Saturday, October 26, 2019 Lisbon
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| Fado vocalist at the Adega Machado |
We decided we wanted to experience a Fado performance while in Lisbon. We joined Karen and Jay, another couple on our AIA tour and took a taxi to the Adega Machego, the fado establishment recommended by our hotel’s concierge. The place is located in the Bairro Alto. The streets are very narrow and many are one way, with retractable traffic bollards (pillars) that allow you to proceed if no other car is coming. Well, our taxi driver didn’t know the location of the restaurant, and kept taking wrong turns. Mike had his GPS on in the back seat, but the driver didn’t speak English and clearly didn’t want to look at the phone or listen to suggestions. He finally went downhill on a one way street and the traffic bollard was stuck and wouldn’t go down to let our taxi through. So he started backing uphill on the narrow street – and all we could smell was burning clutch. Then a “whoop-whoop” sound came from behind – a police car was right behind him and wanted him to come and talk. Well eventually he returned to the car, and got us to the right street, but we were 20 minutes late for the reservation and walked in almost as the performance was starting at 9 PM.
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| Adega Machado, a lively, but hard to find fado establishment in the Bairro Alto |
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| Exterior tile decorations at the Adega - stylized fado themes |
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| The dining room through the entryway window - we had a front and center table for the performance |
The meal was prix fixe, 5 courses, and fortunately small portions for $47 E, which included the performance. Mike and I ordered the vegetarian selection, which had some good elements and a few less than stellar dishes as well. We had a nice carafe of local white wine, which definitely added to the ambiance.
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| Our seats were right in front of the performance area |
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| Meal selections were served in between the performance sets |
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| One of the starters was a spring pea "Mousseline"cannoli on a wash of gazpacho - a winner |
Fado is a Portuguese music tradition that has been traced to the early 1800s. It is a form of song that follows a certain structure, usually characterized by "saudade" - longing, or a feeling of loss - although it can be about any subject. It has been associated with the sailors and port traders and other maritime workers of Lisboa. There are usually 4 sets of performances, which can go quite late into the night.
The program featured 4 vocalists, three women and a man and their performance was heartfelt and emotional. There were three instrumentalists – a lead guitar, a base guitar and a Portuguese 12 string guitar player. The finale was especially inspiring, as the singers placed themselves around the room and sang in call and response form - really ended with a punch.
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| The first fado vocalist of the evening |
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| A 12 string Portuguêse guitar |
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| The final vocalist of the evening |
We caught a taxi to take back to our hotel - by then it was 11 PM on a Saturday, and the Bairro Alto was just heating up with music and other activities. We convinced our taxi driver to stop at the belvedere overlooking the city at the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. It was a lovely ending to a long, interesting and fun first day of our tour.
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| Saturday night streets are narrow and crowded - one big center of bohemian activity |
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| Nighttime views from the Miradouro - photo courtesy Jay Blose and his fantastic iPhone 11 |
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