3 weekends ago, I visited Lisbon. It was an incredibly whirl-wind trip. I have become so spoiled with leisurely getting to know Madrid that when I left Lisbon, I felt a great sense of unfullfilment because I felt that I only saw it and did not "know" it. It is very difficult for me to visit a place for only a few days because I am not a huge rapid-fire site-seeer. Rather, I like to sit outside, watch the people, and get a feel for the life of a place. Of course, I cannot have the luxury of staying for months and months in every place, so I must get used to and make the most of short visits. (I wrote this first paragraph 3 weeks after visiting - now ten months later, I will complete the remainder of the blog post!)
This first photo was taken at a spot right outside of the hostel that I stayed at in Lisbon. It was an incredible ocean-view spot where many people could be seen hanging out at all times. There were people from all walks of life at this look-out point: homeless, tourists, and kids playing frisbee. Regardless of their background or current status in life, all were equals in enjoying this remarkable spot. By the way, I swear I was not in San Fransisco and pretending to be in Lisbon. Remarkable bridge resemblance, yes? Who copied who?
The building below is the hostel I stayed in for my 3 nights in this enigmatic city. The hostel is called Oasis Backpackers Hostel. It prides itself on cleanliness, coolness, and party-ness. Upon walking in, I was greeted by a friendly Brazilian desk person (he came down the stairs to help me as he had been drinking beers and hanging out with the other hostelers upstairs). He welcomed me kindly and asked if I wanted to join dinner that evening. "Mama," their exquisite Portuguese chef would be preparing a seafood pasta (Portugal is renowned for its seafood). The hostel actually is a converted mansion, so each room (shared among four people) has its own luxury bathroom (pretty rare in the land of one bathroom for each floor that is hostels). I settled myself, met my roomates (all three travelling together from California, actually - I could never seem to stay away from the Americans - not necessarily a bad thing though). We went together to feast upon the slice of heaven that was prepared by "Mama" and then carried our full, yet delighted bellies to the outdoor patio area. There, I joined a group of people as we drank beers and got to know one another before venturing out for the evening. Again, I met more Americans plus a couple of Brits. In fact, I met a few American guys that were also studying in Madrid! We went out as a group to the essential nighttime area of Lisbon "Barrio Alto." Lisbon is essentially made up of small alley-type of streets that somehow all connect. Barrio Alto in the evening is comprised of an incredible abundance of bars and street crowds throughout the alleys. The bars are quite small, so people typically grab a drink and then go outside to socialize with the endless groups of people in the streets. One of the Portuguese guys that worked at our hostel said that when he goes out at night, he usually visits about 19 or 20 different bars. That is a quintessential portrait of Barrio Alto - just floating through the crowded streets from one bar to the next.
I spent my first morning wandering, getting my bearings of the city before heading off on a train to the beach. Many photos of my wanderings through the city of Lisbon are
below. It is a city filled with walkways and alley ways, people around every corner, yellow and orange buildings, hills, viewpoints, rooftops and more rooftops, pride, incredible architecture, Moorish influence, and run-down streets right next to pristine streets.
English is spoken readily in Portugal. In fact, much more English is spoken in Portugal than in Spain. The Portuguese have been watching films and TV shows from American (in English) forever, and have easily learned English that way. English is less common in Spain because in recent history under Dictator Franco's Fascist rule, nobody was allowed to watch films or TV in the original language (everything was dubbed over in Spanish according to how Franco wanted it dubbed). And still today, even decades after Franco's death, films are still dubbed in Spain. But they have never been dubbed in Portugal - so English is very common for the Portuguese.
The Santa Engracia Church is known to be Portugal's National Pantheon.
The area surrounding the Santa Engracia Church holds the.....
Below are a couple more photos from the Thieve's Market....
Various photos.....
English is spoken readily in Portugal. In fact, much more English is spoken in Portugal than in Spain. The Portuguese have been watching films and TV shows from American (in English) forever, and have easily learned English that way. English is less common in Spain because in recent history under Dictator Franco's Fascist rule, nobody was allowed to watch films or TV in the original language (everything was dubbed over in Spanish according to how Franco wanted it dubbed). And still today, even decades after Franco's death, films are still dubbed in Spain. But they have never been dubbed in Portugal - so English is very common for the Portuguese.
The Santa Engracia Church is known to be Portugal's National Pantheon.
The area surrounding the Santa Engracia Church holds the.....
Thieve's Market! "Feira Da Ladra" -. It is held twice per week, and it is a mystery where all of the items come from. A market of this type is thought to have been in Lisbon since the 12th century, and its name comes from then. Now, it is perfectly legal. Passers-by can find pots, pans, artwork, clothes, and even larger-than-life sized dildos. Most of the items are known to be second hand - so who is buying the latter mentioned item?
Various photos.....
Run-down, yet charming and beautiful.
This old lady with blue hair and her dog passed the day gazing out the window. I spent considerable time there, curious as to whether she would move or acknowledge any passers-by. Neither happened...
The yellow trolleys are genuine mode of public transport! I don't know how those rickety old things manage to huff and puff up the steep streets.
I have no idea... these gargantuan statues just appeared out of nowhere....
.... So I set up the self-timer on my camera and got acquainted with them.... as people walked by and pointed.... Ah, the joys of traveling solo....
After the morning spent strolling the streets of Lisbon, I hopped on a train, admired the coast the entire way, and within thirty minutes, landed on the beach of Cascais. Cascais began in the 12th century and was formerly a small fishing village. Now it has gained fame (beginning in the late 1800's once the Royal Family began vacationing there) as one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. Interesting fact: Because Portugal was neutral during WWII and because of its elegance and royal past, many of Europe's exiled royals took refuge there, such as those from Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
As you can see, Cascais is loved by tourists.
Lisbon was under the Roman Empire before being taken over by the Moors (Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East) in the 8th century. Lisbon suffered an earthquake in 1755 that essentially destroyed the city. The old part of the city remains, however, and there, the Moorish influence is still quite prevalent. Because Lisbon is towards the bottom of Portugal and the bottom is close to Africa, the Moors traveled up, yet never made it to the northern parts of Portugal. Therefore, the northern parts look entirely different than the southern parts, as the Moors never touched them.
This old lady with blue hair and her dog passed the day gazing out the window. I spent considerable time there, curious as to whether she would move or acknowledge any passers-by. Neither happened...
The yellow trolleys are genuine mode of public transport! I don't know how those rickety old things manage to huff and puff up the steep streets.
I have no idea... these gargantuan statues just appeared out of nowhere....
.... So I set up the self-timer on my camera and got acquainted with them.... as people walked by and pointed.... Ah, the joys of traveling solo....
After the morning spent strolling the streets of Lisbon, I hopped on a train, admired the coast the entire way, and within thirty minutes, landed on the beach of Cascais. Cascais began in the 12th century and was formerly a small fishing village. Now it has gained fame (beginning in the late 1800's once the Royal Family began vacationing there) as one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. Interesting fact: Because Portugal was neutral during WWII and because of its elegance and royal past, many of Europe's exiled royals took refuge there, such as those from Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
As you can see, Cascais is loved by tourists.
Lisbon was under the Roman Empire before being taken over by the Moors (Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East) in the 8th century. Lisbon suffered an earthquake in 1755 that essentially destroyed the city. The old part of the city remains, however, and there, the Moorish influence is still quite prevalent. Because Lisbon is towards the bottom of Portugal and the bottom is close to Africa, the Moors traveled up, yet never made it to the northern parts of Portugal. Therefore, the northern parts look entirely different than the southern parts, as the Moors never touched them.
In 1147, the Crusade wars returned Lisbon to Christianity. Arabic was done away with as the main language, mosques were converted to churches, and Moors were forcefully converted to Roman Catholicism or expelled. Today, Christianity reigns as the main religion.
This photo below is an example of evident Moorish influence in Lisbon....
The Portuguese are a very proud people. They suffer with economic problems, but I found it to be evident that they enjoy life immensely. And even with economic woes and evident poverty, it would be difficult not to enjoy the day-to-day of ever-present sea air, fresh seafood, sparkling waters, and a proud history that is still thriving.
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