GOING OUT FOR DINNER?
Dinner at Penalva da Graca
WANT TO GO FOR A SWIM?
A busy day during the high season.
WE LOVE RIDING THE TRAM 28
Lisbon's popular Tram 28 is only 3 minutes from Tins Lisbon. Here is all you need to know.
Experience Lisbon with H. C. Andersen
Rediscovering H. C. Andersen: A Personal Journey
The Bottle Neck follows the story of a wine bottle. It is a tale told by the bottleneck about how it remembers being crafted and filled with quality wine, before being opened during an engagement celebration. It relates how a sailor took the bottle with him on a sea journey and how the ship was wrecked in a storm.
The bottle traveled around the world and returned home, with only the bottle's neck intact. An old lady picks it up and she doesn't realize that she drank wine from this bottle at her engagement party. The old bottle didn't know her either, partly - in fact, chiefly - because it thought only of itself."
The ending of the story, for example, seems to be pertinent for today's world.
I’m not great at remembering birthdays, but for some reason, H. C. Andersen’s always sticks with me. Maybe it’s because 2 April, his birthday, doubled gives you 4 August—the day he died. That quirky detail always makes me smile. My appreciation for Andersen took on a new dimension when I stumbled across a story about a Chinese art project inspired by one of his lesser-known tales, “The Bottleneck.”
After re-reading H. C. Andersen’s Lisbon diary it struck me how his work continues to inspire creativity around the world, transcending time and place—including here in Lisbon.
The Bottle Neck follows the story of a wine bottle. It is a tale told by the bottleneck about how it remembers being crafted and filled with quality wine, before being opened during an engagement celebration. It relates how a sailor took the bottle with him on a sea journey and how the ship was wrecked in a storm.
The bottle traveled around the world and returned home, with only the bottle's neck intact. An old lady picks it up and she doesn't realize that she drank wine from this bottle at her engagement party. The old bottle didn't know her either, partly - in fact, chiefly - because it thought only of itself."
The ending of the story, for example, seems to be pertinent for today's world.
How H. C. Andersen Shaped My Travels
Andersen’s fairy tales were some of the first books I read on my own, and they’ve been a cultural touchstone for me, especially while traveling in places where Denmark isn’t widely known. In China, for example, H. C. Andersen was for many years one of the few foreign authors whose works were widely available, making his stories familiar to almost everyone.
But H. C. Andersen wasn’t just a storyteller—he was a traveler, too. He published five travel books, and for a long time, I only knew of one: “Fodreise fra Holmens Canal til Østpynten af Amager.” I read it while writing a thesis about Amager, the area of Copenhagen where I grew up. That book follows his walk from Holmen’s Kanal (where Annette and I got married) to the east end of Amager.
Later, I discovered Andersen’s other travel books—in particular, his A Visit to Portugal. During his 1866 visit, Hans Christian Andersen was a guest of the O’Neill family at Quinta do Pinheiro, just outside Lisbon (now the site of the US Embassy). He recorded his impressions in his Lisbon diary, exploring not just Lisbon but also Sintra, Setúbal, and Palmela. You can still visit this historic estate by appointment and trace some places he wrote so vividly about.
Finally we turned off a narrow street with walls to either side and started going up a steep and difficult path, which led to an ancient and isolated country house on one of the highest points. It was called ‘Pinheiro’, or Pinietraeet in Danish (…)
When I arrived the flowers in the garden were still in bloom. There were lots of roses and fire-coloured geraniums, as well as creepers similar to the ones in our forests and passionflowers hanging like great carpets over the walls and bushes. The white flowers of the elder and the red flowers of the pomegranate trees combined to form the Danish colours (…) How full of charm this country is!
Not an Andersen Expert, Just a Grateful Reader
Let’s be honest: I’m not an Andersen nerd. I remember these details because they’re woven into his travel book A Visit to Portugal, included as an appendix in his A Visit to Spain from 1866. Rereading H. C. Andersen’s Lisbon diary reminded me how engaging and accessible Andersen’s writing can be.
For travelers who’ve had to postpone their Lisbon adventures, Andersen’s account is a wonderful way to experience Lisbon and Sintra from afar. His vivid descriptions bring these places to life and might even inspire you to add Setúbal and Palmela to your travel list. If Annette and I weren’t running a hotel and still wanted to live in Portugal, Setúbal would be our top choice—a place even more charming and authentic than Lisbon.
Wherever you are, I hope you find inspiration in H. C. Andersen’s journeys—especially his Lisbon diary—just as I have. And if you ever make it to Lisbon, maybe our paths will cross at Tings Lisbon.
— Thomas
H. C. Andersen on the go
Further Reading
