Rowkin Rovings Blog

So Di is still not feeling great and has passed the baton to the apprentice blogger. I have the task today of exploring the east side of Lisbon and figuring things out so that I can act as Di’s tour guide when she feels a little better.

 It is good that we have 4 days here as there will still be time for her to see the main things. Actually, a city stay for 4 days (whilst a bit longer than what most people would do, does provide the opportunity to see things in a little more detail and absorb the cadence of the place better. Bit of a learning, I think.

After a nice experience yesterday with the walking tour I decided to do another one today focusing on the Alfama region.

The Alfama region is the old part of town and the section not totally destroyed like the rest of Lisbon in the earthquake of 1750(ish). It is full of narrow twisty, hilly and confusing lane ways.

Tiled houses give it an Arabic feel. We started at the top of the neighbourhood with the viewpoint (cruise ships are in) and worked our way down.

The tour guide was oddly enough from Iceland. She came for a month and stayed 6 years. She was excellent.

Next, I was onto to figuring out the trams and in particular tram route 28 which is famous for its route through windy tight back streets and infamous for being packed to the gunnels. Both are true.

I have bought a rechargeable transit card (the Lisbon equivalent of a Mykey in Melbourne) as I think we will be using the trams a little more in the coming days.

I got back mid afternoon and got Di out for some fresh air …… and a coffee …….and the Portuguese specialty custard tarts. I think she is on the improve though a custard tart might not be a good choice.

During the walking tours I have been hearing and learning a lot about Portuguese history. There is of course the Golden age of discovery from the 1500s to the 1600s when Portuguese sailers discovered the world and established colonies. More on this on Thursday when we visit Belem the old port area.

The other interesting time is more recent and has a lasting impact today. It’s the period from 1926 to 1974 when Portugal and its colonies was controlled by Europes longest serving dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. I went to the resistance museum to find out more about him.  In short, he was a bad bastard. Lucky, he didn’t team up with other well-known dictators of that period and Portugal did remain neutral in WW2.

Anyhow his regime all started to go sideways in the 1960s both at home and in the colonies (particularly in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea) where colonial/independence wars broke out. Apparently in 1968 Salazar fell backwards off a chair, hit is head and died.

The regime finally toppled in a bloodless coup (tanks in the street stuff) on 25th April, 1974 and democracy was installed. Interesting date (for Australians). So, in a week and a half Portugal will celebrate 50 years since Freedom Day. Big plans and parties are in the works.

Last stop was the viewpoint over the city at night. Lovely!

5380 steps for being out for three hours, so Di would have made her 10,000 if the lurky hadn’t got her.