Lisbon, Portugal

We eagerly anticipated our first-ever visit to Portugal when we flew into Lisbon from Paris for a three-night stop-over, and it did not disappoint. During two busy days, we took public buses and the metro to cover as much ground as possible during our short stay in the city.

Lisbon is regarded as the second-oldest European capital city, after Athens. Its history is so complex, it’s mind-boggling. If only some of those ancient walls could talk, how interesting that would be.

All Bruce and I knew, from our primary school history, was about Lisbon’s golden era, the Age of Discovery, when the great Portuguese sea voyages departed from Lisbon from the end of the 15th century, including the famous Vasco da Gama’s expedition to India. Over the next century or so, the trade in spices, slaves, sugar and textiles across Africa, India, the Far East and Brazil resulted in the acquisition of great wealth for Lisbon and Portugal.

The country is prone to earthquakes and Lisbon was decimated by a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1755, which killed up to 40,000 residents and destroyed 85% of the city’s structures. Hence, much of the rebuilt Old Town is modern by European Old Town standards, reconstructed in an open rectangular plan with two great squares, one of which is the Praca do Comercio, which became the main access to the River Tagus for the arrival and departure of seagoing vessels.

The Alfama is the oldest neighbourhood of Lisbon, having largely escaped the devastation of the earthquake so retains its ancient charm, is very

picturesque with the Muslim influence evident on the old buildings covered in colourful tiles, and the steep narrow twisting streets leading up from the Tagus River’s edge.

Highlights of Lisbon:
Castelo de Sao Jorge: Fortification and castle ruin with an amazing view over the city. We've found that several locations in Europe all claim allegiance to the life and legends surrounding Sao Jorge (St George and the dragon) including the Portuguese in Lisbon, the Slovenians in Ljubljana, the British in England and there are many more, thought to be because St George was the personification of the ideals of Christian chivalry.

Jeronimos Monastery: We didn’t go in because of the long queue but its massive white façade is breathtakingly impressive from the outside, and it was fortunate to escape major damage in the 1755 earthquake.

Museu de Marinha: To avoid the crowds we visited this maritime museum, which was fascinating to learn about Portugal’s rich history of voyages and expeditions to discover the “free world”.

Praca do Comercio: Massive public square on the edge of the River Tagus