Lisbon, Portugal -- the charm and the mystery

Hola amigo/as!

After returning last night/this morning on a train and spending the afternoon in Salamanca with my good friends from home, Carol Platt and Dylan Keller Benson, I am finally ready to sit down and blog about my wonderful weekend in Lisbon, Portugal with Ms. Aimee Katz.

Three highlights of the trip:
1. 12 mile walk (there/back) from the hostel along the Tagus River to the historical sites of the Monument of Discovery, Belém Tower and Monastery Jerónimos and then rewarded with well deserved nap.

2. Wandering around the Alfama neighborhood, the only remaning area of Lisbon that was not destroyed by the earthquake of 1755.

3. Dinner along the Tagus River -- I ate oven roasted octopus with sweet potatoes -- followed by a traditional Fado performance. Dating back to the 1800s, Fado is a musical genre historically associated with marginalized spheres of society. The melancholic tone of the music often relays themes about love, loss, the sea and the life of the poor. Both the meal and the performance contributed to a greater understanding of Portuguese culture and traditions.

View of Plaza de Comercio and the Tagus River
from the Alfama neighborhood/ Moorish Castle of São Jorge

View of Alfama Neighborhood

Los Jerónimos Monastery built in the 1500s by King Manuel I
in the Manueline architectural style (Portuguese late-gothic)

View of Tagus River during dinner at Alma Lusitana restaurant on last night in Lisbon

I'm not sure if it was the cloudy weather, the time of year or the daze of the language barrier, but Lisbon struck me as a mysterious place. The winding streets were often empty and many of the buildings were vacant or dilapidated. After viewing the monuments to the Portuguese Age of Discovery, it occurred to me that perhaps the infrastructure of colonialism was never really replaced in Portugal and that once the earthquake of 1755 destroyed so much of Lisbon, the city was never fully equipped return to its former glory. Although haunting at times, the city is beautiful and the culture is vibrant and palpable. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Lisbon and consider myself lucky not only to have spent time there but also to have traveled in such great company :)

Hasta pronto, 

Abby