her family, the secret to her longevity was an active life free of alcohol and cigarettes.  I’d also add the very likely probability of some very good genes, although she did outlive her own two sons. Maybe the fresh air in the Indiana farm where she lived until she was 100 also had something to do with it. She was also a highly educated woman, working as a teacher until 1913 when she decided to dedicate her life to her farm.

But this leaves a Portuguese woman born in 1893 as the new oldest person in the world. Also 115 years young at the moment, she’s seen Portugal ruled by kings (until 1910 when the country went from monarchy to republic), by a dictator (for decades in the 20th century), and by prime-ministers democratically elected by the people in a country that’s also a member of the European Union. She was born at a time when locomotives competed with horse-drawn carriages as the most efficient means of transport, witnessed the first streetcars or trams arriving in Lisbon (pictuted above), the emergence of the automobile, the invention of the telephone, radio and television, and saw the first airplanes in the air. The world has suffered through world wars, man has landed on the moon, and the entire world is now connected through computers and wireless gadgets. Reviewing these women’s lives really makes you realize how much the world has evolved in just over a century, and makes you wonder what it will be like when a baby born today turns 115 years old…

For an overview of the history of Portugal click here.

The latest James Bond film just premiered last week, making this the perfect time to visit his birthplace in Lisbon. You may not know it, but James Bond is really Portuguese. That character came to life when its creator, author Ian Fleming, was enjoying the sun in the Lisbon Coast, or more specifically in Estoril.

When Fleming stepped into the casino of Estoril and saw himself surrounded by spies from all over Europe, together with European nobility and aristocrats, he was inspired to write Casino Royale. At that time the Lisbon Coast was the resort for those looking to escape the tragedies of World War II, as neutral Portugal provided the peace and the sun they were looking for. That’s when the then quiet seaside villages of Cascais and Estoril boomed with tourism and became the cosmopolitan playgrounds they still are today.

The casino is still there and still has its title as Europe’s largest. Across the street is the beach of Tamariz, overlooked by a castle that belongs to the royal family of Monaco. Walk west along the boardwalk and you’ll arrive in Cascais, where other fine aristocratic mansions now coexist with hotels welcoming those wanting to experience a little sand and the sea, to go together with all of the cultural attractions in Lisbon only a short train ride away.
While these autumn and winter months are not exactly inviting for a stroll through the beach, Cascais and Estoril are refreshing destinations at any time of the year.

Because today is Halloween, here’s something a little spooky — a visit to Lisbon’s cemeteries, the most famous of which being “the Cemetery of Pleasures.” Yes, that’s what its name translates to in English, but there’s a justified reason for that as GoLisbon has already told you here. Those who ride the unofficial tourist tram 28 until the end of its journey end up by its entrance gate, but there’s no way of knowing how many tourists actually venture through it.

Those who do, find a rather monumental city of the dead. In Portugal the dearly departed are honored with more than just a simple gravestone — their tombs are often so ornate, that they look like miniature temples or palaces. They’re meant to hold entire families inside, and the richer the decoration, the wealthier the family was in life. Why should you visit “the cemetery of pleasures”? You should if you like exploring cultural rituals or traditions different from your own. And in this case, you’ll also get a great view of 25 de Abril Bridge while you’re at it — Lisbon’s dead got some prime real estate!

About a 15 minute walk back through where you came from, following the tracks of the trams, will lead you to the Basilica of Estrela and the park in front of it. Behind that park, behind a tall wall, is another cemetery. That’s the English Cemetery, created in 1729 for the then-sizeable English community in Lisbon, or more precisely, those of the Protestant faith. It was also eventually shared with the Dutch community, and a separate section was created for the Jewish residents.

The most famous name buried here is Henry Fielding, author of the novel Tom Jones. He had travelled to Lisbon to improve his health, but died soon after. You can visit his grave by knocking loudly at the entrance in order to be let inside this cemetery that isn’t exactly a pleasure to see, but that can be quite a cultural experience for those who are not freaked out by being alone with the dead.
Happy Halloween from Lisbon!