Lisbon

Lisbon : Souvenirs to bring home

It started a couple of years ago when i first collected locals handmade goods during my voyages. Instead of a refrigerator‘s magnet, i would buy a ceramic vase in Taormina, terra-cotta dishes in Santorini, a carpet in Cappadocia, a hand painted mask from Bali,....

Soon enough, we fell in love with that chase that It slowly but surely becomes a sacred ritual during each voyage. Often, my husbands would even take the lead and participate on bargaining in the market. Sometimes, he would even do a little research and screen captured what he found to show me. However, i always try to remind myself to enjoy the fullest what the local can offer on the spot instead of constantly chasing the goods. This makes us to always be mindful and careful to not buy too many so we can keep them properly to later enjoy and admire each of them without getting cluttered back home.

Lisbon is no other different. I did a little research about their specialties and found out they are very good in weaving, ceramic making, leather goods...

So after narrowing it down, below is the list of what i bring home :

CEramiC GOODS AT Ceramicas Na Linha (Chiado)

Amongst many things that i love in my life, I have a true passion for hand made ceramics, especially if they are turquoise, azur or majorelle blue.

Back home, i won’t have a set of 6 similar plates cause they all come from different places and that is exactly the charm, each of them brings a memory I treasured.

Ceramicas Na Linha is a gem. Sébastien even pose in front of the store for the excitement (ha!). Located in Chiado district, in an isolated street, we first wonder if this is the right location. Once inside, we love the concept immediately. They give options to either buy the collection that are charged per its weight or to buy the one that has a fix price on it. The designs range is also great ; from modern graphics designs to the traditional ones. It’s a great stop and I’m super glad with what i found.

Où:

Rua Capelo 16, Lisbonne

monday - sunday, 10am to 8 pm

Combien :

from 5€/kg or 4€/unit

LITTLE SOAPS (SABONETTE)

Apart from ceramics, i am crazy for the local’s beauty brands.

The most famous ones that i found here is Claus Porto, Benamor and Castel Bel. A vida Portuguesa has a very nice range of collection. We decided to grab some almond soap (smells like heaven) and a series of Portuguese towns soaps from Castelbel.

Où:

A Vida Portuguesa

Rua Anchieta 11, Lisbon (Chiado district)

Monday - Sunday 10 am to 8 pm

combien:

entre 6/7€ le savon

straw bag

Straw basket is another love story. i love them and literally can’t live without one. The Portuguese straw basket is different than the ones from bali or Morocco. So when i spot one with a reasonable price, i grab it without hesitation.

unfortunately i can’t give a precise address. It’s in the old town of Sintra, a bric and brac store not far from the bus stop. While in Lisbon this bag costs around 45 to 60€ i only paid 22€.

SARDINES

You probably already noticed there are a lot of tinned fish here. They are literally everywhere : at the supermarket, gift shops, specialty stores...

Portuguese people are proud of their canned fish, it becomes their identity.They are very known and it’s one of the biggest industry in the country.

For this, We visited several stores before finally decided to buy some at Conseveira do Lisboa. Personally, i would strongly suggest you doing the same. First of all, the store is a historic shop (probably one of the firsts). Then, they don’t over marketing their product. The decor and the packaging are simple. I honestly don’t trust the ones that put too much effort on a tinned fish can to attract the tourists. The simpler the store is, the better. Finally, the prices here are super reasonable.

However tempting, it’s still a tinned fish. For me personally, i prefer to pay a 15€ plate of grilled fish than a tinned fish.