Portugal is a recent entrant into the modern world. It first tried its hand at democracy as recently as 1964. Not everyone is yet convinced that the last  benign dictator (Salazar) doesn't beat the bossy kill-joys currently ruling in the national government and the EU bureaucrats.  The people of Portugal (or Lisbon at least) are not yet comfortable with where they find themselves in the modern world. Lisbon has a decadence and melancholy that comes from lost grandeur. It's a mysterious place, but there's an innocence to the city.
I have to tell you about this nightclub/restaurant we came across last night that encapsulates unusual aspects of Lisbon’s character. The nightclub is housed in what was once a chapel... a gift from King Don Joao V to his mistress in the early 18th century. Nestled in the streets of Lisbon's historic Alfama district, we had to search thoroughly to find the front door... no lighting... no signage... no windows. After eliminating all alternatives, we approached this old wooden door that looked like it hadn't been opened since King Don Joao's the days. We knocked.. and couldn't hear any noise... we knocked again and again. Eventually, someone pulled the door open a few inches. "Yes?" "Is this Mesa de Frades? "" Yes." "We have a booking. May we come in?"; "Yes." The door was inched open to reveal 20 pairs of eyes shining out of the gloom. We felt we were gate-crashing a secret meeting of the Knights Templar. We sat down at the only vacant table... and were served a nice 5-course meal of wholesome rustic food. We hadn't come for the food... we wanted to hear Fado music... Portuguese version of 'blues' music..... but the food was fantastic.
After completion of the meal, a couple of chairs were propped up against the door... the only available space. However, the message was clear... you may leave this club only when we allow you. Candles were lit... electric lights were switched off. A mandolin player and a guitarist appeared from another room and carefully tuned their instruments. A middle aged Fado female singer stepped forward and rendered her laments with overwhelming emotions. During her 10 minute performance, she kept her eyes closed and her hands clasped with prayerful intent. Her voice quality and control were remarkable. Tremulous quavering was delivered with operatic precision. Her powerful voice in the small space was inspiring. Her accompanists were equally skilled. The mandolin player produced the sounds of the Mediterranean... in many ways, he was the star of the show. We did not understand one line of lyrics during the evening... someone named 'Maria' seemed to get more than a fair share of criticism... but the despair and sorrow of the songs was quite clear. At 1am there was a break in the performance (we had flown in from Madrid, and lost an hour in time shift, so it was really 2am for us). We bolted for the door and grabbed a cab to escape to our hotel. We were happy prisoners... but the whole experience was a little bit 'spooky'.
To see more photos, you may entry the URL shown below into your search engine:
https://picasaweb.google.com/111868867433725063586/20130317ThisPlaceIsKindOfSpookyInACookyMelancholicKindOfWay
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