Correios

We hadn't been in Lisbon for long before spotting our first mailbox there (see above) - it wasn't exactly easy to miss it. As it turned out, this model with built in stamp vending wasn't actually the standard. The rest of the weekend we saw a lot more of these somewhat smaller, but still highly recognizable mailboxes (see below).

From Lisbon the world was conquered...

Portugal's past as a proud sea-faring nation is obviously also part of present-day Lisbon and thus we went to Belém - the neighbourhood where all the voyages of discovery in the 15th and 16th century were launched.

In Belém a very beautifully situated monument has been erected which is adorned by Henry the Navigator (the front figure above) and a number of his contemporaries. It also provides the option of going to the top of the monument from where one has a sweeping view of Lisbon, the mouth of the Tejo river and the Atlantic Ocean and not least an overview of the compass mosaic below the monument that dates the years of the Portugeuese discoveries.

And yes, the bridge across the Tejo is inspired by the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

Transportation in Lisbon

By now trams are not so unusual for us - when not riding our bikes we primarily use the trams here in Geneva - but these old wagons in Lisbon were more fun than the modern ones we have here. The very steep and narrow streets they ran up and down were also far more interesting and at times we wondered if the brakes could actually keep the tram from sliding when stopping for a red light.
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Unfortunately we didn't have time to try out Lisbon's furnicular but Lisbon offers a - for us - brand new method to tackle differences in level: an elevator!

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In 1902 they simply built an elevator to make it easy to come from the city centre to the higher laying Bairro Alto neighbourhood. There are wonderful views from the top of the elevator (where there is a café as well) and it is possible to walk via a pedestrian bridge to Bairro Alto without worrying about finding a tram or putting unnecessary wear and tear on one's knees.

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The architect (i.e. Raul Mesnier du Ponsard - for the elevator connaisseurs :-) was a student of Gustave Eiffel, which the construction might bear imprint of. At least, the idea of an elevator in Lisbon is almost as excentric as the idea of a gigantic viewing tower with three elevators in Paris

Ode to Lisbon

Okay, let's admit it: we love Lisbon!

The city is old - in certain places even dilapidated - and modern in a charming blend and there are numerous, quite different neighbourhoods to explore. It is beautifully situated by the Tejo river which is so wide that it seems like an ocean and the climate suits us very well (i.e. sunny in November!). Furthermore, when the cuisine consists primarily of grilled fresh fish and the Portuguese all seem to speak English perfectly, well, then it's hard not to be enthusiastic about the place.

That we also stayed at the absolutely best hostel/hotel we have visited so far only adds to the experience. Lisbon Lounge Hostel is located smack in the middle of the city centre and is very clean and cleverly furnished - and offers great breakfast and very nice employees.

Portugal and Lisbon as well as the Lounge Hostel should all expect to see us again some time in the future.

City of tiles

One of the strong characteristics of Lisbon is the degree of colour and details that marks its' buildings.

The palaces and other public buildings are often plastered and have detailed decorations including e.g. columns, statues and carved stone as we know it from other European cities. But where Lisbon really stands out is in regard to the partiality to cover the façades of apartment buildings with tiles. Painted tiles contain numerous possibilities to differentiate one's house from the neighbour's, and some houses are obviously more tasteful than others, just as some houses and tiles are better preserved than others. But let us share here some examples with you (click on photos for bigger versions).

Segway police officers

On our trip to Lisbon last week we noticed a couple of Segway police officers who were kind enough to slow down for a photo when they noticed we had the camera out. It was the first time we saw this phenomenon, but apparently it's quite common.

Furthermore it was a reminder that we still haven't tried a Segway tour ourselves despite talking about it more than once. For some reason we never did get around to it in Santa Barbara and we haven't seen it offered here in Geneva. Lisbeth has been dreaming of trying it ever since she saw this hilarious episode of Frasier, in which Niles Crane is driving one...

This weekend the trip goes to...

'nuff said!