Match : Estoril Praia v Vilafranquense
Squad : Bowen, Quincy, Richo (15th cap), Laddso, Clyde, Mrs Bowen & Mrs Quincy
And so it passed...the first foreign trip for the troupe. So off we set on a Friday afternoon in the firm hope of a bit of sunshine and a bit of football.
Now we were already under no illusions about the success factors involved here. Lisbon had enjoyed a freakishly warm Febuary with lower than average rainfall and higher than average temperatures. That changed as we arrived.
Similarly from the moment we booked the flights the football gods conspired against us moving all fixtures out of Lisbon on the weekend leaving the only top flight option as Benfica. Then they got themselves knocked out of the Champions league and so with a Europa League fixture on Thursday evening their league fixture was pushed to Monday - when we would be flying home.
It takes more than this to faze this group though so after a stress free flight from Stansted and an efficient transfer to our apartment we were in Lisbon and ready to roll. Requiring a beer we popped into a book shop type bar two doors from our apartment and enjoyed a beer and a shot there.
From there we headed out to see if there was anything else local. It turns out not.
We did manage to bully a closing restaurant owner to give us a couple of rounds of beers (plus some more shots) and then we headed back. There were murmurings of hunger so some of us stopped at Kumar's kebab shop and picked up kebabs and toilet roll (there was none in the apartment!).
The next morning we were awake on ready to go exploring. The weather was very British - luckily the Tuk-tuks we had booked had splash covers. And so off we set on a magical tour of Lisbon.
We traversed across the city to our first stop whjich covered the Jeronimos Monastry and the world famous Pastis De Belem shop. The monastry was wonderful inside, great artefacts and stained glass windows. Whilst we were inside our guides fetched the tarts and we ate on our return. They were wonderful.
The next stop was the Torre De Belem - the impressive fort at the edge of the Tagus.
Then a couple of hundred yards along the front was the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a wonderful monument to Portugal's maritme explorers.
We then got a stop at the Santa Clara flea market. From there we headed up to one of the cities famous miradouras (viewing point). Then back down to the Santa Justa lift and a drop off in the city centre. Our guides, Miguel and Sose had been fantastic but it was time to stand on our own two feet. Plus we were hungry.
We stopped off in the Praca De Commercio for a very underwhelming lunch and then headed to our safe haven - the Pub. We had a quick drink in Taberna Modena whilst we awaited the opening of our target. Then after sending Mrs Q home we entered Outro Lado.
The decor is familiar - like many craft beer bars popping up in the UK this place is fairly dark, lots of wood, random furniture and beardy types. There was a selection of 15 beers on tap, a well stocked fridge and a friendly barmaid. We settled ourselves in for a long stay.
We tried all the beers - they were mostly excellent, all good. We played dominoes which is definitely not a game of skill as I was rubbish at it. All in all a pleasant way to pass a few hours.
All that was left was to eat and so we headed back to our "home" area then staked out a Nepalese that we had definitely seen the night before but had seemingly moved address overnight. Eventually we found it or something like it at least. My samosa was frozen, Quincy's Madras was no spicier than a Korma and the portions were huge but it was food and there was beer. Then it was off to bed - tomorrow was game day.
So the day of the great adventure dawns. It is grey and drizzly but undeterred we set off to try the Lisbon Metro. In all honesty we probably spent longer at the ticket machine than on the train but we got sorted eventually. A metro ride to Cais De Sodre and the train station and then the train to Cascais.
The train journey follows the coast most of the way and was quite scenic. There are plenty of beaches along the coast and in a different season this train would probably be heaving. As it was it was busy but thinned out as we left the suburbs and headed for the coastal towns.
We disembarked at Cascais and set off on a wander. It's a pretty resort and no doubt swamped in the summer but for today it was ours to do as we wished. We wished to have a beer and some food - it was nearly midday after all.
We headed into the Duke pub. As with everywhere there was a lovely warm welcome. There was also some good beer choice and we had some snacks too. I had a steak sandwich and it was actually top notch - not sure what the sauce was but it was delicious.
We then headed for a little look around, walking down the seafront and along the rampart walls. After that it was the inevitable Irish bar and a few pints of Guinness. Once we had liquid onboard it was time to head to the game so we called some taxis and headed off on the 10 minute drive to Estoril.
On arrival the first port of call as always was the Club shop. And a good job too. We quickly established that tickets were available in the shop for 15 euros. However if we bought merchandise to the value of 15 Euros we got the natch ticket for free. So we loaded up with hats, t-shirts and badges and set off
We got directions from a loyal fan and headed off around the other side of the stadium. Security was tight for the size of the crowd but it was a Division 2 game I suppose so it would be the same back home. Once through security we met the Estotil mascot. We have had much debate since as to what bird it is but I am pretty sure it's a canary....a yellow canary.
After posing for some photos we headed into the ground to find some seats. We were in the main stand along with the rest of the home support. Opposite is mostly empty other than the 30 or so opposition fans who have made the 50 mile journey and about 5 policemen. Behind one goal an empty terrace and behind the other looks like a sports hall which obviously houses the changing rooms and hospitality also. The "ultras" are down the other end of the stand from where we sit - probably a good job considering the racket they make.
The teams enter and the game gets under way - a few minutes behind schedule but nobody minds.
The quality of football is good, very good at times. As you'd expect all the players are technically good but the pace of the game means it's interesting too.
The curly haired Rafael Barbosa was proving the liveliest of all for Estoril and was quickly making himself a fan's favourite (in my wife's eyes at least). And it was Barbosa who opened the scoring for Estoril just after the half hour mark. Estoril had made a couple of earlier chances from breaks down the right and it was this avenue that led to the goal on the break. That said it took some calamitous defending to allow the ball to roll all the way across the edge of the box for Barbosa to calmly fire home.
Shortly afterwards an away defender almost put into his own goal but an acrobatic overhead kick off the line spared his own blushes and ensured it stayed at just 1-0 at half time.
Th away team started to come more into the game at the start of the 2nd half but their renaissance was short-lived as Estoril won a penalty when the defender was adjudged to have handled the ball on the floor as he tried to block a cross from the goal line. Up stepped Daniel Braganca to put away a confident and unstoppable penalty and put the home team 2-0 up.
The away team continued to make chances and hit the crossbar at one point but were always chasing the game by then. The final whistle went and it was game over.
We saw our friend from the shop as we started to leave and he suggested we should come every week as we were his lucky omen. I said we would certainly consider it.
As a small provincial club it was nice to see the players taking time to thank and high five the fans at the end of the game. Although it did lead to some unseemly behaviour from one of our group but that aside it was nice to see the team connecting with it's fans.
We set off to walk back to the station - about a 20 minute walk but thankfully all down hill. We didn't have long to wait before we were heading back towards the bright lights of Lisbon. Once back we decided to stake out somewhere to eat and as we were across the road from the renowned Time Out Market we thought we would give it a go.
The market is basically an indoor food hall, with restaurants "hatches" all around the outside and a large seating area within. This is no ordinary food hall though. All the chefs and restaurants within have been given top reviews by the Time Out magazine and then subsequently invited to take up a residency within the market. So within this warehouse you have the very finest cuisine that Lisbon has to offer.
We all set off in different directions and found food and beer in abundance. I picked a burger and fries and it was extremely good. Beer and wine were available from a separate bar and it all worked well.
From there it was beer time but it was a struggle to find a good bar. With Outro Lado closed on Sundays (why?) we crammed in a bar called the George which was full of punters watching El Classico. On the plus side it had Punk IPA on draught, but with no seats it was a long pint. So we decided to call it a day and go and finish the "bar" contents back at the apartment.
So to Monday. We dropped off our luggage in the city and headed off to find some brunch. After a jaunt around the streets we found a little delight in "Dear Breakfast". Here we had breakfast obviously - but it was all very well done - tasty and beautifully presented.
So from there we headed off to see Cristo Rei - the magnificent statue that is the National Sanctuary of Christ the King. We headed to the ferry terminal and took the ferry across the Tagus to a little place called Cacillas. From there we took a bus ride up to the statue. Once there you realise what a magnificent statue it is.
The views across to the city are exceptional and you are also able to go to the top via an elevator. Once we had seen all we could see we had a coffee then headed back on the bus back to the ferry.
Once back on the other side we had some time to kill so we headed to O'Gilins Irish pub. Expectations were not that high but it was actually pretty good. Good beer on offer and the food that some had all looked excellent.
From there we headed to pick up our luggage and get our transfer. All in all an excellent few days in a wonderful with lovely people. Where next?
Match Day Stats
LigaPro
Estoril Praia 2
Vilafranquense 0
Match Highlights
Stadium – Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril. Capacity – 8,015
Attendance – 854
Best - The Duke
Worst - O'Neills
Breakfast - toast at the apartment
Lunch - 9/10 at the Duke
Dinner - 9/10 at the Time Out Market
Pies - 9/10 for the custard pies
Marks
Ground - 6/10
Match - 8/10
Beer - 6/10
Food - 9/10
Pie - 9/10
Enjoyment Factor - 9/10
