Travelogue – Andrew Bone

Portugal 2024

Day 1: Wednesday 18 December 2024

Zurich Airport – Lisboa

Praca di Comércio with a splendid Christmas Tree, which is not a tree at all, but a conic lattice of branches and lights, which you can walk inside. This is also the location of the Royal Palace up till the last king was assassinated in this square in 1908.

Tram leaving the Praça do Comércio. The tram network seems quite extensive and regular, with a mix of old and new trams. There is also a very popular road train, of the type we have in Lugano.

A shop entirely dedicated to sardines. There is an extensive chain of these sardine shops in every town.

A street with tiled façades. After the earthquake of 1755, the town was hastily rebuilt on a military design, with uniform heights of buildings aligned shoulder to shoulder like good little troops.

The famous Elevador de Santa Justa. This turn of last century metallic structure was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and transports locals and tourists to a high gallery with spectacular views and access to the higher streets to the west.

Christmas market in Rossio, Lisbon. With Christmas just a week away in this strongly Catholic country, people are out thronging the markets and brightly decorated streets. The line of trees in the background boast a colour cacophony of birds which change colour simultaneously.

Travel Diary

After a comfortable train ride to Zurich, and flight Lisboa, we arrive at the hotel by Metro mid-afternoon.

We take the 7.30 a.m. train to Zurich, to arrive as recommended, but unnecessarily early at 9:44 in Zurich Flughafen. Our Swiss flight boards at 12, but leaves only at 13.00. It is packed to the rafters, so we allow them to take our two cabin bags into the hold, free of charge. Good technique!

We buy three Lisboa Cards, for transport and museum entrances for the three of us starting tomorrow. Then we take the efficient and eventually crowded metro to the first interconnection stop, Alameda, where our hotel is. There is a great variety of people: black, Asian, swarthy European, and not really the short species of Portuguese the history books refer to.

The hotel staff are very pleasant, if the room a bit so-so. We find we can´t get Cindy´s suitcase open, locked with a 3-number combination. The concierge shows us a trick with the button, and solution found.

We quickly settle in, then take the metro again to downtown Lisboa – the Baixa, which is the lowest part, and a matrix of parallel roads boasting uniform-height buildings. We are careful not to slip on the paving stones which are black and white, and slippery from a brief rain shower. It is cool but not too cold to eat at an outside restaurant, a fish and grill restaurant, outside on the wide boulevard, rua Augusta. Andrew chooses a bacalhau with cream and Cindy, the cuttlefish, which is so tough. The waiter loves that we can say a few things in Portuguese, although his English is flawless.

We find a vibrant, beautiful city! The nightlife isn’t concentrated only on the main pedestrian streets. We even managed to get on an iconic Tram 28.

Eventually after exploring we go back to our room and try to stay awake for Sean’s arrival by taxi at near midnight.