My Escapes Portugal Another Lovely Trip to Portugal! Lisbon Dipping Into Lisbon Impressions of Lisbon [...]

Impressions of Lisbon 6 Years Later

6 year late I returned to a different Lisbon. It overall looked better, felt safer and I even got that feeling of bursting of enjoyment.
As opposed to the strong slummish, filthy, grey atmosphere that had surrounded me in 2008, during this trip in summer 2014 it like someone has cleaned up, restored old buildings and gave more colour to the city!

I loved the fact that a new metro station awaited me as I exited the airport.

6 years ago I had to take a sluggish bus to get to Areeiro station and from there, the metro to Rossio in order to reach the centre.

This time I traveled underground with a single change of metro trains... as I exited the station of Rossio, the same area surrounded me as 6 years before. Just that this time it had a "face lift".

We can now reach Rossio by metro all the way from the airport. Although, not directly and it's a very long ride...

Still: Lisbon's metro was as dirty and the rides were just as shaky as 6 years ago... Filthy seats and dense crowds aboard.

Lisbon slapped me with its warmth and bustling atmosphere - as I dragged my wheel bag across Rossio Square, it felt elevating and my curiosity ignited.

Later, as I was walking in Baixa, I observed the place was a lot cleaner and it was full of foreigners. I looked better, cleaner, but squeaky clean...

A profusion of restaurants, bars were open and many were jam-packed with crowds of foreign visitors.

Back then, in September of 2008 (when I stopped over to switch flights), I headed straight for the São Jorge fortress.

Then, the centrally-situated Praça da Figueira (very close to my hotel) was covered with filth, shady creeps were roaming around and barely a few tourists were seen.

6 years ago, Lisbon felt strongly unsafe and I did observe a few shady creeps eye-ing me (or my belongings?). So, I kept looking over my shoulder at times...

But this time it was different and I also had plenty of time to explore Lisbon's main parts.

For example, the alluring old Alfama district was awe-inspiring and felt quite safe as I was exploring, photo hunting on its narrow streets.

Shady creeps were still roaming in the Baixa area, some of whom were selling drugs openly (without any shame, nor fear) in the middle of the street(!). Offering it to travelers, shamelessly.
Nevertheless, Lisbon has retained its wicked urban fauna. Thieves still use the "good-old" technique of "grab and run", so be prepared.

Theft is a serious problem (especially in certain parts of the city). Pickpocketing is frequent especially on the trams, metro and buses, but violent belonging-snatching also occurs.

One thing I would have like to see were the bullocks patrolling the streets. Cleanliness and improved city looks doesn't mean much if the shady creeps and thieves are left roaming around.

Speaking of cleanliness, I should mention that one mustn't confuse patina with filth. Old buildings are supposed to have tarnish. This creates a unique magic.

In the end, this trip turned out to be an amazing escape (my expectations were surpassed by far) and I still miss Lisbon, as I'm writing this, roughly 2 months after the journey.

Unluckily, a few important attractions were undergoing restoration work and I could not visit them (this is one of those annoying things that happen repeatedly when I travel).

What bothered me most was that I had no time to visit the fortress this time (which was the only attraction I was able visit back then, 6 years ago - view article here).

I am wondering... what happened to the thriving feline colony, which guarded the São Jorge Fortress 6 years ago?

How much did Lisbon's panorama (viewed from there) change?

It's fun to analyze the slight changes that cities go through over a certain time frame. Even a single year can bring new elements to the panorama.
6 years would have changed some buildings' colours, would have altered the shapes - bringing a different array of nuances to the panorama.

Although I only had 2 days to spend before my stay at Caparica Beach, I took a deep immersion into Lisbon.

I explored, wandered for long hours and learned more about the intriguing Portuguese capital... and I was left with an insatiable desire to discover even more!

Having visited Spain 6 times so far, and Portugal only once - I felt like the latter would have deserved a deepe immersion and exploration. I love both countries very much.

Lisbon is an intricate warm city and locals are VERY kind. I emphasize the word "very"!

Besides visiting the city's top attractions, I dug deep to discover the street art and I laughed at the funny inscriptions in broken English...

I mustn't omit the fact that Lisbon is an excellent place for eating and drinking - I couldn't give up munching the delicious pasteis de nata again and again...

Jump to the main section of this Lisbon trip, which will reveal access to the pages that pack my stories and photos.

And, also check my return trip (a few more days in Lisbon), which occurred towards the end of this escape.

Comments

comments powered by Disqus