Lisbon

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At first, Lisbon just seemed like another European city, albeit one with an incredibly long bridge across the Tagus River that seemed to disappear into the horizon. However, I discovered that this is a unique city and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring it and some of the nearby towns.

My favourite area of Lisbon is undoubtedly the old Arabic quarter, known as the Alfama. It is typified by streets only narrow enough to squeeze your shoulders through, winding their way up and down the hill between the port and the Castelo de São Jorge (St George's Castle). From above, this part of Lisbon looks like the houses and churches are built atop of one another in a pattern too complex for Google Maps to discern. Giving someone directions for a café in this part of Lisbon would be entirely a waste of time. I found that wandering through this district provided me with a wonderful insight into the real Lisbon. I saw such scenes as old people hanging out of their window shutters, talking to neighbours who are leaning against their open window frame, whilst others called out to someone on a lower terrace who was hanging out washing with a smile on their face. With motor traffic being an impossibility in this part of town, you see locals sitting on chairs in the street beside their front door, or simply tending to some vegetables or herbs that they have growing along the front of their abode. I honestly felt like I had stepped back into a time that I had presumed was lost to antiquity. Not wanting to leave such a location, I found a bar that had outdoor tables and read a book over a couple of alcoholic beverages, occasionally lifting my eyes from the page to absorb the surroundings. It was a wonderful way to while away the hours of the afternoon.

Another highlight of Lisbon was visiting Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Portuguese). This building was one of the few to survive the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Whilst the building is impressive in its size from the outside, it is once you step inside the church that you gasp in awe. It is a stunning interior vaulted design, supported by only eight pillars. There is a complex rib system in the roof which somehow supports itself and you are left staring at the tastefully adorned ceiling that hovers above you, wondering as to how it doesn't collapse, given its weight and the lack of any central supporting pillar. This is also the resting place of Vasco da Gama, arguably Portugal's greatest ever explorer and the commander of the first ships to ever sail directly to India from Europe. Another structure that astoundingly survived the earthquake is an aquaduct that stops you in your tracks when you see its 35 imperious arches that span across the Alcantara Valley. The central arch alone is jaw dropping and was the tallest stone arch in the world at the time of its construction.

The Belém Tower is also worth noting. This is one of the iconic structures associated with Lisbon and has a distinctly Moorish design. What amazed me, however, is that this tower once stood in the middle of the river, 200m out from the bank, guarding the port like a defiant sentinel. That alone must have been quite a feat to construct. The afore-mentioned earthquake was so powerful that it actually changed the course of the river permanently, so now you can visit this structure on foot, as it stands at the water's edge. Near this tower is an eye-catching suspension bridge. Well, it caught my anyway, as I thought I was back in San Francisco in 2002 staring at the Golden Gate Bridge. It has a most striking similarity, right down to the colour.

I also took a day trip out to some surrounding towns along the coast, such as Cascais and Sintra. The old fishing village of Cascais is now a summer destination for the wealthy, yet it still maintains a pleasant feel. It's pavements are like those of Lisbon, consisting of black and white limestone arranged into patterns of swirling lines and symmetrical shapes. Sintra is located atop a mountain and as we drove to this destination from Cascais I was able to cast a glance at the western-most point of the European continent, Cape Roca. Seeing the surging swells of the Atlantic violently smash into the rocks of the coastline around this cape made one appreciate even more the bravery and efforts of people such as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Colombus. Sintra itself is a picturesque village, complete with castles and disused palaces amidst the slopes and the trees and made for a worthwhile excursion to see another aspect of Portugal.

So, my latest visit to the European continent has come to an end. I now fly to England for a week of catching up with old friends and testing out the capabilities of my liver, before heading to Jordan for the final leg of this incredible three month adventure.

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Comments

[Ben]

Lisboa
Cascais and Sintra are something else ey. Sintra is like something out of a fairytale with it's castles, complete with spiraling towers set amongst the green mountain backdrop.