Lisbon

June 9-23, 2023

By Hector Gonzalez

July 18^th, 2023

Instead of our regular epic eight-week summer bonanza, we took a more low-key two week trip to Portugal this year. Our first stop was the flea market. Well, actually the first stop was breakfast, but then we explored the flea market, which we obviously enjoyed.

Lisbon is hilly. Really, it is mountainous. But at the top of every peak they have built a plaza with a view, so that's not so bad.

A castle looms over the city. It looks like a child's fantasy of what a castle should look like, but that wasn't bad.

Down by the riverfront we saw a monument to the explorers who set sail from here, and also a model of the first plane to fly from Brazil to Portugal. It's hard to believe that this huge body of water is just a river, but it is.

Our destination was Belem Tower, which played some sort of role in Portugal's imperial phase. I read a book about it but don't remember the details right now.

We stopped by the lovely MAAT Museum. Part of it was in an old factory, and the other part in this futuristic space egg.

Lisbon was leveled by an earthquake in 1755. The city center was rebuilt, but this old church was allowed to stand as it was as a memorial. A bunch of people were crushed to death in here, and it is an eerie memorial in the center of town.