2024 in Portugal (Lisbon)
On August 30, 2024, the Celebrity Equinox made a port of call at Lisbon (Portuguese: Lisboa), the capital city of Portugal, resulting in the visit of my 33rd unique country:
This made it my:
- 22nd European country
- 1st country with Portuguese as its official language
Visit
The ship would remain docked overnight so that we could explore both the newer and older parts of Lisbon.
Day 1
On the first day, the ship docked on the River Tagus, on the Lisbon Cruise Terminal (Terminal de Cruzerios de Lisboa), just at foot of the old town of Alfama.
Moving westward from the cruise terminal, I bought a 24-hour transit pass from the Terreiro do Paço ("Land of Peace") metro station. With my free walking tour a few hours away, I had time to enjoy the subway system, whose seats had cushions made out of cork!
I took the subway train north to Restauradores ("Restorationists") station. It was already noon, so I went inside Igreja de São Domingos ("Church of St. Dominic") for a bit to cool down from the hot August sun. It was Friday but a few worshippers were attending a noon hour mass. When I came outside this Catholic church, I noticed that there was a Memorial às vitimas judias ("Memorial to the Jewish victims").
I then had lunch at a nice (but empty) restaurant Sebastião: they were not the type who had eager waiters standing outside, waving menus with pictures and text in several languages. I liked how tourists did not bother with this place but the food was excellent. My lunch consisted of a tasty bacalhau (cod fish) dish with some domestic Super Bock beer!
I later met up with a "free" walking tour back near the Restauradores metro station. We saw several sights such as:
- Monumento aos Restauradores
- monument to the restorationists
- Elevador de Santa Justa
- a lift between a higher and lower part of the city
- Rossio train station
- gateways and entrances with ornately carved gargoyles
- Rua Augusta
- Lisbon's reconstructed shopping street
- Arco da Rua Augusta
- a large gateway arch connecting Rua Augusta with Praça do Comércio
- Praça do Comércio
- a large town square right by the river Tagus with some restaurants and museums
I saw a person dressed in a full-body panda suit at the last place. Of course, I had it pinned on my Instagram profile!
The walking tour guide also explained to us that the city centre looked relatively new by European standards due to a devastating earthquake in 1755. However, an older part of town, called Alfama, remained intact. I would visit this neighbourhood on Day 2.
Day 2: the older Alfama
I'm not as party-going as I used to be in my younger days. So, I went back to the ship on the overnight while the ship was docked in Lisbon. When night fell, I noticed how the city didn't have a lot of light, as there were hardly any skyscrapers in the skyline. The skyline, with its colourful buildings, was made for the bright sunny afternoons.
I woke up early to make use of my 24-hour transit pass and went to have a ride on the old-school Elétrico 28 ("Tram 28"). The tram is included in the transit pass, so it's like a "hop-on hop-off" vehicle without all the tourist commentary. I had a pleasant ride through the rolling hills of Lisbon, but cut short my ride at Baixa-Chiado station. I had to go back to Terreiro do Paço station one more time to catch a walking tour of Alfama.
Alfama had a lot of "miradouros" (belvederes or terraces) which offered great views (what the word belvedere literally means), some of which included:
- Miradouro Santa Luzia
- Miradouro das Portas do Sol
- Miradouro do Recolhimento
I saw the Celebrity Equinox ship from the first two miradouros.
The Elétrico 12 (Tram 12) also passes by Alfama, and is often advised as the better option to ride than Tram 28 (which gets crammed with tourists during peak hours). Tram 12's route also goes in a nice circle around Alfama and so it is a wonder why it isn't more popular.
Other sights worth seeing in Alfama also included:
- Sé de Lisboa
- the Cathedral of Lisbon
- Castelo de São Jorge
- the castle of St. George
- Largo do Chafariz de Dentro
- Alfama's old town square
In the late afternoon, it was time to go back on the ship, which sailed westward on the Tagus. From the ship, I saw from afar:
- Padrão dos Descobrimentos
- the Monument to the Discoveries
- Torre de Belém
- aka the Tower of Saint Vincent
- a 16th century fortification
If I had to come back to the Lisbon area, I would definitely go visit those first!
Reflection
I left Lisbon feeling satisfied, but it was not my type of city. There was nothing wrong with it. It wasn't the language barrier, as most people spoke English well. I didn't need any of the very basic Portuguese I had learned just for the trip. Lisbon's architecture and limestone sidewalks also impressed me in their intricate attention to details.
However, I just have a greater fascination for the ultra-modern and futuristic design. I felt that Lisbon only liked to romanticize the days when they rebuilt and restored their nation in the 18th and 19th centuries. I knew not to expect the ultra-modern and the future when visiting this city, so I wasn't disappointed. Lisbon was well maintained and had a decent public transit system (although their subway could have had more downtown stations).
Lisbon would not be a place I would move to, but should the occasion arise, I would not mind coming back for a day or two to visit some more sights in the Belém area.