We visited the tower of Belem, saw the monument to Henry the Navigator and all the other explorers of the discovery age then toured the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, Alfama. This is the most picturesque place I have ever seen with tiny, narrow up hill winding streets. The buildings are ancient going back to the 1700’s, when this area was devastated by an earthquake leaving only two original buildings. But they rebuilt again in the same location. I am fascinated with the beauty of ancient architecture especially when I consider the tools they worked with to make these buildings a work of art. Here in Lisbon many of the old buildings are faced with beautiful tile work.
Avenida de Liberdad is a beautiful wide street with a park running through the middle of it. In the parks are small garden restaurants, lovely place for a meal or just a glass of wine.
Lisbon is a lovely city and many parts are quite modern. But they are plagued with horrible traffic and rising rents to the point that families have had to move out of the inner city to areas out side of Lisbon and commute to work increasing the traffic situation. While tourism fuels much of the economy it has driven prices up beyond what the locals salaries can handle.
I loved Lisbon, next chapter Seville.
Zihuatanejo 