Day 137 Lisbon - The Capital City Of Portugal

May 25, 2024

Today marks the beginning of the final segment of our global voyage, as we sail from Lisbon to New York with a few more island stops along the way. That's about 3,500 miles remaining. We decided to explore Lisbon via the Hop On Hop Off Bus and throw in a bit of shopping. That gave us an overview of the city. Portugal is very politically active right now. There are banners, temporary stands, and rallies everywhere, which spoilt the view in a few areas, so I’ve included a couple of photos from our 2019 visit as well.

First.. a micro-history to help you win Jeopardy. This area has been inhabited for
400,000 years (!), tracing all the way back to our homo heidelbergensis ancestors. There is quite a rich archeological history. Fast forward a bit; the Romans were here for several centuries and divided the area into two - Lusitania (as in the old cruise liner torpedoed by the Germans in 1915) and Gallaceia (hence the Gauls). After the fall of Rome, the Visigoths settled in, followed by the Moors invading from Northern Africa in 711. The area was part of the massive Islamic Caliphate until 1095, when Portugal broke away, eventually declaring itself an independent kingdom in 1139.

It took almost 100 more years to kick the Moors out of the Algarve (where we were yesterday in the southwest), and Lisbon became the capital in 1255. Amazingly, for a European country, its boundaries have remained almost unchanged since then. Portugal became a world power in the 15th and 16th centuries—we’ve seen their impact firsthand in Africa. Then, they suffered a few military setbacks and became part of Spain from 1580 to 1640. Side historical note - the Portuguese navy was forced to contribute a lot of ships to the 1588 Spanish Armada, which was (as every English schoolchild knows) beaten up by Sir Francis Drake in and around the English Channel.

Power was restored to the monarchy in 1640, which lasted despite losing Brazil in
1822, until a revolution in 1910. Throw in a few military coups, and finally, the Carnation Revolution of 1974 (a bloodless left-wing coup) created a new democratic system only after surviving a right-wing and subsequent left-wing coup in 1975. Leading to elections in 1976 where the Socialist Party came out on top. The Socialist Party continues to prosper, although there was a recent alliance between the Communist and Green parties (go figure that one, although the Greens label themselves eco-socialists, whatever that means).

So we hopped on and off around Lisbon on a fairly dreary and cool day for May. You can divide Lisbon into two sections. There was a massive 8.7 earthquake in 1755, which practically flattened the city, and the subsequent tsunami wiped out anything below 100 feet of elevation. So all the remaining “old stuff” is up in the many hills. Lisbon has as many, if not more, hills than Rome. It's a tiring town to walk around.

(The king moved the royal palace contention to a hill just in case of another calamity. A screw the commoners move .. )

The center of Lisbon is unofficially Eduardo VII Park. The park is named for King
Edward VII of the United Kingdom who visited Portugal in 1903 to strengthen relations between the two countries and reaffirm the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. Until Edward's visit, the park was called Parque da Liberdade (Liberty Park). It's situated on a hill (of course) and offers a nice downhill view, apart from today, when there is a political rally in progress. At the bottom end is the Marquis of Pombal Square.

Overall, we felt that the HOHO Bus Service wasn't that great compared to other cities. The routes were exceptionally long, and the maps weren't that helpful in matching the stops to the sights. You had to rely on the earphones/narrative - which meant you couldn't "listen" to the city. Something to remember for next time. Next up, we return to Funchal, Madeira - looking forward to that,

Lisbon Tour Pics Below:

1. The Marquis Of Pombal Statue

2. Cute iron balcony architecture - down almost every street.

3. A Floral Taxi.

4. Line outside the most famous bakery for Pasta De Nata as savory custard/cream pie.

5. The Santa Maria building on the waterfront.

6. No. Not a church - it's (several) museums.

7. The Belem Tower