Lisbon - Wandering Towards the Bridge

We set our sights on lunch and left the hotel with plenty of time to get to a place called the LX Factory, a kind of artsy district that's been commercialized. It's located at the abutment of the big Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. First stop is the Carmo Archeological Museum, a ruined stone church, damaged in the earthquake of 1755. A central marker in the city, it sits at the opposite end of the walking bridge from the Sant Justa Lift.

Then we plunge down into the city's wonderful neighborhoods, with the cleanup from yesterday's festival well under way: people with hoses, crews with brooms, and small trucks to haul it all away. Triangular strings of flags drape the intersections and colored garlands wrap all the lamp posts. Each neighborhood seems to have its own crew and method for getting the job done.

It's already starting to get hot, so we take a timeout at the Timeout Market, a big produce and food hall near the river's edge. Outside the market, we walk the flat are near the river, where there is some new construction; there's lots of construction going on all over the city.

We finally reach the LX Factory complex, where we have lunch at 1300 Taberna: grilled octopus with sweet potato puree and tiny pickles - wow. Also, some suckling pig tacos.

Later, dinner is at Bistro 100 Maneiras, back near the Carmo. We meet two new friends, Bruna and Antonio, who are looking to try the place. Evidently the chef is a kind or Yugoslavian Gordon Ramsey; temperamental but inventive and very talented. I have watermelon soup, followed by the aged beef, end cut streak, with torricado cakes, poached egg, micro greens, and mushrooms (tastes like there's truffles in there) - holy moly, that was fantastic. Our new friends tell us about the city and their favorite places. So much fun to meet new people in a  new city.