Lisbon. For 2 years already my sister Anna-Ziska and boyfriend Tiago have been living here together. But since Chile and Portugal are not exactly neighbours, I could never come to visit, ...until now. While Florian had to return to Chile (you cannot take all vacation days at once), I had a chance to get acquainted with the Portuguese way of living, stroll through the winding alleys of their Alfama neighbourhood, listen to Fado artists, and spend some quality time with both of them.
In the picture below, Tiago is just laying out all kinds of conspiracy theories on why Christopher Columbus must have been from Portugal, and, how come Portugal had a revolution with 4 dead people, where nobody died...??
In the picture below, Tiago is just laying out all kinds of conspiracy theories on why Christopher Columbus must have been from Portugal, and, how come Portugal had a revolution with 4 dead people, where nobody died...??
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Downriver of Lisbon's Golden Gate look-alike lies the district of Belém. It is full of history from the Age of Discoveries. Both Vasco da Gama and Luis de Camões have their tombs here. It's funny. Only a couple of years ago I thought "history" was just a sequence of pointless wars, thus boring. Besides, the post-GDR era was probably not the best time to have lively debates on world politics :-(( But with all the reading, talking and travelling of recent years, the big picture finally evolves. It is exiting to see why things happened while others did not, and to actually understand the spirit of a time. Why, for instance, was Africa not conquered by China in the Middle Ages? And so on. My current history book recommendation: Niall Ferguson (2011): Civilization. For those exhausted from all the sightseeing, Belém has a special treat - the yummy Pastel de Belém. Portuguese people are crazy about sweet pastries in general, but this one is by far the most popular. Belém's bakery sells more than 100000 Pastel de Belém every weekend, and queues are loooong. That little pastry shop is a clear gold mine. Whoever owns it, won't ever need to worry about their pension again.
On the other side of town is the ultra-modern Expo '98 complex. Here you'll get a nice contrast to historic Alfama or Belém. There are many shops, restaurants, and Lisbon's impressive aquarium. The riverside promenade is also fun to explore. All in all, seems like a good city to live in!
