Lisbon

I continue with some pictures from our family holidays (see previous posts about Bilbao and Salamanca).

The house we had rented was just some 30 or 45 minutes drive from Lisbon, so we made a number of visits there, although with grandkids and hot weather sometimes the energy lacked.

I had also the great pleasure to meet Blogtrotter who offered me an excellent lunch one day and, another day, an – again excellent – dinner, when I also had the privilege to meet Mrs. Blogtrotter. A charming couple and some very nice moments!

For those who never visited Lisbon, maybe a map can be useful.

The central parts of Lisbon offer some nice hills with steep and narrow streets on both sides of “Baixa” (Downtown). On one side you have the “Bairro Alto” (Upper Quarter) preceded by the slightly lower quarter “Chiado”, where you will find most of the bars and restaurants. On the other side, you find “Alfama”, actually the oldest part of the city, with “Bairro do Castelo” and the old castle “Castelo de Sao Jorge” on the top.

Along the coastline of the Tagus River, “Rio Tejo”, to the west of the centre is Belém (with its “Torre de Belém”,”Mosteiro dos Jeronimos”…) and northeast you will reach a new district, originally created around the World Exhibition in 1998, “Parque des Naçoes”(Nations Park).

The first pictures are from the central pedestrian street, Rua Augusta, leading to the large place on the riverside, “Praço de Commercio”, surrounded by ministry buildings.

A major attraction is of course the lift, “Elevador de Santa Justa”, also named “Elevador do Carmo”, dating from 1902, which will bring you from “Baixa” to the higher “Chiada” quarters.

All over, in the lower or the more hilly parts, you will be struck by the old-fashioned, nice lampposts.

Some shots from bars and restaurants, one of which is the famous “A Brasileira” in the "Chiada" district.

Some views on and from the medieval “Castelo de Sao Jorge”. There were a number of peacocks around.

… and some views of and from the “Torre de Belém”, another major attraction, built around 1520 to guard the entrance of the Port of Belém from where most of the Portuguese explorers (Vasco da Gama…) left. Belém is also where you can find the beautiful Monastery “Mosteiro dos Jeronimos”, which I missed this time (but had seen during previous visits).

“Parque das Naçoes” is a new district, developed for - and further after - the 1998 World Exhibition. It’s today an attractive area; the “Ocenario” is e.g. a fabulous aquarium. In the background you can see (part of) the “Ponte Vasco da Gama”, Europe’s longest bridge.

For the grandkids, the greatest experience was the trip with one of Lisbon’s famous trams.