Lisbon Noir

Vila Nova de Gaia, across the River Douro from Porto, is famous for the production of Port wines. The traditional port lodges are still located in its center and most of them are open to visitors.  While touring the lodges you can see (and smell) the barrels where the Port is kept, learn more about the making of Port and  taste various different Port wines.

It is best to visit on a weekday and to stay away from the riverside where it is more busy and touristy. In the smaller streets away from the river you will find yourself going back in time and you will find Port lodges such as Offley, that  offer tours and tastings but in a much more quiet, friendly and intimate setting.

Via Algarviana is a 300 km long foot-path in the Algarve in Portugal. It starts in Alcoutim, which is close to the Spanish border, and ends in Cabo de S. Vicente along the Atlantic Ocean, and consists of 14 sections, varying in distance from 14 km to 30 km.

The trail is sign-posted in both directions and can be done in parts during a (short) walking holiday or in its entirety for the truly dedicated, and the nice thing is that it shows a relatively unknown part of the Algarve, away from the busy beaches and tourist areas, leading through small Algarvian villages, past abandoned buildings and through unique  landscapes. It may have some challenges since it is not easy to get to and from certain parts of the trail due to a lack of public transportation, but it is worth the effort.

And if you end up in Salir, do not forget to visit the local pizzeria there, which in itself is almost worth the visit when you are in the area.

An abandoned warehouse along the river Tejo (Tagus) in Lisbon.

The Lisbon Electricity Museum is a unique example of a well-preserved industrial site.  It opened in 2006 and shows the equipment of the old electricity generating unit in a completely renovated building. It is worth a visit both for those interested in the workings of industrial machinery and those interested in  the esthetics of old machinery and industrial buildings. It is a pity that sites  such as the Battersea Power Station, a majestic building along the Thames in London, are not preserved in the same way.

The Cemitério dos Prazeres or in English “Cemetery of Pleasure” is a historic cemetery dating back to 1833. Its streets are lined with graves resembling little  houses. And the unusual and eerie thing about a lot of these graves is that they have little “front doors” with glass windows through which you can see the caskets and remnants of the dead and their visitors.

The cemetery also provides great views over the Alcântara valley, the river Tejo and the Ponte 25 de Abril and can be reached by taking Electrico 28, which is a traditional and charming Lisbon tram,  to its last stop in Prazeres.

The Águas Livres Aqueduct spans the Alcântara valley in Lisbon with its 35 arches and is nowadays part of the Museu da Água. It is accessible to those interested and offers panoramic views over the Alcântara valley.

It also has an illustrious past because of the Spanish serial killer, Diogo Alves, who from 1836 to 1839 would hide close to the Águas Livres Aqueduct waiting for his victims who would use the aqueduct as a bridge to cross the valley. After robbing them he would throw the bodies from the top of the aqueduct and he is said to have killed 76 victims.

The Barbadinhos Steam Pumping Room is part of the Museu da Água and although it is not as centrally located as the two reservoirs, the Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras Reservoir and the Patriarcal Reservoir, it is worth the visit. And if you are there at the right time you can even see and hear the pumping room in action.

Abandoned building on Calçada do Marquês de Abrantes.

A lot of major cities around the world are intertwined with industrial sites that historically have been an inseparable and necessary part of the economic welfare of these cities.  A lot of these industrial buildings and sites have been demolished over the years, but fortunately not everywhere and some of these sites have been preserved by artists and local residents who moved in and created their own communities.

Good examples are Dumbo, in Brooklyn, NY where almost an entire neighborhood consisting of former factories and warehouses now has been converted to artist spaces, galleries, shops and living spaces and the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, the Netherlands where an old gas works factory is used by artists and for cultural activities.

In Lisbon there is also such a converted industrial site, which is called the LXFactory. It lies in the shadow of the 25 de Abril Bridge in Alcântara, which through the late 19th century was an industrial area with lots of small factories and warehouses, however a lot of these buildings have been demolished over the years.

LXFactory consists of several buildings which have been converted to artist spaces, offices, small stores and a nice taverna where visitors and residents can have a drink and something to eat.

LXFactory
Rua Rodrigues de Faria, 103
1300-501, Lisbon