Lisbon is the second oldest capital city in Europe, behind Athens. It was settled by the Celts and occupied by Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Germanic tribes, and Islamic Moors, before it was retaken for the last time by Christians in the 12th Century. Today, Portugal's capital and largest city is a commercial, political, and tourist center, and its beautiful natural harbor still serves as one of Europe's largest shipping ports. The famous 1755 earthquake and tsunami decimated much of the city which then underwent massive reconstruction. More recently, urban renewal was triggered by the hosting of the World's Fair in 1998. Today, while the city's history as the center of operations for Portugal's global exploration is evident everywhere, it is a modern city, a center of innovation with a distinctly cool vibe.
It is fun to ride the cable cars and walk the streets, taking in the markets, boutiques, cafés, bars, museums, murals, the world-class oceanarium, and myriad historic sites, such as the Castelo de São Jorge, Tower of Belém, Rossio Square, Commerce Square, and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries). On the wide Avenue da Liberdade are high-end retail stores but we found our shopping haven in the nearby Chiado district.
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During our summer 2021 trip to the capital, we visited the temporary exhibit of Ai Weiwei, the famous Chinese artist and activist, who now lives in Portugal. It was sensational -- so multi-faceted and powerful. In the evening, we dined at Ramiro's -- an informal, three-story restaurant and known as THE place for fish. The place does not accept reservations and always has a long wait. Frankly it was good, but not great. And when you order fish there, that's what you get and nothing else (veggies, etc.). While we were there, it rained and Jen snapped a cool picture of a rainbow over the old Alfama district that somehow survived most of the earthquake's wrath, and which oozes charm with its narrow, windy, and hilly cobblestoned streets, brimming with people (a lot of tourists) and bars, café's, restaurants, and small shops (lojas). The cable cars own the streets but that doesn't stop tourists unwittingly blocking their path and having to perform extremely tight maneuvers to avoid contact!
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