Modernity


The climb may be strenuous, but when one reaches the end of the Rua do Carmo, the sight will be well worthwhile. Here you will see the new Chiado, built after the fire that destroyed this part of town in the eighties. With Siza Vieira as the man in charge, it has been reborn in the best possible taste. At the top of Rua Garrett, stop next to the black statue, and sit down. You will be sitting next to the greatest Portuguese writers of all times: Fernando Pessoa, reading away at one of Lisboa’s most famous esplanades: the Brasileira. It opens early morning and closes its doors around midnight. Meanwhile, it receives thousands of clients, mirroring Lisboa’s cosmopolitan tendencies. Of the many that stop by, one notices young people in love, students studying hard, the old carefully biding their time, families on tour and enamoured tourists. It is a place for all. Take advantage of the hot air of summer and try to get lost in the narrow alleyways which link Chiado and Príncipe Real, through the Bairro Alto. You will find taverns, fado houses, bares and night clubs, newspaper headquarters, the young and old, kids playing in the street, clothes hanging out to dry, small and old looking houses brimming in magic, recovered facades, flowers on the balconies. It is Lisboa at its best. At the top of Príncipe Real, next to the tram line, rest your feet at the Esplanada do Príncipe Real. Have a refreshment while admiring the gardens and the pigeons flying over your table. I f it is late, you will find old age pensioners passing the time playing cards. Later on, there are young people who kiss and cuddle without a care. There is also a play garden for the children, and lunch and dinners for the hungry. The doors close at midnight. Also in Príncipe Real, there is another esplanade, smaller but highly recommended at Praça das Flores. Go down Rua de S. Marçal, into one of Lisboa’s delightful corners. Here you will find the Pão de Canela. It is open into the night. Feast on the kindly served scones and tea. The esplanade is very small but very cosy. We continue to descend, because this way “all saints will aid us.” Pass the Assembleia da República, pass D. Carlos I, and enter Avenida 24 de Julho, the heart of city nightlife.