Lisbon's most popular sunset viewpoint 3 min. from Tings

Graça Miradouro: Lisbon's most popular view point.

.. but without a doubt, the best spot to watch the sunset is Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, right outside our door 🙂

We used to have a small flat on the Graça Miradouro home, it was almost our out door home we’d visit it several times a week. Today it’s just a short stroll down the hill from us, making it the perfect place to grab a coffee, get lost in a book, meet friends, enjoy the lively concerts and performances, or simply unwind with a sundowner.

Sometimes, we’d head there for dinner, not just for the food, but for the cozy atmosphere of the square behind the miradouro. It’s where you’ll find some of Lisbon’s most authentic local eateries and the legendary Botequim, a haunt of old poets who’d sip wine and craft their masterpieces. Today, it’s a magnet for young creatives and intellectuals.

Few people know that Graça Miradouro is more than just a popular viewpoint; it’s also a gateway to some of Lisbon’s most unique tiles. And even fewer know its real name and the story behind it. For those in the know, Graça is the entrance to Lisbon’s old bohemian heart.

Miradouro da Graça or Miardouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen as the viewpoints real name is

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen is one of Portugal’s most celebrated poets – when I explan her importance I use H. C. Anderson as a Danish example. She lived just a short walk from Graça Miradouro, where she’d find inspiration and pen her poems. In 2009, the viewpoint was renamed Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen in her honor.

We’ve always felt a strong connection to this oasis, but we were unaware of Sophia’s life and work. It was a delightful surprise to discover not only that the viewpoint was named after a poet with Danish and Portuguese roots but also the fascinating story behind it.

Who was Sophia?

Jan Heinrich Andresen

In 1840, a young Jan Heinrich Andresen, just 14 years old, left Denmark for America. However, his journey took an unexpected turn when he stopped in Oporto and decided to stay.

True to his American Dream, Jan Heinrich became a successful Port producer and even served as the President of the Commercial Association of Oporto Business.

He married Maria Leopoldina de Amorim de Brito, and their son, João Henrique Andresen, went on to marry Maria Amélia de Mello Breyner, integrating into the Portuguese aristocracy.

O Cavaleiro da Dinamarca by Sophia de Mello Breyner. Written by Sophia de Mello Breyner and published in 1964, this is the tale of a knight who lives with his family in a Danish forest.

IThis lineage led to Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen inheriting her unique, semi-aristocratic name.

In 1946, Sophia married the renowned journalist, lawyer, and politician Francisco Sousa Tavares and moved from Oporto to Lisbon. The couple became part of the opposition against Salazar’s dictatorship.

After the 1974 military revolution, Sophia briefly served as a deputy for the Socialist Party. Her later years were dedicated to writing.

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen - the tomb at The National Pantheon

The National Pantheon’ s most famous tomb is Vasco da Gama’s. Both him and a lot of other important persons are honored with a tomb there. Among them the Presidents of the Republic, the football legend Eusébio, the famous Marshal Humberto Delgado and Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen,

Sophia published her first book of poetry, Poesia, in 1944 at the age of 25. It included poems she had been writing since she was 12. In 1999, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Camões Award, Portugal’s most important literary honor.

When she passed away in 2004, she left behind a legacy of tales, poetry, and children’s books, including the famous O Cavaleiro da Dinamarca (The Knight from Denmark).

Sophia is buried at the National Pantheon in Lisbon, alongside other notable figures like Eusébio and Vasco da Gama.

Why do I find Sophia so interesting?

That’s a good question!

I never knew Sophia personally, nor have I read “The Knight of Denmark” or any of her other works. Yet, I find her fascinating for other reasons.

Firstly, I was born and raised in Copenhagen, where I lived for 47 years. Although I left in 2009, I still consider myself a Copenhagener. When I stumbled upon an interview in the Danish newspaper Berlingske/AOK, featuring comments from Portuguese tourists about Copenhagen and Sophia, it felt like a sign to share my notes and photos about her and the miradouro.

One of the two best view points i Lisbon is named after Sophia Mello Breyner Andresen. Both are in Graca

Secondly, for the first time in many years, we’ve found a city where we truly feel at home—Lisbon—and our neighborhood is Graça! We’ve even brought our belongings from Copenhagen here.

Thirdly, Sophia’s presence is everywhere in Graça. She not only gave her name to the miradouro but seems to permeate the entire neighborhood.

Lastly, I enjoyed Graça before learning about Sophia, but knowing her story and those of her fellow writers has changed everything. The neighborhood feels alive, as if their presence still resonates.

If you’re still unsure, visit Botequim for a drink, or sit with a glass of Port Wine (Andresen) and watch the sunset from the miradouro next to Sophia. Or why not do both? 🙂

Enjoy,

Thomas

Scott Walker vs Sophia De Mello Breyner Andresen.

A few years ago, I kept stumbling upon the name Anatoly Brooks while exploring my favorite entertainment source—the Internet Archive—searching for intriguing music. The track that piqued my interest was a mash-up of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen‘s poem Meditação do Duque de Gandia with Scott Walker‘s haunting composition And Who Shall Go to the Ball? (Pt3), which had an almost Eno-esque quality to it.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a huge fan of Scott Walker, or maybe it’s because Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen had somehow entered my life—likely a combination of both. Whenever I visit the miradouro, this incredible piece of music plays in my mind’s ear.

Never again
will your face be pure clean and alive,
nor will your walk as a fugitive wave
be able in the steps of time to weave.
And I will never give up my life again.

I will never again serve a lord who may die.
The afternoon light shows me the wreckage
of your being. Rot
will soon drink your eyes and bones by
taking your hand in your hand.

I will never love anyone who cannot live
forever,
because I loved
the glory, the light and the brilliance of your being as if they were eternal,
I loved you in truth and transparency
and I don’t even have your absence left,
you are a face of disgust and denial
and I close my eyes to not see you.

I will never again serve a lord who may die.

I will never again give you the pure time
That in long days I wove
Because time no longer returns to you
And so I do not return and I do not look for
The god I hopelessly asked of you.

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen.