Imagine the scene: it's a Thursday in August, the thermometer reads 31°C in the shade, and the Cais do Sodré Metro station is closed. Closed the entire month. Anyone who depends on the station to get to work, make deliveries, or simply not be late for the lunch shift goes into survival mode.
Now picture a restaurant right next door, on Rua do Alecrim or Rua Nova do Carvalho, with a dining room full of tourists and Lisbon locals who didn't go on vacation. Tables set, napkins aligned, ... (total 10751 chars)