The American ventured across the pond to the European continent’s gateway city, Lisbon, Portugal, for my birthday.
Lisbon is unrivaled, with an authentic blend of artistic tiles along many of the city’s buildings and the coast’s natural beauty is striking.
There is a stellar aerial view when a plane meets the Portuguese coastline. There is a 50/50 chance of seeing the ethereal sight of the Christ the King statue, inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue.
The city merges a venerable history as Europe’s second oldest capital and is complemented by modern structures including the European Union’s longest bridge. Lisbon is home to the world’s oldest bookstore, Livraria Bertrand.
“If Lisbon and Portugal were a person in a group, with other southern European countries, it would be the quiet one listening to slow music,” said Sergio Perreira, a Portuguese native, who aptly described the city’s tranquil ambiance.
The navigable centralized Portuguese capital is a maritime city with a population of about 3 million, which is about the size of the Minneapolis metro area.
Arriving is a breeze with a reasonable two euro, 20-minute clean and comfortable underground transit from the airport into the city. A majority of Portuguese people speak fairly fluent English.
Portugal’s story is complex
One of Europe’s longest reigning empires was the Portuguese Empire. Portugal once held Brazil, the largest piece of land to become a single country after Canada. Today Brazilians comprise about 211,000 of Portugal’s 10 million person population. It is evident in street performances and music that there is much cultural exchange and migration between the two countries.
A fascinating observation became apparent on my first day. There are substantial similarities between Lisbon and San Francisco.
I first noticed when the hills of Lisbon’s streets would abruptly get extremely steep.
During a 1755 earthquake, 85% of Lisbon’s buildings were destroyed, and in 1906 an earthquake destroyed more than 80% of San Francisco’s. The cities are built on seven hills, and both have the iconic city symbols of cable cars to deal with the steep hills.
Both cities also have impressive massive dark red suspension bridges gracing their skylines facing mammoth oceans.
A notorious colonial power for more than six centuries, Portugal is comparable to the much larger and more populated empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain. Portugal ruled over parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America.
I was curious about how diverse Portuguese culture is when visiting the presidential residence of Palácio Nacional de Belémother.
Despite Black Portuguese people making up less than 2% of the country’s population, within the national sport of soccer, don’t be surprised to see a quarter of a team’s players being Black.
There have been four Black representatives since Portugal became a republic in 1974, with the most recent being elected in 2019.
The city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. iVisa ranked Lisbon the happiest city in 2022.
Lisbon has a range of interests that not many cities can match, including endless preserved history through museums, galleries, and the streets with beach activities. Castles and palaces still dot several city corners.
The atmosphere is unique with seafood serving as a staple that is accompanied with nostalgia driven Fado music complimenting sunsets and an exciting nightlife in Bairro Alto.
A must-eat:
Pastéis de Belém is a to-die-for pastry; a crunchy, sweet, rich mixture of custard, egg and sugar.
Must-sees:
Visually, the city hosts some of the finest architecture the world can offer.
Notable mentions: Belém Tower, Sintra Palácios, Praça do Comércio, and Jerónimos Monastery.
