Despite the fact that forecast called for some rain today, we decided to take our chances on a walking tour we'd read about online. We did have rain, wind, and sun while on our three-hour walk with Rafael from Chill Out Lisbon Tours and visitors from all over the globe.
Lisbon is a city of distinct neighborhoods spread on many hills and we were able to see bits of the three that makeup the downtown: the Barrio Alto; the Alfama, and the Baixa. Rafael has a great love for his city, its history, and the nooks and crannies that are the backdrop for real people's lives. His degrees in sociology and economics informed his presentation. Portugal is in dire economic straits, and Rafael's employment as a tour guide with a start-up company, despite his educational background, put a personal face on that.
In addition to its hills, Lisbon has
lots of beautiful squares, cobblestone streets, pavements of patterned
mosaic-like stones, tiled facades, narrow lanes, funiculars, old trolleys, a
modern metro, a castle high on a hill, and a lovely waterfront on the Teja
River. We had just a taste of it all on this mostly cloudy, rather windy,
and only occasionally sunny day -- probably not the best circumstances for
appreciating it all, but we did scratch the surface.
On the way back to our (not-great) apartment, we stopped to pick up some groceries in the basement supermarket of a nearby branch of the Spanish department store chain, El Corte Ingles, then called it a day.
On the way back to our (not-great) apartment, we stopped to pick up some groceries in the basement supermarket of a nearby branch of the Spanish department store chain, El Corte Ingles, then called it a day.
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