Five Days around Lisbon. Part 1

For a quick November getaway, we met our friends Chi and Ryan in Lisbon.  [This is part 1 of the Lisbon chronicle. Click here to see Part 2]  We stayed together in a small, well-appointed "serviced apartment" called Lisbon Colours, on Traversa da Queimada.  It turns out this is pretty much the center of all-night partying in Lisbon, with live bands playing in several clubs within a stone's throw of our windows.  The narrow, cobblestone streets are pedestrian-only, except for a few taxis and delivery trucks, so groups of smokers and drinkers stand around talking just outside the doors of restaurants and bars.  The people weren't so noisy, but some of those live bands' drummers send sound through solid stone walls!  Overall, it wasn't too bad, thanks to the double-paned windows and shutters.

Lisbon Party-Central, morning edition.

We took a walk around town the first day.  The main attraction in town is the old fortress, fittingly situated on the highest point in town, overlooking the river.  It just so happened that our visit took place in November.  November is the rainiest month of the year in Lisbon, so there were a lot of gray skies.  

Looking down from the castle hill, across the rooftops to the river.

Walking through the streets near the castle, this cat came along and jumped onto the top of this old door.

Lisbon, or Lisboa, or Lisbonne, as it's known in various languages, is famous for its blue tile.   he blue tiles are known as "azulejos".  Azul is blue in Spanish, and I Portuguese too I'm guessing!  Everywhere we went, we saw hand-crafted tile decorations on the buildings. Here are a couple of the more elaborate pieces.

Someone said this all came about after a huge earthquake in 1755 that destroyed the center of town.  As Lisbon was rebuilt, tiles became the most popular way to decorate the new buildings.  This huge tile mosaic is a view of the city from the opposite side of the river.

In this closer view of the mosaic above, a large steel ship with big smokestacks dominates the river, while a fisherman and sailor look on from their boats.  

The elaborately carved tower below was the gatehouse at the mouth of the river where ships entered Lisbon.  It had rows of cannons on a lower floor.  They said the cannons were so low to the water that they more than doubled their range by skipping the cannonballs across the water!  

Another theme around Lisbon is graffiti.  Yes, there is some of the usual ugly graffiti, but there is also a lot of art.  In this public parking garage, the city held a contest to find the best artists to bring the interior walls to life.  Each artist got a whole floor of the garage to work with.  These were by my favorite artist.

On the way back to our apartment that night.  Wet pavements and colored lights are always nice.   

This article is Lisbon, Part 1.  Click here to see Lisbon Part 2, including Sintra palaces and Cabo da Roca ocean views.

I Am Charlie Hebdo

We just came back from the absolutely massive rally in support of Charlie Hebdo and freedom of speech here in Paris.  "Hebdo" is short for hebdomodaire, that is to say, weekly, since it is a weekly newpaper.  It was named after Charlie Brown many decades ago when they used to carry that comic strip.  It's sort of an institution here, that a lot of people read, especially in high school.
The streets were completely full of people in all directions for many blocks.  The view down each of the cross streets was just as mobbed and the crowds were still pouring in.

The center of the demonstration was the Place de La Republique, with a huge statue of Liberty in the center.  Despite the huge number of people, it was very quiet at first.  Then, there rounds of clapping that spread through the crowd over and over.  They also sang the national anthem, the Marseillaise.

Besides the hundreds of signs saying "I Am Charlie", there were a lot of creative signs, many using a the cartoonist's pencil as an emblem.  See the giant pencil someone is carrying in the middle of this picture.  

One was a cartoon of Mohammed covering his eyes and crying with I Am Charlie written above his head.  Others said I Am Charlie, I Am Jewish, I Am A Cop, I Am Muslim, I Am a Free Man.  Variations on "Nous N'Ayons Pas Peur" - "We are not afraid."  One said "They wanted to silence us, but they didn't win a single minute."