To Lisbon

We left the wonderful Pomar Velho this morning. Hosts Ken and Carole (and Graham the dog) have made us feel at home, the cooking has been fabulous, and the surroundings wonderful (this has to be my nightingale, cuckoo and oriole fix for the year).

We made good progress back to Lisbon airport, left the car there, and headed into the city. We had our Pomar Velho picnic in the hotel courtyard, and then a quick whistle stop tour of part of the city centre for the afternoon.

First impressions - loads of tourists, lots to see, shabby without the chic (but not in a bad way, despite all the graffiti everywhere it's a clean place). 

Portugal has had its problems since the 2008 crash, and the lack of money to spend on infrastructure is apparent. A very Thatcherite prime minister had made life difficult for the majority of people, who are on the minimum wage - hiking VAT by a huge amount and suggesting young people leave the country to make a living. They've now got a very socialist prime minister with a very different approach, so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Blips - Graffiti on the Elevator de Gloria. The carriages were not working (they can be seen down the hill), so we walked up the steep hill to the Bairro Alto. Amazingly, at the top and sitting on the steps we came across a work colleague and her husband.

Extras - the interior of the Church of Sao Domingos, which J thought looked like Hades - it has survived the 1531 and 1755 earthquakes, and a catostrophic fire in 1959. And an extra of some of the street architecture and public realm. The scale of the buildings in the old city, and the hilly terrain, is part of what makes Lisbon.