This city was once the most important port in the whole world, from which the Portuguese, following the exploits of Vasco da Gama and other brave souls, ruled the seas and many exotic places. Today it is a quiet, humble city with its grandeur slowly crumbling away. Yet this mortal, faded beauty is beautiful in itself and it is what makes Lisbon so charming.

The city suffered heavily in 1755 Lisbon earthquake which was so violent that the resulting tsunami even reached the southern coast of England. Much of the city was laid waste to completely. However in the hills, in Bairro Alto and Alfama many ancient buildings still survive and a walk through these old quarters is a fascinating one, every turn revealing something new. A beautiful building decorated in Azulejo which have been produced without interuption for over five centuries or a breathtaking views over the city and the magnificent River Tejo.

All in all Lisbon is a pleasant city and one has to take his or her time to explore it at a slow pace. This is what I managed to see in a couple of days.



1. Praça do Comércio. A large square laid out after 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.



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2. Old trams in Praça do Comércio.




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3. Praça de D. Pedro IV. It is located in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been the setting of popular revolts and celebrations, bullfights and executions, and is now a preferred meeting place of Lisbon natives and tourists alike.



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5. Praça do Município.



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6. Rua Augusta in Baixa, Lisbon and as much of the city it too was built after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. Gottla love the Portuguese pavement.



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7. Elevador de Santa Justa. It connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo. The Santa Justa Lift was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, an engineer born in Porto to French parents, and apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. Construction began in 1900 and was finished in 1902.



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8. Old trades are still alive in Lisbon.



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9. Old tram in Lisbon, I believe these date from 1930s.




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10. Funiculars off the Avenida da Liberdade.



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11. Avenida da Liberdade. A beautiful avenue built in 1879 and 1886. Very wide, cool thanks to all the palm trees. A lovely place indeed.



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12. It must be very hard to walk around hilly city like Lisbon in shoes like that.



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13. Lisbon from Elevador de Santa Justa.



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18. Parque Eduardo VII.



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19. Monument to Portuguese soldiers killed in Africa in 1961–1975.




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20. Monument to the Discoveries. A monument that celebrates the Portuguese who took part in the Age of Discovery. It is located on the estuary of the Tagus river in the Belém district of Lisbon. From here ships departed to their often unknown destinations.



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21. Torre de Belém. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be both part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style.



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22. Ponte 25 de Abril. Built by the same company who built the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.



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23. Cristo-Rei. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and inaugurated on 17 May 1959.



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24. Belém Cultural Centre.



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25. Jerónimos Monastery. The house for the Hieronymite monks was built on the same site of the Ermida do Restelo, a hermitage that was founded by Henry the Navigator at about 1450. It was at this hermitage, that was already in disrepair, that Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing for India in 1497. The existing structure was started on the orders of Manuel I (1515–1521) to commemorate Vasco da Gama's successful return from India. It was originally meant as a church for the burial of the House of Aviz, but it also became a house of prayer for seamen leaving or entering port.



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28. Tomb of Vasco da Gama.



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29. Did I ever tell you that I love palm trees? No? Well I do. These beauties are in Jardim Botanico not far from Jerónimos Monastery.



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32. Argentina 0-4 Germany. Young Germans celebrate their victory. Well done!



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33. Views from Castelo de São Jorge.




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34. It says 'Kekse' on the wall on the left I know what the word means in Lithuanian, but what about Portuguese?



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37. Aqueduto das Águas Livres or Águas Livres Aqueduct as seen from a landing plane.



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38. I believe this is Costa de Caparica on the other side of the river and right on the coast of the Atlantic.



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39. Alfama.



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41. Nice tan girls!



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42. Its early morning and already it is above 25 degrees C.



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43. I really love Portuguese pavements.



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51. View from somewhere in Bairro Alto with Lisbon Cathedral in the background.



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54. Gare do Oriente. Designed by Calatrava and finished in 1998 for the Expo'98 world's fair in Parque das Nações, where it is located.




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55. Parque das Nações. The area underwent a tremendous transformation in the 1990s when it was chosen as the location for the Expo '98 World Exhibition. The Portuguese still refer to the area as Expo.



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57. Vasco da Gama Tower and Vasco da Gama bridge in the background.



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58. This is what the bridge looks like from above, it is massive!



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