Months passed since I left Lisbon and life is moving on. The place, though, stayed dear to my heart. Also, there are still pictures left to show. While this one is not the last series from Portugal, it is the last one with the general theme of Lisbon – or Lisboa in Portuguese.
Most people know Lisbon is situated on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean; it is not so widely known, though, that the longest river of the Iberian peninsula floats through the city (technically, on the side of it). While definitely not a recommendable place to swim, a walk at the Tejo (or Tajo, as the Spanish say) has its merits – particularly for modern architecture enthusiasts. The Vasco da Gama tower (1,10, last picture) is a prime example. But the most exciting sight, majestic and intriguing simultaneously, is the Vasco da Gama bridge (2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14). Spanning over 17 km, it is the longest bridge in Europe. The slight couverture of the structure allows for interesting photographic angles. I’ll invite you for a walk.
So, if you did like the last two and didn’t get bored, I’d like to invite you for a further recapture of Portugal in February 2013.
In the foreground, you see a seller of chestnuts. The nuts are delicious, and you should definitely try them. Besides that, the sellers add charme to Lisboa. So it is nice to support them either way 🙂 What they are standing on is worth mentioning, too. It is a specific Portuguese form of a cobbled pavement called Calçada Portuguesa. It is an art that the country is known for and can be seen (and walked on) throughout the city. The patterns are often beautiful, and you only have to look down to enjoy them – but don’t run into a tree, please.
In the background, you see the Elevador de Santa Justa called Elevador do Carmo. It connects the Baixa (downtown) with a higher part of the city (Chiado) and was built by an associate of Gustave Eiffel, the Paris tower guy. It has a steampunk vibe, being a genius piece of 19th-century engineering. The elevator combines “modern” steel as a building material and traditional ornaments as decorative art. But what I personally liked most was the connecting bridge at the top. It leads through a rooftop and – more amazingly – through the remains of an old church destroyed in the earthquake of 1755.
I imagine how the driver saw this house and then a free parking spot and thought MATCH! Or maybe he is the house owner, too, and fond of the color yellow 🙂
Another architectural piece associated with the Eiffel Tower is the Dom Luise bridge in Porto. This one was built by Théophile Seyrig. A similar bridge further away from the city center was also built by the same architect before. But Eiffel didn’t give any credit to Seyrig, so he decided to compete against his former teacher in the contest for the bridge. After Seyrig won, Eiffel was supposedly so angry that he built the Eiffel Tower. Or so.
As Lisboa Porto has many viewing points (miradouros) and even more seagulls 😉 They told us they can be pretty aggressive and annoying. But as a mainlander, I enjoyed them very much and prefer them to pigeons – or the rats of the skies – as I joke sometimes. They are gorgeous.
The monument for the Portuguese seafarer. It reaches out into the sea and the unknown with the seamen (and priests 😉 ) longing for a new world. The details are beautiful, and I recommend visiting Belém, an exciting and worth-visiting part of Lisbon crowned by this monument. You can also see the top of it and get a great view of the Tejo.
A view of Lisboa from the Castelo de São Jorge. You see the main square and a part of the city not lying directly to the water. Being in the old town, you don’t immediately realize how big Lisboa is. But being up here, you are reminded that you are indeed in a European metropole.
Michael Hoffman Photography 