Lisbon At Last  

After exploring the southern and central areas of Portugal for over a week, we were anxious to see Lisbon. We dropped off our rental car at the train station and easily found a pension in the heart of the city by one of the main squares and near a metro station.

We were surprised that Lisbon was no longer a backward city. It is considerably more sophisticated than it once was due in part to Portugal’s joining the EU. It also housed the EXPO ’98 which gave the city a brighter more updated look. We enjoyed staying near the main shopping district and found the wide, symmetrical boulevards with their black and white mosaic sidewalks a beautiful feature of the city.

We were interested in learning about the city’s history and especially about the Great Earthquake which occurred in 1755 which devastated the city and much of the surrounding area. Tidal waves 49 feet high swept over many parts of the country. Some 22 aftershocks followed. A massive fire followed the destruction and in 6 days, the city was in shambles. All told over 60,000 people drowned or died in the destruction. Fortunately, the city was soon rebuilt and the mixture of the old and the new gives it a very harmonious and beautiful feel today.

A lot of the city can be covered by foot but we spent an entire day taking the electric trolleys and being a “tourist”. Part of the enjoyment of this ride was making the very steep run up the narrow streets and watching the locals duck inside their doorways when we passed. We finally made it to the old castle built by the Moors in the 1100’s with a great view of the Tagus River in the oldest part of the city and climbed the ramparts of the old castle. We appreciated the beautiful view from the top and saw the consistent terracotta tile roofs of the Alfama district. The next day we took a ride up the Santa Justa Elevator, a very ornate structure built in 1849, for another 360 view of the city.

We found ourselves in Lisbon on the day of their 34^th anniversary of the revolution of 48 years of dictatorship known as the “Carnation Revolution”. On April 25, 1974 the current dictatorship was overthrown in a bloodless Coup d’ e’tat. Red carnations were the symbol of the new government and the revolution. We watched the calm parade on the main street and noticed the many people who were wearing the red carnations in support of the anniversary. It was a noisy evening for sleeping that night but one with much music and celebration.

We found the city to be so alive in the evening with its many outdoor restaurants and music always nearby. We had warm summer weather in Lisbon and we especially enjoyed eating outdoors every evening. There seemed to be music around every corner and we relished hearing the country’s traditional “fado” sounds.

With its unique old world charm, the many statues and fountains, the cable cars, St. George’s Castle, Santa Justa Elevator, port wine, fado music and great seafood, Lisbon is a city that anyone would enjoy. We were sad to leave but it was time to head to the airport for our long flight across the Atlantic to Rio.

Where’s Pat and Mike?