Lisbon postcard #5_____Lisboa Portugal

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Our drive down the coast was timed perfectly thanks to Danny, and we arrived at the main square Rossio, at sunset. And a nice hotel right in the center of the old city, typically a comfortable small room, furnished with an antique bedroom set.
Keith has already investigated the supper options and we're in search of a particular little restaurant. In the crowd he spots his colleagues! Seems we all headed into Lisbon. We didn't expect to find them, but of course we are where all the tourists are. So now he invites them to have their supper with us, and the pressure is on! First to find the restaurant, and second, he's hoping it's good. Not to worry, the meal was great, and the company was too.

Cristina, our guide for Lisbon, begins our tour through a couple of the old neighborhoods the next day. As the day progresses I realize that Lisbon really was the center of the world at one time. It still is exciting and beautiful. Old and new. Bright and breezy with the sunshine. Each city we have had the chance to visit has been special in it's own way, and this is no exception!

Alfama

This neighborhood survived the earthquake of 1755, for the most part. The name comes from the Arabic word for fountain or bath. Where renovation is going on, there is exposed brick. Bricks that may have been gathered up from tumbled buildings and used to reconstruct after the quake. It was to us, a maze of skinny streets. We climbed and descended steps, while listening to Cristina relay the history of a sailors' quarters, and it's beginnings in the 8th century. Homes outerwalls conform to the twists and turns in the streets path. Being so old some still have no bathroom, there is a neighborhood laundry and public bath. A little lady shuffles by us in her bathrobe and slippers headed to her morning bath, I didn't take her picture, but could have, as she certainly paid us no mind! It was good to see people going about their lives in such an old place as Alfama. Visiting, kids playing, folks carrying things to neighbors. Cristina talked alot of how they are very much a part of each others lives. Most families have lived in the same home for many generations.

The earthquake struck on All Saint's Day, was felt all the way to the southern shore of Ireland. First such documented event in Europe. Just like the catstrophe in 2004, a tsunami washed over the town. Then the fires broke out, and 80% of the city was destroyed. The city center was completely rebuilt with a new city plan and is the area around Rossio square that we stayed in.

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Photos

balconies
families hanging out in the street talking to their neighbors above in the balconies

door bell
I quit counting the birds, you could hear them singing around every corner

altar
Lisbon Cathedral
built on the site of a mosque

chicken with [i]piri-piri[/i]
that little brown pot has African sauce, it's brushed on the chicken with a tiny paint brush, tiny because it's spicy sauce

renovation
brick from 1755