Latin on the Atlantic

Continuing the Latin theme---Portuguese style---I spend a spring break with my friend Alan in Porto and Lisbon. Sadly the memory card for the Porto and much of the Lisbon parts of the trip got damaged and so I can show only the latter part of Lisbon. Arrival here is a comedy of errors too---we're delayed by a rail strike and are booted off the following train which is for de luxe passengers only, but manage to get seats on the next standard train.

But what a wonderful city Lisbon is! The first image shows the Discovery monument, a grandiose 1960 creation on the the banks of the Tejo (Tagus). Whatever injustices were caused in the name of colonialism, I always admire the tenacity of the early Portuguese explorers who divided the New World equally with Spain despite that country being several times the size. The woman in the picture, by the way, was posing for someone else. The tree in the next image stands outside the Hieronymites monastery, showing a glimpse of the extravagant Manueline architecture of the early 1500s.

The up-and-down nature of this port city provides endless views and perspectives. Here is one from the Alta (the high city) looking down to the Baixa. In some quarters there are more steps than streets, so it pays to watch one's footing on the small black-and-white cobblestones. They form attractive patterns but could be slippery in wet weather.

Transport in Lisbon comes in various shapes and sizes. In the Baixa a policeman shepherds a taxi in the path of one of Lisbon's legendary trams. The photographers are standing outside Rossio railway station, an extraordinary mishmash of Moorish and Manueline themes. The antique lift of the same period, around 1900, is as Gothic as they come. As for modern transport, the Metro is efficient and simple to use, while journeys on foot can lead up Avenida Libertadores, as elegant as any Paris boulevard.

The best for last---the old Moorish quarter of Alfama. Although the houses are later, the street plan of twisting alleyways survived the 1755 earthquake. Every so often the streets break out into beautiful "miradouras". As shown on the mural, Alfama is the home of "fado", the melancholy but passionate folk music style. Listen to Mariza and you'll get the flavour.

If ever there was a Moreish trip, this is it.Read more