St Anthony's Day

Saint Anthony, Professor of Miracles, Hammer of Heretics, patron of the poor and oppressed, Finder of Lost Things, saint of the barren and the pregnant. One of the most venerated saints in Christendom. And luckily for me, he was born in Lisbon - because Portugal has this wonderful tradition of allowing cities and towns to have a day off in recognition of local saints, and as Anthony is Lisbon's saint, and Cascais is in Greater Lisbon, I get a long weekend off. It's also Cascais' 647th anniversary of town-ship-ness and the celebrations for the two events have been keeping me awake all week long!

The focus of the party in Lisbon is Alfama, the ancient neighbourhood that clings to the side of pne of Lisbon's seven hills, a careful watch kept over it by the Moorish Saint George's Castle (I know - sounds more English than Portuguese, doesn't it? It was so named after a 14th century king married an English princess and is one more legacy of the longest standing alliance in the world.)

So. Alfama.

It's ancient, really really ancient, and is largely composed of tiny narrow staircases instead of streets. The buildings teeter above, clothed in laundry hung out to dry, and, today, colourful bunting and basil plants; the basil being a symbol of fidelity, couples traditionally give each other little potted plants on St Anthony's Day. The fragrance is everywhere.

Another symbol of Dia do Santo Antonio is the sardine. Why? Because at this time of year, it's in season, it's local, it's plentiful and cheap. Something I love about Portugal: 90% of the fruit and vegetables in the shops are grown in Portugal and are only sold in season, and foreign stuff is clearly marked. Makes it easy to go green. :)

I order a beer at the Miradouro da Graça, one of the best viewpoints in the city - a shaded, cobbled praça in front of a grand stone church, overlooking the castle and downtown Lisbon. Everyone is in a good mood,their voices lubricated and strengthened by cold beer and freshly grilled sardines, and, thanks to the Portuguese love of children, it's a big (drunken) family day out. Actually, I'm starting to understand why so many Portuguese settled in Zimbabwe after their colonies became independent in the 1970s...