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Lisbon - Center |
Other opinions
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As tourism fills the city, its interior is getting closer, taking advantage of its better lodging conditions, and good transport network. Avenidas Novas, extending to Campo Pequeno, Areeiro and Alvalade, are mainly a residential area, with open avenues, modern construction, and a few good details to visit. Arroios and Penha de França are transition quarters, here and there matching the traditional image of the old typical neighborhoods, mixed with some development from the 20th century. Arroios may be seen walking from Baixa. |
Saldanha, Campo Pequeno, Campo Grande, Areeiro, are strong references in a area dominated by the university, and where the top attraction is Gulbenkian Museum.
To discover the real actual Lisbon this is a nice area to stay, easily reaching Baixa, and the scattered attractions of town.
To discover the real actual Lisbon this is a nice area to stay, easily reaching Baixa, and the scattered attractions of town.
New avenues - Museu Gulbenkian
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For sure the richest art art collection in Portugal, this modern museum is a must see. Located in a large and new building near Praça de Espanha, it displays treasures from almost all the world. Outside, the statue of Calouste Gulbenkian and a nice garden receive the visitors. Address: Av. Berna 45A, 1067-001 Lisboa Phone: +351 21 782 3000 Website: http://www.museu.gulbenkian.pt/mainb.asp?size=sup&lang=en |
Camões
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Luís de Camões is the main cultural reference to Portuguese readers. All across Portugal and old colonies you can find monuments celebrating the writer of Lusíadas and more. A high school (where I studied 3 years) gets his name, and in the frontal garden a discreet monument is… just one more. Well, not outstanding nor remarkable, but… just one more, evidencing that the school is the real celebration. |
Odd Buildings
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A large building now used for military purposes, is something I can't qualify. It seems a fort, but it is only a palace with a style that... style? Well, just have a look and make no questions, because I don't know the answers, unless that it belonged to a rich man named Vasco Eugenio de Almeida, also known as count Vill'alva, that lived using his fortune... and doing things while he could. He died in 1975, the palace was there... the army needed space... the walls were strong... you know! |
Praça de Espanha
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Dominated by the beautiful palace of the Spanish Embassy, this square, abandoned for a long time, became an important centre to travel in and around Lisbon.
Most of the buses to cross the river and to the coast, depart from there. Furthermore, it's at walking distance from Campo Pequeno and the top of Eduardo VII park, with Gulbenkian Museum and Lisbon's mosque in each way. In the centre of the square, an arch belonging to the old aqueduct of "Águas Livres" and that has been dismantled to enlarge one street, is out of context but embellishing the square. |
Entrecampos square
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"My" monument
A little far from the touristy area, in modern Lisboa, stands my favorite monument: It is the "Monumento aos Mortos da Guerra Peninsular", which means the dead fighting the French invasions of Napoleon's soldiers. It's a medium size monument, but so harmonious, so expressive, so perfect, that each time I see it I find it even better than before. It is in the square of Entrecampos, the meeting point of Av. da Republica, Campo Grande, Av. Estados Unidos and 1st May Av. 
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Republica avenue
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When I was born, Lisbon had a marvelous avenue, wit splendid buildings from the beginning of the twentieth century. The pressure to build in highness led to the infamous decision of... demolishing them, to replace by uncharacteristic concrete and glass blocks. No one was arrested, nor even publicly condemned, but the result is there. Anyway, by miracle, a couple of buildings escaped, and are now protected. They may pass unnoticed, because they are small, but, if you cross this large avenue, pay attention: here and there something deserves your look and helps to imagine how it was! |
Campo Pequeno
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The old bullring in Lisbon was completely renewed, being today a shopping mall and a large show business center. Bullfights still take place there, but... it has much more, carefully preserving the old architecture, and giving daily life to a structure that was only used a dozen times each year. 
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Bulfights
No... I don't like bullfights, and it seems that, gradually, more people "join the team", decreasing the frequency of this kind of shows. However, they do happen, and it's there, usually on Thursday night, in spring and summer. The crisis made them invest in another kind of shows, and Campo Pequeno is, today, a large concert room where big productions (with or without bulls) may take place in a modern shopping mall. So, it's easy and advisable to check scheduling.
Praça de Londres
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London square at the southern end of Roma avenue, marks the limits of the so called "Avenidas Novas", the new quarters of Lisbon. With the typical structure and look of the mid of last century, it is a lively place, dominated by the modern and large church of S. João de Deus. In the small garden, a statue of Guerra Junqueiro, a famous writer. |
The Second Ugliest Monument
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Celebrating the memory of Sá-Carneiro, a prime minister killed in a plane crash a few years after the revolution of 74, the beautiful square of Areeiro was the place for an ugly monument.
Most people criticize it, some considering it offensive to the memory of Sá-Carneiro. A small face in the stone pedestal, and a mass of tin trash atop of it, challenge the champion of bad taste: the monument by Cutileiro, to the celebrate the 25th April in Parque Eduardo VII. 
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Fonte Luminosa
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One of the most typical works during the dictatorship of "Estado Novo" was a large alley, with the interesting building of the Instituto Superior Técnico in one top, and a large fountain sustaining a garden in the other. The harmony of the ensemble is regularly being broken with massive works, that last for... an eternity. Political retaliation? |
António José de Almeida
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The sixth President of the first Portuguese Republic (and the only one that could exercise his mandate to the end) has a simple statue in the square with his name, in the back of Instituto Superior Técnico and near "Casa da Moeda".
Built in the beginning of the dictatorship, in 1937, and conceived by one of the masters in sculpture of the regime, it enhances the relative smallness of the politician when compared with the Republic, figured at his back with the official image. |
Coretos (Band Stands)
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Remains of the romantic days, a few band stands may still be seen in Lisbon. Graffiti are a common menace, but people generally look at them with sympathy and some nostalgia. Though turned useless, they keep being the key element in a few small gardens of Lisbon, like in Pr. José Fontana, facing Camões high school. |
Campo Mártires da Pátria
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Each town has its touristy places where visitors dispute each view and detail, and the inner places “reserved” for locals, where tourists only go when… lost. This is one of those places, but a charming one: beautiful buildings surrounding the garden, calm, tranquility, history, tradition, not far from the centre… It's not difficult to get lost that far... |
Religion and beliefs
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Portuguese are traditionally catholics, tradition that is fading, mainly in the big cities. Here and there religion is mixed with popular beliefs with stronger manifestations than the official religion. A medical doctor from the second half of the 19th century, Sousa Martins, dedicated his life fighting tuberculosis, with such empathy with his patients, that someone started saying that he made miracles. More than one hundred years after his death, people keeps praying for his help, and thanking him for the cure. The base of his statue, in front of a medical school, is covered with hundreds of stones celebrating his "miracles" and there is always an old lady bringing flowers or praying. A touching scene of the unknown Lisbon!
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You're Lost
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If you find yourself near the statue of Fernão de Magalhães, then you are in Praça do Chile, which means that, probably... you're lost.
Not because the place has something against it, but because it is out of the regular tourist circuits, though being visited by many locals, in search of the popular items and prices of the nearby commerce. Well, since you are there, don't panic, there's no reason for that. If it is lunch time, good, you have Portugalia a few meters south, in Av. Almirante Reis. If not, and you don't mind shopping, just look around. If you are really lost and only want to leave, you have the Metro, or, why not, walk a little to the north and find Alameda, Areeiro, João XXI (remember, Pote - MY all time restaurant), Av Roma, Campo Pequeno... Wow! How I love to get lost sometimes! |
Alto de S. João
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Some cemeteries are famous, attracting visitors from all the world. Some other... don't. Alto de S. João is the biggest cemetery in Lisbon, and though not being a local attraction, it always impresses me by its entrance - the mausoleums of the Viscount of Valmor, and "Misericórdia de Lisboa" are a great tribute to art. |