LISBON Thu. July 4

            Fourth of July – American Independence Day – so soon after reflecting on Columbus setting sail from Andalusia with funding from Isabella and Ferdinand from Seville.

            Lisbon on the Tagus river also recalls glorious days of discoverers and discoveries. Like the other old cities Lisbon counts its history from very early settlement as a trading port, but the huge Monument to the Discoveries recalls the great names. Vasco  de Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and Henry The Navigator  have life  like statues among a heap of others there and recall to my mind fifth and sixth class history books from my primary school.

            These are great names from a great past. In the 15^th- and 16^th Centuries Portugal was a great discovery and colonizing power. I was surprised to see statues of several ‘Viceroys of India’. I had thought these were all British!

            There were statues everywhere of kings and princes of a past history and culture the Portuguese are obviously very proud of.

            The ship docked near the Alfama Quarter of old narrow buildings and labyrinthine streets winding up the hills. As Maria – the guide on our coach – told us these small houses date from a time when people wanted to live within the protection of the city walls: so ‘small’ was in. The port area was pretty rundown and under reconstruction with factories and warehouses being replaced with dwellings. The area had more than its share of graffiti  on old buildings and along the main roads. Again, this suggests ‘what do the young people have to do in these times of economic downturn?’

            All this suggests an old city but these areas largely date from the devastating earthquake of 1754. This earthquake is estimated to have been in the range of 8.4 on the modern scale and was followed by a tsunami and fires. It was a surprise then to drive into the very modern city further inland and to the North, with its modern shopping areas and wide tree lined boulevards. There were tall Office Buildings, modern attractive looking hotels, and lots of parks and gardens.

            One tall statue dominating a large intersection overlooking the city was of the Civil Servant (Prime Minister? Mayor?) largely responsible for the replanning and rebuilding of the city after the earthquake. These people really like their history.

            The bridge across the river is modern and reminds me of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. That is because it was made by the same architect to the same design on request of Lisbon. It is  long and stretches across the wide Tagus River with lots of cars, trucks and buses crossing. Before the bridge people from the other side came across in ferries to get to the city for work or whatever. Now many of them use the bridge and this has made a difference to port activity, and settlement on the North Shore of the city.

            This seems such a weak effort to introduce Lisbon with such a history of discovery, trade and spices. I’m afraid it will have to do as the ship and we move on.