Two Americans in Lisbon

With thanks to George Gershwin and Gene Kelly for the title of this footprint, I want to share our wonderful morning, the experiences of two Americans in Lisbon. We did not go on any tours. We did not have to plug a QuietVox into our ears. We did not have to be herded onto a bus or through a turnstile.

A lovely breakfast here at the Andaz Hyatt started the day, and then we went shopping, admiring the ancient buildings covered with ceramic tiles. Glenda had a vague notion that she wanted to find a particular kind of saucer they make here, similar to the Portuguese azulejos tiles. So we wandered. Downtown. Through the shops. Across the plazas. Through Lisbon’s Arc of Triumph. And it was wonderful, unhurried, pointless, and wondrous.

Some buildings showed signs of age, but all were stately and dignified, doing exactly what their builders wanted them to do when they were constructed at the end of the nineteenth century. Some had monumental plaques on the front, marking the buildings as a major achievement of some forgotten grandee.

We wandered to the central plaza, the focal point created by the Marques de Pombal after the city was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1755. This was also where Portuguese ships brought in riches from the distant colonies that turned this tiny nation into the world’s foremost superpower.

Only one block from that major plaza, our luxurious hotel room provided a welcome resting place for a midday break. It is easy to fall in love with Lisbon. It is happening to these two Americans even as I write this.Read more