#82 Small trams and a big earthquake

28th February 2022: Lisbon

F. When looking for a parking space, you can sometimes make a really big mistake - but not on this evening. We found a large free parking space on the hill in Cacilhas and had a view of Lisbon across the Tagus River.

The next day we took the ferry, which docked at the foot of the hill, directly to the city center of Lisbon. Since the information we obtained at the tourist information office did not really satisfy us, we spontaneously decided to join a free walking tour. At 10:50 a.m., we booked our spot for the 11 a.m. tour. We ran to the central square in Lisbon, Praca do Comercio, where our tour started.

We walked through the many small streets and alleyways of the neighborhoods Baixa, Alfama, Graça, Martim Moniz and Mouraria. There was once again a wealth of information about the history and development of the city. In summary: Lisbon became very rich through trade with the New World and was completely destroyed by a very strong earthquake in 1755. After that, only the important buildings were rebuilt or space was created for new buildings. In any case, there is no one big highlight in Lisbon that all tourists go to see, but Lisbon is about the special atmosphere. To really get to know this, you probably have to spend a longer time here. We contented ourselves with trying the local cherry schnapps served in chocolate cups (highly recommended) and taking more walks through the hilly city.

Another "must-see" in the city are the small yellow trams from the early 20th century that still transport people through the city. As luck would have it, we took a longer route with one of them. Because we missed the train to Belém, as trains in Lisbon drive on the left side of the tracks and we were standing on the wrong platform, we decided to switch to the tram. By chance, an old model came instead of a new one. Both models operate on the same routes and it is not apparent from the schedule which model will come next. This naturally leads to the old models being completely overcrowded, as they have a much lower capacity. Apart from that, we really enjoyed our stay in Lisbon.

Day 136 - Total Tour 8,912 km

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