//Lisbon – May, June 2019
Picture the WorldJune 6, 2019

Lisbon – May, June 2019

Lisbon is a city of hills, seven by legend but eight in fact.
Over the years, a variety of measures have been taken in an attempt to take the climb out of hill climbing. Like funiculars, above…
And old wooden trams, their tracks crisscrossing the city for over 100 years…
More modern additions include public up-escalators (above) and noisy tuk-tuks (below).
Our favorite, though, is the four actual elevators, erected in the 19th century, the gothic Elevador de Santa Justa shown here. But if a hill requires an elevator, is it still just a hill? I’m thinking cliff.
The apartment we have for two months has sweeping views of the city and Rio Tejo, and it’s just down a quiet street from the busy and touristy Praça Luís de Camões, a square that straddles Chiado and Bairro Alto districts (below).

Nearby are restaurants, both small…
…and very large. The Time Out Market is just down the street — down being the operative word here. Famous in its own right, it is a food court of chefs.
Speaking of restaurants, there are diverse choices, like Mexican, above…
Asian fusion…
Hambúrgueres…
Even Portuguese food. Editor’s note: the photographer made me include these pictures of food.
Very close to our apartment, in a twisty winding kind of way, is the waterfront and the broad Praça do Comércio. It anchors Rua Augusta, below, the long busy mall, lined with shops, that leads to Praça do Rossio.

A walk in the opposite direction, away from the river, is the Avenida da Liberdade.
Wider than a football field is long, its four thoroughfares are separated by two treed mediums, essentially long parks. It is a prestigious address and one of Europe’s popular luxury shopping destinations. We eschewed the storefronts for the shady benches.
Also nearby, but UP some streets, is the district of Príncipe Real. Every district encompasses but a few blocks, it seems, each having its own character. This area has old mansions, a weekend market in the park (above and below), and the National Museum of Natural History.
In addition to serving as a museum, the Natural History Museum served also as the Royal Academy of Sciences and a Polytechnic School. Though creatively presented, the old laboratories and lecture halls were more interesting than the collections.
Next to the museum is a botanical garden. Very appealing. And steep.
In front of our apartment building run the tracks for the famous Tram 28. One afternoon, we took it (and some stairs) up to the Castle of St George, below. The trams are kind of like the cable cars of San Francisco, except electric. And they get stuck in worse traffic.
The hilltop has evidence of being inhabited since around 1,000 BC, and from the first century it has been staked out by Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Muslim Berbers, and now Tourists.

For some four hundred years, the castle, though ever changing, served as Portugal’s seat of power. They also sell wine by the glass.
Elsewhere, throughout the city, the jacaranda trees are at full bloom in the squares and plazas.
And between them are streets both picturesque…
And mildly chaotic.
And the old apartment buildings, with their decorative facades and street-level shops, keep us entertained.
At the end of the day, though, we’re as likely to end up dining at home as we are in a restaurant. We’re partial to the food and the view.

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