Alfama
One of the oldest neighborhoods in Lisbon. It's a nice climb, and there are
Moorish remnants such as the Castelo de São Jorge, which is a huge, medieval
castle. Even the name "Alfama" sounds Moorish. Near the water there are folk musicians dressed in black capes, and
local places advertise fado, which is Portugal's answer to the Blues. Unfortunately, there
wasn't time to hear fado, but I did buy records of Amalia Rodrigues after
I got home.
We also witnessed a religious procession outside the castle, though I wasn't
rude enough to push people out of the way for a good photo.
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Alfama
In the middle left is a smidgeon of the Sé, or city cathedral, which
was built in 1150 after recapturing Lisbon from the Moors. The buildings
are fronted with tile. |
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Castelo de São Jorge
A Moorish citadel, the castle was home of the Portuguese kings from
1147 to 1511. Nowadays it's empty (except for hordes of tourists, and the
peacocks they have running around there). |
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Moody view |
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Howling granny with motorcycle
Behind the castle. This lady had serious issues with the motorcycle,
though it's anybody's guess what they were. One thing for certain, she's
got a set of lungs. |
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View of Lisbon
Taken from a somewhat different part of the city, though also up the
hill. |