Lisbon

Lisbon was on my destination list from the moment I arrived in London. I was just waiting for the right time to visit, and the story of how I got there is slightly unusual. British Airways cabin crew were threatening to strike in late January this year. The strike was averted at the eleventh hour, but not before thousands of travellers had changed their travel plans. Suddenly the airline found itself flying near-empty planes, and needed to sell a lot of seats fast! I read about the impromptu sale on Wednesday afternoon. Two days (and only £78) later, I was in Lisbon.

Lisbon reminds me of Madrid, but less glitzy, rougher-edged, a little more run-down, and perhaps a little poorer. That's not to say I didn't like Lisbon; in fact, I loved it. I stayed on the edge of Bairro Alto, which literally translates to "upper town". The Santa Justa elevator, now a tourist attraction, was constructed to assist people to from the low town to the high town. Lisbon was flattened by a massive earthquake in 1755, one of the largest to strike a major city up to that time. The ruins of the Carmo Convent, located adjacent to elevator, are an enduring visual memory of the earthquake's effect.

The Bairro, as it's known, was mostly unaffected by the earthquake, so this part of Lisbon is much older than the surrounding town. When wandering through the Bairro, you could be easily forgiven for thinking you'd gotten lost in Madrid's Chueca, as both districts look very similar. And even though it was mid-winter when I visited, the streets were filled with young people congregating outside bars drinking into the wee hours of the morning.

Lisbon's most significant cultural attraction is the Belém region, located to the west of the city centre. Here I visited the World Heritage listed Jerónimos Monastery and the Church of Santa Maria. The great explorer Vasco da Gama is buried in the cathedral. Nearby, one can visit Belém Tower which was constructed in the early 16th century to commemorate de Gama's expedition and the Age of Discoveries when Portugal, by commanding the seas, was a major world power. The Monument to the Discoveries commemorates this period. It was constructed using temporary materials for the 1940 Portugese World Fair, and then later rebuilt as the permanement monument that exists today. The monument offers a commanding birds-eye view of all of Belém, including the modern cultural centre, incorporating an art gallery and exhibition space.

There are two architectural curiosities in Lisbon that look like they were stolen from another city, much like the way one can plonk notable buildings into different cities in Sim City. The 25th of April bridge, named for the 1974 date of the Carnation Revolution, is an impressive sight up close and from afar, as it spans the bay with a single suspension arch. It also looks a helluva lot like San Francisco's Bay Bridge (which in turn is often mistaken for the Golden Gate Bridge). That's because both bridges were constructed by the same firm, the American Bridge Company.

Adjacent to the bridge's southern span is a steep hill, perched on which you'll find a giant statue of Jesus Christ, arms abreast, and eerily similar to Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Cristo-Rei, as the monument is known, was built following World War II, in thanks to God for sparing Portugal from the horrors that befell most of Europe. My trip to Cristo-Rei was my favourite memory of Lisbon. The sun was shining, the temperature was close to 20 degrees, and the view from the hilltop, and the monument, was sensational.

All of my photographs from Lisbon are on Flickr, and can be viewed in a slideshow.