Adeus Lisboa

I went for a long walk on the final morning of my stay in Lisbon. I continued to take photos of tiles.

Because of the endless variety.

I have not spent as much time noting here the filigree of wrought iron on the windows and doors. Or the beautifully carved wood doors and shutters. Or any other number of details that make Lisbon Lisbon.

I have remarked on the mosaic sidewalks, roads and squares, like this one:

Today I came upon a statue honouring the men who made these mosaics.

I can't imagine how many workers were involved and over what period of time. This morning I walked the length of the Avenida da Liberdade, starting at the gorgeous train station and ending in Edward the VII park.

A bit more detail:

My trip to Lisbon was enhanced by suggestions from Marek, Elisa and Joe. Obrigado!

It was yet another gorgeous morning. What struck me as I walked along this elegant boulevard was the generous use of public space. In the middle are five lanes of road for buses and cars. On either side of these lanes are wide sidewalks with gardens and cafes down the middle.

One either side of the wide sidewalks is a single lane of road, then another sidewalk, then the commercial buildings. So if you don't want to look in the windows of Hugo Boss or Giorgio Armani or Miu Miu or any of the other brands available in every major city in the world, you don't have to. You can stroll on the wide sidewalks removed from commerce and stop for a coffee. I think that is a foreign idea in the US where the wares are more in your face.

The other thing I thought odd was how little traffic there is. Maybe because there is a good public transit system?

Lisbon has been the go-to place for many years now. The result is pressure on housing and lifestyle, as noted here.

OK Lisbon, if you don't want to become another tourist disneyland, stop being so cute!

In the afternoon, we took a train to Porto, 3.5 hours north. Settled into another ace BnB then explored Porto. Here's city hall.

Crossing the River Douro is a bridge designed by the guy who designed the Eiffel Tower. We walked across the bottom of the bridge from Porto, seen here, then walked back across the top of the bridge.

Very different vibe to Lisbon. Not as touristy. We had an amazing veggie cous cous for dinner in a tiny garden restaurant, followed by a very rich, melting chocolate tart. It was a lovely evening. And our luck with the weather continued to hold.

5 March