Another Ramble in Lisbon

There’s a lot for a wanderer to notice in Lisbon, and more each time I visit. Herewith, a selection from my most recent time in the hilly city.

This elaborate building sits alongside King Edward VII Park (yes, the English one) with its beautiful azulejo inserts representing different regions of the country. When it was built in 1922, though, it was sitting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where it was built as Portugal’s pavilion at a World’s Fair. Carried back to Lisbon, it serves now as an event venue. The Park, though large, has always seemed boring, notable only for its view down to the water.

Tiled facades are still common on many older houses, although sadly disappearing, partly through theft of older tiles, the cost of new ones, and renovators who want to seem more ‘modern.’

Not all of the older facades, of course are in tile. Built in 1905 when Banco Totta merged with the Bank of Lisbon and Azores, it mixes classic revival and Portuguese Manueline styles. It’s now part of Spain’s ever-expanding Bank Santander. Below, a different sort of facade: the ancient Jeronimos Monastery hidden behind scaffolding.

Which takes us to Belem, where the monastery is located, and traditional home to Portugal’s exploring and merchant fleets, marked by the Discovery Monument at the waterfront. Not all those depicted look especially happy about the prospect—in fact some look mutinous!

A variety of small ferries and tour boats offer rides between Belem and the downtown Baixa area, but that airplane is strictly for show. It’s a monument to two Portuguese aviators who in 1922 made the first air crossing of the South Atlantic.

At the Praca do Comercio, a grand arch marks the way into Baixa, the flattest part of Lisbon, and the traditional seat of its government and commercial powers. On a wall nearby, a reminder of Portugal’s imperial past. The Banco Nacional Ultramarino was created in 1864 to centralize Portuguese financial interests in Brazil, Macau, Angola, Guinea, Congo, the East Indies, Sao Tome, and many more. Today, a remnant operates under Chinese ownership in Macau, but the original bank in Portugal is no more.

You don’t have to walk far from the Baixa waterfront for reminders of how steep the city is in every direction….

In fact, a peculiarity of its topography results in what might be thought of as an upside-down railroad station at Rossio, below. You enter the station through the lovely arches and then take escalators up four floors—yes, to a level above the visible building—to find the trains. And, when the trains leave the station, it’s through a tunnel in the even higher hill behind the station!

Of course, that’s not Lisbon’s only ‘altitude adjustment.’ Not too far from Rossio, there’s the Santa Justa elevator, which, once you’ve climbed a bunch of steps to get to it, can lift you to the top, where a walkway connects to the Largo do Carmo, a square on the uphill side, and the Carmo Archaeological Museum. Unfortunately, the elevator was out of service, and we had to wind our way to the top. Those in the know can also find a partial solution using an elevator in a shopping center parking garage…

Once you’re up, there are views in several directions, including toward Castel Sao Jorge on the hilltop, and out toward the river, with the cathedral visible at right.

If you get tired of walking up and down all those hills, there’s always a tuk-tuk or two ready to offer you a somewhat pricy ride. They’ve become so popular that some are now manufactured in Portugal, although most are from India.

Lisbon’s architecture is very varied, not only because of differences over time, but because nearly every international or classic style has found proponents here, sometimes in flamboyant versions. The Art Deco Eden Theatre, third picture, is now residential, its grand auditorium gone.

Here’s an almost-never: Lisbon’s iconic Eletricto 28, with everyone seated. It’s a cross-town tram route that begins in the ancient Alfama district and draws long lines of people waiting to board and is usually so crowded that few stay on for the whole ride and locals complain that tourists are making their commute difficult.