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SITE INSPECTION: PORTUGAL Page 2Lisbon
Sights Next, we embark on a tour of Lisbon by car.
Like many metropolitan areas today, Lisbon traffic gets really nasty
during rush hour—bear that in mind next time you try to catch a flight.
Although Lisbon is served by a decent rail system, there are just far too
many cars. In Lisbon, parking
spaces are plentiful. They are called sidewalks.
The earthquake of 1755 and the tsunami that followed it
killed 30,000 people and destroyed much of Lisbon, including many of its
magnificent buildings. In Bairro
Alto stands the skeleton of a 600 year-old church, which was full at the time
(November 1) the earthquake struck. Those
who survived the initial shock and jumped into the river for safety ended up
getting engulfed by the tidal wave. The World’s Fair of 1998 (Expo 98) prompted a massive
city renewal, especially along the waterfront, and left Lisbon with the
Oceanarium, possibly the best in all of Europe.
It also left Lisbon with the $1 billion, 10-mile long Vasco de Gama
bridge that spans the Tagus and was built to withstand a force four times that
of the 1755 earthquake. Today, the Expo grounds are a center of nightlife
activity. The Algarve
Day 3 finds us making the 3-hour drive to the Algarve
region, south of Portugal, and considered by many as Portugal’s playground and
garden. The tollway from Lisbon is
relatively new and lightly traveled this October day. Today’s initial destination is the resort town of Albufeira,
made famous in more recent times by the Rolling Stones.
At Albufeira we have time to check out some golf courses and hotels. We eat a forgettable lunch at one of the golf clubhouses, and tour Tivoli hotel that has beautiful grounds and a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean and a marina (see photo). Andrea's Note: Algarve is known for its beautiful beaches and golf courses. It is where the finest beaches and weather on the continent meet traditional historic Portugal. 24 beautifully tended golf courses make it a mecca for golfers. We had lunch in a Club House on one of these fabulous golf courses. But because we wanted to get to Seville in time to see a Flamenco Show, we asked for a quick lunch. That translated to fast American food which, as Pete said, was quite forgettable. We missed the fine Portuguese cuisine for which the region is famous. Serves us right. It is best to spend a day or 2 in Algarve to savour the spectacular scenery along a fantastic coastline. great climate, cosmopolitan culture and wholesome regional cooking, all in a compact area steeped in history.
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Lisbon
lies along the Tagus (Tejo) river, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Its
skyline is dominated by St. George Castle, a fort originally built by the Romans
(around 205 B.C.), and occupied by the invading Moors in 714 until Portugal’s
first king, Alfonso I drove them out in 1147.
The
Algarve (from the “Al” you would surmise Moorish heritage) has a coastline
that stretches about 100 miles from the soutwesternmost part of Europe (Henry
the Navigator’s Cape St. Vincent) to the Spanish border.