Lisbon — Part 2 — The Neighborhoods To Explore
As I mentioned in my last Lisbon post, my daughter & I toured Lisbon via the train, by walking & on a TukTuk.
As we toured the streets by walking or by TukTuk, the neighborhoods blended together since we were admiring the architecture, embedded tiles, and the views on each street we turned down.
When you visit Lisbon, just like other cities, each neighborhood has a name & personality. Our TukTuk driver shared the history of each neighborhood as we passed through and explored.
Baixa -Chiado...
This is Lisbon’s 2000-year-old downtown area, sometimes referred to as the ‘Baixa Pombalina’ in reference to the man responsible for its elegant architecture and streamlined design. …We learned about how Lisbon suffered a devastating earthquake, killing as many as 50,000 people, on November 1, 1755. A fire started as a result of the earthquake and then a short while after the earthquake, an enormous tsunami wave engulfed the harbour and downtown, rushing up the Tagus river. The area between Junqueria and Alcantara in the western part of the city was the most heavily damaged by the wave, but further destruction occurred upstream. Today’s city was virtually rebuilt from scratch after this destruction.
All the historical and cultural layers of Lisbon overlap in these two neighborhoods. We happily strolled through the rebuilt Baixa & the hilly Chiado and with its picturesque squares, and the wavy black-and-white patterns of calçada Portuguesa (Portuguese pavement tiles) in Rossio.
To fully see the contrast between these neighborhoods, head to the viewpoint at the top of Arco da Rua Augusta.
In this area you can also explore the Baixa’s main street, and find old traditional stores coexisting with restaurants. The area of Rossio has large plazas and statues. There are old-town historical cafes like A Brasileira and Pastelaria Bernard when you want a break from the shops at Rua Garrett.
We saw that this neighborhood was filled with hotels, hostels, cafes, restaurants and shops. We had direct access to two Metro lines (Blue and Green), the urban train to Sintra, buses and trams. I have to thank our TukTuk driver for giving us such a complete tour of the neighborhoods so when we started to walk around again we felt we knew exactly where we were & where we needed to go next.
Alfama Mouraria and Alfama
The neighborhood of Mouraria has narrow streets flanked by stores & traditional restaurants, and locals speaking dozens of languages. In Alfama, you’ll find sunlit terraces, terracotta rooftops and famous lookouts.
These two neighborhoods are the oldest in Lisbon and the heart of the city. We were able to explore the Museo do Teatro Romano (unearthed ruins of the ancient Roman theater of the city of Olisipo) as well as…
We entered the Castelo de Sao Jorge & took our time to explore the majesty of the views & the history of this location. São Jorge Castle is a historic castle located in the freguesia of Santa Maria Maior.
Human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC while the first fortifications built date from the 1st century BC.
From Se de Lisboa to Museu do Aljubeand Panteo Nacional we explored cobblestoned streets, up and down the hills, getting lost amid tiled buildings, interior courtyards and pieces of Lisbon’s medieval walls.
When you explore these areas on foot you will discover art on the walls…
and on the doors…
Some history about Alfama…As far back as the 5th century, Alfama was inhabited by the Visigoths, and remnants of a Visigothic town wall remain. But it was the Moors who gave the district its shape and atmosphere. In Moorish times this was an upper-class residential area. After earthquakes brought down many of its mansions (and post-Moorish churches) it reverted to a working-class, fisher-folk quarter. It was one of the few districts to ride out the 1755 earthquake.
Another area to explore —
Madragoa and Santos
Madragoa and Santos are usually bundled together as one neighborhood. Lisbon has a variety of museums to visit to include the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga as well as churches…
Belém.
We viewed Belem from our TukTuk with our driver sharing the history & tales of families in this historic area.
A former royal residence, Belém (Bethlehem) is known for its Manueline (early 16th-century) architecture, notably the Jerónimos monastery, founded by Manuel I in 1499 in honour of the explorer Vasco da Gama’s discovery of a sea route to India, and the white Tower of Belém, built in 1515–21 to protect the entrance of Lisbon.
Belem has sprawling gardens, expansive riverside squares that include parks and neighborhoods to most definitely explore.
and monuments honoring the seafaring voyagers of the 15th century.
Near these locations are food carts to allow you to enjoy Pina Coladas in pineapples to other treats.
Since we had a short time here, we viewed many of these locations from afar & decided not to enter. If you have more time, you can visit & explore the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Padrao dos Descobrimentors and Torre de Belem including a pit stop at Pasteis de Belem for the famous custard tart — best eaten straight-from-the-oven, warm and sprinkled with cinnamon. The story about the secret recipe will be shared in another post. This story involves mystery, money & scandal…
This neighborhood has a variety of street art.
More to come on what we saw in Lisbon, Sintra & Cascais… Click follow above so you can travel along with us…If you would like to email me, you can reach me at jcoopertravels@gmail.com
