Lisbon - March 2013

I first visited Lisbon in 2008, a city trip with a friend. We decided to go there because so many of our friends went to Barcelona and we wanted to do something else. I think it was a good idea, I loved Lisbon right away and we had a great time. Now, five years later, work brought me back there for a few days and as always I tried to find some hours to walk around, usually all on my own, just enjoying the feeling of being thrown into a city, experiencing it without any plans or the help of a guidebook.

 

We stayed in a very luxurious hotel outside the city centre, and my room was on the 16th floor. The view in the evening was quite impressive. 

 

Lisbon has changed since 2008, the crisis has hit Portugal hard, and it shows. It makes me sad to see all the beautiful buildings in such a bad state, the closed shops, so many people begging on the streets. But Lisbon in spring is still stunning, especially when coming from a very cold wintery March in Switzerland. I really enjoyed being there again, walking through the streets with their mosaic pavement, climbing the hills, drinking port wine and eating delicious fish. I love exploring the narrow alleys in the Alfama quarter and sitting in one of the nice cafés having coffee and Pasteis de nata.

 

  

On the last evening of our conference, we had dinner at an old palace, and there was a really cool band called "Impossibly Funky" playing for us. The singer is absolutely great, and I couldn't stop taking pictures of her, hoping to catch some of her charisma.

One of my favourite places in Lisbon (no secret place though, all the tourists are brought up there, too) is the viewpoint Miradouro Santa Luzia. In march and with grey weather it's not the same as I remember it from our sunny September visit in 2008, but nonetheless I enjoyed the view over the river Tejo.

Five years ago, on our very first day in Lisbon, we went up the Elevador de Santa Justa to see the city from above, a fantastic start. This time, I enjoyed the wonderful view on my last evening in Lisbon, and the illuminated city at night is just as amazing a view as in bright daylight.

 I'll be back, Lisbon. Hopefully in better times than these.