Lisbon, Portugal - Modern Oasis in Medieval Europe
Written: Jul 16 '00 (Updated Jan 25 '01)
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Pros: Provides both the historical and the modern; metro is outstanding; international flair
Cons: Getting there by train can be something of a challenge.
The Bottom Line: Lisbon is a modern city, with a modern infrastructure, international flair, and plenty to do. I enjoyed it!
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| kifwebe's Full Review: Lisbon |
I visited Lisbon in November of 1999, and I have to say that it was something of an oasis in the desert. By the time I reached Lisbon, located on the central southern coast of the Iberian peninsula, travel by train in Europe had become a kind of second nature. Over the previous two months I had seen everything from the Greek islands to the Bavarian Alps, and for the past few weeks I had seen the historical towns of Le Puy en Velay in France, Salamanca, Toledo, and Granada in Spain, and Batalha and Leiria in Portugal. While all were beautiful and had a charm all their own, both Sarah and I had become a little "medievalled" out so to speak. We were ready for a big city with modern structures, state of the art transportation, and international cuisine. Lisbon provided exactly what the doctor ordered in nearly all respects.
We arrived at Santa Appolonia train station at nearly 10 PM. Having only the primitive maps provided by our Rough Guide and Lonely Planet guidebooks, I expected to have some trouble finding the hotels we had chosen on the train. While we didn't have trouble locating the Baixa area near the center of town, the walk was a bit further than either of us expected based on the scale of the map. We negotiated the streets of what seemed to be a very quiet city, taking mostly back streets and avoiding hills whenever possible. That night we saw quite a few beautiful buildings, and we knew that our stay in Lisbon was going to be pleasant.
Until...Every hotel on our list had a sign on the door reading "No Tem Quartos." (No vacancy, or literally, we don't have rooms.) At nearly midnight in an unfamiliar town, these were not exactly welcome signs. The people we encountered on the street gave us helpful advice, but often the directions we received were not understood since I was relying on my Spanish to decipher Portuguese. Despite what you may think, that's not the easiest of conversions.
We were desperate at this point. We were ringing the bells of every hotel we came across regardless of price (number of stars) or location, and in the Baixa area they are quite plentiful. Some didn't answer the bell, and still others simply didn't have rooms. Finally, behind door number 12 or so, we were buzzed into a pensao's dark hallway.
Frankly the place looked a little bleak. Because the hotel proprietor was behind a small glass window, I immediately believed we had stumbled upon a hotel of the rent-by-the-hour variety. The rate was 4500 escudos (about $25 US at the time), which was pretty good, so we asked to see the room. It was clean, and although the suggestive picture of a man and a woman above our bed seemed to confirm my earlier theory, we decided to stay. It turned out to be quite a reputable place by our assessment. The bathrooms were spotless as was our room, which was cleaned daily, and the people who worked at the hotel always greeted us with a smile. We pretty much lucked out.
Like I said, we were very ready for a modern city. The following day after waking up a little late (hey, we were up late!) we headed out to see Lisbon. Our hotel's location near the Rossio train station and price were actually ideal, so we agreed to spend the rest of our stay there. Our first impression of the city was that there was quite a diverse population. The city was bright and clean, and didn't seem nearly as crowded as we expected from a city of its size. There were some impressive older buildings mixed in with newer ones, and the heart of the city was easily negotiable on foot.
Then we hit the metro. Let me go on record as saying that Lisbon has the cleanest and most pleasant metro system I have ever used, including both the U.S. and Europe. It is simply spotless both inside the trains and within the stations. In fact, each station is filled with a variety of art in media varying from paintings to sculptures to photographs. The trains come often and were only crowded between 5 and 7 PM, and then again at around 11 PM. But crowded by Lisbon standards means you have to stand, not that you'll be crammed against 5 other people.
We eventually ended up at the Oriente Train station, the terminus of one of the main metro lines. We planned on visiting the site of the 1998 World Expo which is an attraction even today. When we emerged from underground we were absolutely stunned. The modern architecture of the train station was incredible, a maze of painted white steel and glass. It's a little strange to say, but the train station was actually one of my personal highlights in Lisbon. I took almost 20 pictures of the station alone. I'm not sure if it was as impressive as I thought (keep in mind that at this point I was used to castles and cathedrals) but I was overwhelmed. Oriente station is truly a work of modern art, and dare I say, it's a must see in Lisbon (especially for architects and engineers).
The Expo site didn't disappoint either. It was phenomenal, with more modern structures and sculptures made from metal and glass, and fountains spouted everywhere. The absolute highlight of our trip to Lisbon was the Oceanarium there. This was perfect! It was so unlike what we had been seeing for the past few weeks! This was the best oceanarium I had seen of its kind. The cost was nearly $8 US to get in, but believe me you won't want to skip this. It's got the largest aquarium I've ever seen, which has been split into regions corresponding to Earth's major oceans. In these immense tanks are rays, sharks, fish, coral, and plantlife that represent the designated ocean, and you can easily fascinate yourself for hours. In addition there are many side displays with smaller creatures, and displays with English translations complete the learning experience. I even figured out that my favorite animal in the world is the leafy sea dragon (basically a seahorse disguised as a plant - an amazing creature!).
After the Oceanarium, we headed to the nearby mall (I know, sad, but this was just what we wanted!). The theater there had tons of new releases, all of which were in English with Portuguese subtitles. Score! We saw a movie, which was a real treat. Incidentally, we noticed that most theaters in Portugal have movies with subtitles. Movie posters with the letters V.O. (original version) designate this, and these were quite plentiful.
Lisbon was chock full of many treats of all kinds. One of the best meals I had in all of Europe was at a Tibetan restaurant called Os Tibetanos. I know what you may be thinking - Tibetan in Portugal? Well, actually I've mentioned this restaurant before, and received a bit of criticism for not trying Portuguese food. The thing is that I did try it, and in some cases I liked it. But one of the best things about Lisbon is its international flair. You can find restaurants of nearly any kind there, which is not the case in most of Portugal. I truly admire that about Lisbon. The bottom line - try Os Tibetanos, especially if you're looking for a vegetarian option.
Another highlight of our stay in Lisbon was the nightlife. It wasn't quite as lively as Madrid or Sevilla, but it wasn't hard to find either. The bars in the Bairro Alto are plentiful and lively. Many serve cheap drinks, including local green wine and of course port wine, both of which I would highly recommend. Bars in this area are open fairly late, and were quite welcome considering that we hadn't seen a great deal of night life in Portugal until reaching Lisbon.
We also managed to catch an impromptu performance art piece taking place on a balcony above the street as we meandered between night spots. It mainly involved 3 people hanging and dancing on their balconies while throwing confetti, balloons, and paper airplanes onto the street below. They also projected a film onto the wall and played a soundtrack, and while it all seemed random it was a very interesting experience. Maybe it would have had more meaning after a few drinks? Who knows? That's what is so great about art - it can be interpreted in hundreds of ways, none of which are inherently correct.
We did manage to see a variety of historical sights in Lisbon as well, but we spent less time doing so than was typical for us. The brilliant Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery) was immense, and having been built in 1496 has quite a rich history. It was a bit out of the way, requiring a train ride to Belem (the quarter in which it's located) from Cais do Sodre, but for those wanting to see the historical side of Lisbon this is a must. Also nearby is the Torre de Belem, a castle-like structure which guarded the entrance to Lisbon's port from Moorish invaders.
All in all, Lisbon has a great deal to offer, from modern to historical. A trip to Portugal without its inclusion would be an enormous mistake. We actually liked Lisbon enough to return for a day after our later trip to Morocco, despite the fact that it was out of our way. Lisbon is truly a European capital with an international flair, and holds something for nearly every type of traveler.
Recommended:
Yes
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kifwebe
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Location: :noitacoL
Reviews written: 29
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