photo by gusto

These are few more immediately likeable capitals than LISBON (Lisboa). A lively and varied place, it remains in some ways curiously provincial, rooted as much in the 1920s as the 2000s. Pre-World War I wooden trams clank up outrageous gradients, past mosaic pavements and Art Nouveau cafés, and the medieval, village-like quarter of Alfama which hangs below the city’s São Jorge castle. Modern Lisbon, with a population of just over 3 million, has kept an easy-going, human pace and scale, with little of the underlying violence of most cities and ports of its size. It also boasts a vibrant, cosmopolitan identity, with large communities of ex-colony Brazilians, Africans (from Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde) and Asians (from Macao, Goa and East Timor). Many came over to work on two major urban development projects in the Nineties: the preparations for the European City of Culture in 1994 and the Expo 98. Lisbon invested heavily in these ventures and the rejuvenation of the city with new road, hotel, metro and bridge schemes. Disused dockland has been reclaimed and communication links improved with several showcase pieces of architecture and engineering like Santiago Calatrava’s impressive Gare de Oriente and his sleek fourteen kilometre-long Vasco de Gama bridge which links Lisbon airport to a network of national motorways. The focus is still firmly on the future with Portugal’s successful bid to stage the European Football Championship in 2004, an event which will again turn the world’s attention on the Portuguese capital.