A ride on Tram 28

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http://www.heygo.com 17th February - A ride on tram 28 - Lisbon



Lisbon’s trams are an integral part of the public transport network, and cover many of the areas of the city where there is no access to the metro.

There are two distinct types of trams, the historic “Remodelado” trams or the modern Siemens “Articulado” trams.



The delightful Remodelado trams date from the 1930s, and in any other city they would be housed in a museum, but not here in Lisbon as we take Tram 28 with Igor, our virtual guide today.



The entire route of Tram 28 is from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique / Prazeres & takes approximately one hour. Today we travelled with the locals for about 20 minutes.

So all aboard !



The tram rattled along, it was difficult to remember all of the churches and places of interest that Igor mentioned but what we saw as we twisted up and down the hills was a good insight into the local area that can be reached by these iconic trams.



Igor popped off the tram after about 20 minutes to take us on a stroll so we could appreciate what Lisbon had to offer.



We heard about the devastating earthquake that hit Lisbon, killing as many as 50,000 people, on November 1, 1755.

Three tremors over the course of 10 minutes suddenly struck. The worst of the quakes is thought to have had a magnitude of 8.0, though this is just an estimate as no recording equipment existed at the time. The shaking was felt as far away as Morocco.

Many people were observing All Saints Day in churches at the time and died when the buildings collapsed. Fires broke out all over the city and winds spread the flames quickly. The royal palace was destroyed, as were thousands of homes. Much of the country’s cultural history, preserved in books, art and architecture, was wiped away in an instant.



We stood on a bridge overlooking Pink Street!

The street officially is called Rua Nova do Carvalho & used to be Lisbon’s Red Light District.

Lisbon being a port city, in days gone by meant lots of sailors would come into the city to gamble, drink, and to find brothels. Sailors weren’t the only visitors, it was a meeting point for local criminals, streetwalkers, and prostitutes too.

Rua Nova do Carvalho was painted not that long ago actually! The painting started in 2011 and was finished by 2013. Since then, it has become locally known as Rua Cor de Rosa, meaning Pink Street. The project was supposed to make the neighborhood better & it has worked. Brothels are now closed closed, new bars opened and the street has replaced the shady nightlife and turned it into a great hub of restaurants & bars.



We popped inside the covered market, the entrance with beautiful tiles and the National symbol of Lisbon on the floor.



Our tour ended at the river with views of the 25 April Bridge.

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