I recently made a short trip to Lisboa (the Portuguese
name of their capital city) – I was there for 3 days. I had the opportunity to
go and couldn’t think of a good reason not to, although Portugal wasn’t really
on my “to-do” list, so off I went.
It was an easy 2 hour flight from Paris. Arriving at the
Lisboa airport was very easy (maybe because it was 8 in the morning and not too
busy) but departing from that airport is a nightmare (and maybe leaving at 7pm
isn’t the best idea) … to check in for the flight and drop off baggage I stood
in line for 1.5 hours as they had only one person at the counter ….. then there
was a line (not too much waiting) to
show your passport so that you could get to a different line (about 45 minutes)
to go through the security check …. And don’t get me started about once you get
to the gates as there was very little seating (which of course was packed) and
there were literally hundreds of people sitting on the floor …. And this is the
airport for the capital city of the country ?
There are four metro lines, trams, and buses for
transportation within the city … the transportation system is excellent and
extremely easy to use – it allows you to get anywhere you wish. The city is all
up and down hills and I quickly learned that once I was ‘down’ a hill I’d look
for a bus or tram to take me ‘up’ the hill …. The streets and sidewalks are all
uneven pavers so walking can be (can be, she says – ha !) fatiguing….. My first
day I walked 8.6 miles (23,357 steps and 21 floors) … day two I walked 7.6
miles (19,948 steps and 16 floors) – no wonder “my dogs were barking” and my
back was killing me ! Note: It is definitely worth buying the transportation
pass … I bought the 1 day pass for 6 euros and it was worth its weight in gold
!
It
was hot … in the morning it was a bit overcast but by noon the
sun was shining without a cloud in the sky …. It was hot …. It was hot
... It was hot …… (miserably hot
for me …. as an aside – I always thought when you got older you were always
cold and wearing sweaters – even during the summer … but oh la la – I’ve gone
from being the person at the Colorado River in 120 degree heat to now not being
able to stand the heat …. ) ….. did I tell you it was hot in Lisboa ?
I admit, I know nothing about Portugal and did no
historical research before I got there so any facts in this blog are from
Wikipedia (other than the fact it was
hot – that I have firsthand knowledge of).
Typical Street
Portugal is the oldest state in the Iberian Peninsula
and one of the oldest in Europe, its territory having been continuously
settled, invaded and fought over since prehistoric times. The Pre-Celts, Celts,
Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and
Suebi Germanic peoples. Portugal as a country was established during the
Christian Reconquista against the Moors who had invaded the Iberian Peninsula
in 711 AD.
Lisboa is the capital and the largest city of Portugal.
Lisboa is one of the oldest cities in the world, and one of the oldest in
Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris
and Rome by centuries. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques
reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and
cultural center of Portugal.
The architecture is obviously old in the city, although
there are newer buildings too …. In my opinion the architecture is not nearly
as interesting as that in Paris or other European cities that I have visited.
The buildings are colored brightly with many of them still showing the Moorish
influence of having tile facades.
Colorful buildings
Tile mosaic facade
If you Google things to do in Lisboa, always included in
the “Top Ten” is to take the Tram 28 for an overall look at the city. If you
have a transportation pass it’s free, if you buy a ticket on the tram it’s 2.90
euros. You can only go one way (meaning you can’t ride it round trip to arrive
back at where you started) and the one way trip takes about 55 minutes. Save
your 3 bucks – it’s not worth it …. The tram is actually a working tram for the
city residents so the tram is crowded and there is nothing to alert you to
where you are in the city or what you are looking at. The architecture is the
same throughout the city (with a few exceptions) and although the Google
searches state what neighborhoods/districts/quartiers you go through there is
no way to determine that from the tram ride. I will admit, there was one thing
I noticed that took me by surprise – see the photo below.
Portugal Communist Party Headquarters
Built in 1746 to bring the city its first clean drinking
water, Lisboa's remarkable aqueduct is made up of 109 stone arches, which were
the tallest stone arches in the world when they were built. Its total length is
58km (36 miles), but the most visible part are the 14 arches crossing the
Alcantara valley (Lisboa), the tallest of which rise to a spectacular 65m
(213ft) from the ground with a span of 29m (95ft). It is considered a
masterpiece of engineering in the Baroque period.
Aqueduct
Aqueduct (picture taken from bus)
São
Jorge Castle (Saint Georges Castle)
São Jorge Castle is a Moorish castle occupying a
commanding hilltop overlooking the historic center of the Portuguese city of Lisboa
and Tagus River. The strongly fortified citadel dates from medieval period of
Portuguese history.
When Lisboa became the capital of the kingdom in 1255
the castle was extensively renovated around 1300 by King Denis I, transforming
the Moorish alcáçova (Arabic for a
walled-fortification) into the Royal
Palace of the Alcáçova. Between 1373 and 1375, King Ferdinand I ordered the
building of the Cerca Nova or Cerca Fernandina, the walled compound that enclosed
the entirety of the castle. This wall, which partially replaced the old Moorish
walls, was designed to encircle previously unprotected parts of the city.
Completed in two years, it had 77 towers and a perimeter of 5,400 metres
(17,700 ft).
The castle and the city resisted the forces of Castile
(currently part of Spain) several times during the 14th century. It was during
this period (the late 14th century) that the castle was dedicated to Saint
George the warrior-saint, who was normally represented slaying a dragon, and
was very popular in both countries.
Saint George
Belém
(civil parish in Lisboa)
Belém is famous as the place from which many of the
great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. In
particular, it is the place from which Vasco da Gama departed for India in 1497
and Pedro Álvares Cabral departed for Brazil in 1499.
Perhaps Belém's most famous feature is its tower, Torre de Belém (Belém Tower). The
tower was built as a fortified lighthouse late in the reign of Dom Manuel l
(1515–1520) to guard the entrance to the port. It stood on a little island in
right side of the Tagus, surrounded by water.
Belém Tower
Belém Tower
Belém's other major historical building is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos
Monastery), which the Torre de Belém was built partly to defend. The
Jerónimos Monastery replaced the church formerly existing in the same place,
which was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and where the monks of the
military-religious “Order of Christ” provided assistance to seafarers in
transit. Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer there (in the
original church) before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497. The construction of the current monastery and church
began on 6 January 1501, and was completed 100 years later.
Belém's most notable modern feature is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to
the Discoveries) built for the Portuguese World Fair in 1940. Located
along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the
Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of
Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Monument to the Discoveries
Ponte
25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge)
The 25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting
the city of Lisboa, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of
the Tagus River. It was inaugurated on August 6, 1966, and a train platform was
added in 1999. Because it is a suspension bridge and has similar coloring, it
is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US. The upper
deck carries six car lanes, while the lower deck carries two electrified train
tracks.
Personally, I thought this bridge looked exactly like
the Golden Gate Bridge … I compared pictures of the two and really don’t see a
difference. It was kind of weird to see it !
Lisboa
Oceanarium
The Lisboa Oceanarium is located in the Parque das
Nações (Park of the Nations), which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo
'98. It is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe.
In my opinion, the aquarium was far better than the one
in Paris but was not nearly as good as Sea World in San Diego. There are no
inter-active areas and all exhibits are behind glass – so no viewing of sea
life directly.
Rua
Augusta Arch
The Rua Augusta Arch is a stone, triumphal arch-like,
historical building on the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square). It was built to
commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. It has six
columns (some 11 m high) and is adorned with statues of various historical
figures. The allegorical group at the top represents Glory rewarding Valor and
Genius.
Rua Augusta Arch (front)
Eduardo
VII Park
This park was near where I stayed. It was nice to walk
in the shade of the trees. 
Eduardo VII Park with Tagus River in the background
Tagus
River
The Tagus River surrounds Lisboa.
Overall, I didn’t find the city architecturally
stimulating – there were a few things that were really cool to look at – and I
have no desire to return to Lisboa.
Oh … and did I mention that it was hot there ?
