That Wasn't There Last Time We Looked!
⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡Day 2 ~ 16 May ~ Lisbon
We've booked on one of these "pay what you think it's worth" city tours today.
We are curious,..
Turns out not be so exciting. From their website:
Unicorn Factory Lisboa is a City Hall flagship initiative aiming to position Lisbon as a leading European innovation centre.Oh well, never mind.
It empowers entrepreneurs by providing essential resources and support to bring their groundbreaking ideas to life and scale their businesses.
Our instructions say to meet by this statue in the square, but we're a little early and nobody is here yet.
And then there were three! (Tour leaders, that is.)
It seems the tour is very well subscribed, so we'll split into multiple groups. We will go with the middle of the three umbrella wielders here, whose name I confess I have semi-forgotten but I think is Irina.
We can't deny the mosaic designs are quite something. This makes me think of the Blue Peter ship (which may or may not mean anything to you)
The real thing isn't quite identical, but I think you can see what I mean.
While searching for the above image, I was outraged to discover that Blue Peter badge copies are now freely available from websites like Etsy, and you can even download 3D printer files to make your own! Is nothing sacred any more?!
Of course, I'm sure the mosaic is meant to honour Portuguese naval history and great navigators like Magellan and Vasco da Gama and has nothing whatsoever to do with an iconic British childrens' televison program. [Should I add a web link here? Or does anybody who could possibly care not need such a thing? "Answers on a postcard, please", which itself is a thing that probably hasn't existed since Blue Peter's classic years. I think I'm getting digressed from my digression...]
But let us walk the streets of Lisbon!
Gosh, it's the curious cow shop we previously discovered in Spain. Interestingly, it was founded there in 2001, almost the same timeframe as the building of the Alqueva dam that created the lake we will be visiting! So much has happened since we were in Portugal last.
Their website says, "In 2001, with the opening of the first ALE-HOP store, it was decided that there was a very important team member who should always be present in the stores: OUR COW." We can only applaud their good sense and clear vision.
A very retro-looking poster for a film that opened yesterday! It's half a century since their heyday, so it's a fair bet that if the film is going to make any money, it will need to appeal to many who weren't even born by the time they split!
I know I'm biased, obviously, but somehow the universe seems to be trying to tell me that my formative years were the best time for music... Yet, thanks (and I mean that ironically!) to BBC4 re-broadcasting old episodes of "Top of the Pops", I can tell you that the most glorious era for music that ever was, the 1970s, was full of the most unspeakable dross, mercifully forgotten until some sadist rubbed his (almost certainly 'his') hands in glee and decided to brutally remind us of the reality we didn't want to accept.
But that said, you look at Wikipedia's list of 1970's UK number ones, and blimey, there's a lot that still stands up today. (Yeah, yeah, the very first entry is Rolf Harris' "Two Little Boys": I said 'a lot', not 'all', ok?)
This cantilevered walkway leads to a lift that allows the infirm (and just plain lazy) to avoid some very steep streets. We (being neither infirm nor lazy, of course) are just checking it out as an engineering sight to see.
There's a viewing platform above, but sadly it's closed.
Read more about the Santa Justa lift on Wikipedia.
The Igreja do Carmo (Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and only partially reconstructed.
The old Carmo Convent building is now the headquarters of the Guarda Nacional Republicana.
I suspect this shop sign is a bit out of date. It looks like it sells rather less violent camping gear now.
Aha, the bottom of the lift we were at the top of earlier.
The tour takes us to one of the many shops that sell pasteis de nata for some samples. We have to say (strictly to ourselves) that they aren't quite the best we've had, though they're still pretty good.
Perhaps surprisingly, even in Lisbon we've yet to find better than Santa Nata in London's Borough Market.
Later we try some little fish cakes. Ok, but not something we will remember as a great discovery.
What does this mean? I have absolutely no idea. A Google image search is no help either.
This one is a bit easier. It's Saint Anthony of Padua, who was born in Lisbon and is the city's patron saint. Although his feast day isn't for another month (13 June), the locals are already starting to get in the swing. Remember yesterday we saw some people putting up streamers? That's why. They're all over the place now.
Another local sample: cherry liqueur. You can get it in a conventional plastic cup for €1 or a chocolate cup for €1.50! I splash out with abandon (Amanda will be outraged if I don't get a chocolate cup for her to share), and it's nice enough for me to buy a bottle. Ok, not a big one, just 100ml. But still.
We are not splashing out €98 on one of these bizarre scooter sculptures.
Believe it or not, Lisbon is actually nothing like as weird as I seem to be making it look with my choice of pictures.
This is one transport option, but we want to take a tram.
The Lisbon tram network was first created in the 1890s, but it was the beginning of the 20th century before electric power was used. They have modern vehicles on one line, but the city centre trams are all the historic 1930s "Remodelado" type as here. Not just a tourist attraction, they are retained because the routes are twisty, narrow and steep, quite unsuited to modern trams.
E28 is the most popular for tourists, so it tends to be very crowded most of the day.
From the sign, at least, the British Bar looks like it's seen better days.
Hmm... The panel says, "In Lisbon's vibrant Cais do Sodré, the British Bar was born in 1919. This historic establishment continues to serve fine beers to visitors, tourists and Lisbon locals to this day. A testament to tradition and camaraderie, it remains a beloved fixture in Lisbon's ever-changing landscape." We manage to resist its pull.
Down at the waterfront, there's a bit of beach with rocks and sand, and local artists have been busy.
I guess the water here can't have too much tidal variation or this would surely be drowned and washed away before long.
With a bit more time on our hands and a bit more familarity with the city, we'll get back to our hotel by public transport, not Uber.
The metro station is a bit more modern than the tram we took.
Ah, seems the metro doesn't go all the way to the station across the road from the Moxy, we need to switch to the equivalent of National Rail.
At this point I'm not entirely sure that the city transport tickets we have cover this service. Fortunately, we are only going one stop and no ticket inspector comes by in the short time before we arrive.
At our destination. Thinking about it later, I am all but certain we didn't have the right ticket, but we got away with it. Phew!
More interesting architecture.
And more strange art.
Again, we have drinks and some dinner at the Moxy, this time sitting outside with the railway station in the background.
And a short evening stroll before retiring.
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