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Lisbon
- A Portuguese blend of Rome and San Francisco
Lisbon has been one of my favorite cities since 1952, when I spent a summer in neighboring Estoril. The Portuguese capital has changed over the years, and a building boom has contributed to urban sprawl since Portugal joined the European Union in 1986.
Modern
buildings tucked into downtown streets can also be jarring to travelers
who remember Lisbon in the days when the city was crumbling but prettier.
Still, in the words of Lonely Planet Portugal, "Add today's cultural
diversity together with a laid-back ambience and an architectural
time-warp, and you have one of Europe's most enjoyable cities." A
Portuguese blend of Rome and San Francisco The
physical setting alone makes Lisbon an appealing destination. The city is
built on hills overlooking the Tagus River (Tejos in Portuguese) where the
river meets the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is benign--like San Diego's,
but less dry--and the older parts of the city are rich with murals of
azulejo tiles, art nouveau buildings, sidewalks paved with decorative
patterns of tiny black and white stones, public staircases leading steeply
upward through ancient neighborhoods, double-decker buses, and funicular
tramways where you may see a cat hop aboard and get off at the next stop. A
panoply of sights and sounds Museums
and monuments are other popular attractions. No visit is complete without
a tour of the Jerónimos monastery, where ropes and other maritime themes
are carved into stone. Take
time to explore the Moorish Castelo de São Jorge, which looks like a
fortress on the outside but is a delightful place of gardens, towers with
scenic views, ponds with swans and peacocks, and other attractions within
its walls. Don't
miss the Torre de Belém, and spend an hour or two at nearby museums like
the Museo Nacional des Coches (coaches worthy of Cinderella), the Museo de
Marinha (boats and naval exhibits), and the Museo de Arte Popular (folk
arts, exhibited by region, and a "must see" warm-up for shoppers
interested in handicrafts). The
sounds of Lisbon are as distinctive as its sights and scenery. You'll hear
the rumble of cable-drawn ascensores rounding tight corners on steep hills,
the trilling of canaries in cages hanging outside the windows of
apartments, the flapping of sheets on overhead clotheslines, the screech
of seagulls along the waterfront, and the haunting songs of fado singers
in smoky nightclubs. Best
of all, Lisbon is affordable. It isn't cheap, the way it was 20 years ago,
but your dollars, pounds, or euros will stretch farther in Portugal than
in other major cities of Western Europe. A
launchpad for a Portuguese vacation If
you arrive during the warmer months, you can hop aboard a train to
suburban coastal resorts like Estoril and Cascais for a day of swimming
and sunbathing. For another change of pace, take the commuter train to
nearby Sintra and its two national palaces. Ready
to go farther afield? No town in Portugal is more than a two-day drive
from Lisbon, although I suggest allowing at least a week for the North or
South if you're touring by car. Better yet, spend up to two weeks in
either part of the country and save the other half for a later trip.
Portugal is a country to be savored, not rushed. Europe's
most child-friendly destination Portugal
is more welcoming to children than any other country I've lived in or
visited (including Spain and Italy, which tie for second place). Don't be
surprised if your smaller children are patted on the head by strangers of
both sexes or fawned over by children just a few years older. This is the
Portuguese way, and the stranger who tells your little girl that she's
pretty or offers candy to your son is unlikely to be a pervert. Durant Boden
Source:
www.europeforvistiors.com
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