|
These are few more immediately likeable capitals than
LISBON
(Lisboa). A lively and varied place, it remains in some ways curiously provincial, rooted as much in the 1920s as the 2000s. Pre-World War I wooden trams clank up outrageous gradients, past mosaic pavements and Art Nouveau cafes, and the medieval, village-like quarter of
Alfama
which hangs below the city's
SEo Jorge
castle. Modern Lisbon, with a population of just over 3 million, has kept an easy-going, human pace and scale, with little of the underlying violence of most cities and ports of its size. It also boasts a vibrant, cosmopolitan identity, with large communities of ex-colony Brazilians, Africans (from Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde) and Asians (from Macao, Goa and East Timor). Many came over to work on two major urban development projects in the Nineties: the preparations for the
European City of Culture
in 1994 and the
Expo 98
. Lisbon invested heavily in these ventures and the rejuvenation of the city with new road, hotel, metro and bridge schemes. Disused dockland has been reclaimed and communication links improved with several showcase pieces of architecture and engineering like Santiago Calatrava's impressive Gare de Oriente and his sleek fourteen kilometre-long
Vasco de Gama
bridge which links Lisbon airport to a network of national motorways. The focus is still firmly on the future with Portugal's successful bid to stage the
European Football Championship
in 2004, an event which will again turn the world's attention on the Portuguese capital.
The
Great Earthquake
of 1755 (followed by a tidal wave and fire) destroyed most of the city's big buildings and twenty years of frantic reconstruction led to many impressive new palaces and churches and the street grid pattern spanning the seven hills of Lisbon. Several buildings from Portugal's golden age survived the quake - notably the
Torre de Belem
, the
Castelo de SEo Jorge
and the
Monastery of JerEnimos
at Belem. Many of the city's more modern sites also demand attention: the
FundaA§Eo Calouste Gulbenkian
, a museum and cultural complex with superb collections of ancient and modern art and the futuristic
Oceanarium
at the Parque das NaA§Aµes, the largest of its kind in Europe. Half an hour south of Lisbon dunes stretch along the
Costa da Caparica
and twenty kilometres north you'll pass the coastal resorts of
Estoril
and
Cascais
before reaching the lush wooded heights and royal palaces of
Sintra
and the monastery of
Mafra
, one of the most extraordinary buildings in the country.
|
