Enjoy Salsa in Lisbon
During my time in Lisbon, I wanted to meet some new people and make some friends. At my AirBnB, Sofia told me about salsa classes happening in a place called BUS Culture, a kind of club or association with a bar. At least I’d know her, whatever about doing any salsa dancing. I killed some time and planned to eat at a nearby restaurant called Tasca Da Susana in Graça that was highly recommended in Google. I got a bit of a shock as it was just a small shop with two tables inside. Susanna herself was gruff and the place looked dirty. Slightly up the street, people laughed and were having fun so I went there instead. It was actually a wine bar that served food too. I ordered a glass of wine with codfish. The wine was too dry for me and the food was cold and looked like it had been puked on my plate.
Lisbon Restaurants – A Word of Warning
I left soon after and looked for somewhere to fill the stomach properly. I found a fish restaurant and wanted to get a small dish. The waiter put bread, olives and cheese before me and asked if I also wanted shrimp. I foolishly said yes and ordered grilled swordfish. It was nice enough, the shrimp was really lovely.
The bill came to thirty Euros and I realised they had charged me too much for the fish and also charged me for bread and bits. I was fuming as I saw this as a way to scam me. I refused to pay the bill. This was just like Naples, where we were scammed in an Italian restaurant. My blood boiled. The senior waiter eventually reduced the bill by three euros so I could save face. I left for the BUS club in a foul mood.
Salsa to the Rescue
BUS wasn’t hard to find, the sounds of salsa music coming from the basement windows. I went in and met Sofia’s friendly face, which lifted my mood instantly. I was officially signed in as a member for one year for two Euros and then bought a beer for another two Euros – my kind of place for sure. Sofia introduced me to some people. I met an American called Matt who worked in the military of the US embassy; Jerry, a French blond haired guy who had worked in an Italian restaurant in Naas and also Galway; Andre, a Portuguese guy who seemed tough but friendly. He later told me he served two years in prison. Also, Awkrick, a gay Belgian guy who agreed to be my tour guide on Friday. It meant so much to meet such nice people and share a few beers and laughs. People rocked to salsa music and the better dancers had their pick of partners. There was a great atmosphere there.
It finished at midnight which was when I should have gone home but when did I ever do that? Sofia and her friends brought me to a late night place that had a bar upstairs and the weirdest electronic music downstairs, like something from Father Ted. We stayed upstairs, drank beer and did shots. I paid for it the following day.
