LISBON IS THE CAPITAL CITY, A DESIGNATION THAT SAYS MORE THAN ONE WOULD THINK. IT IS AN OPEN HOUSE MADE TO BRING JOY TO THOSE WHO VISIT IT, AND WHICH IS ONLY COMPLETED BY ITS SURROUNDINGS.
They say the magic is in the light. To the visitor, Lisbon appears illuminated from whatever direction it is reached. Approaching by land, the 25th of April Bridge looks down upon a Lisbon languidly stretched out along the coastline and watched over by the towering Cristo Rei statue. It is unclear whether Christ, the King, blesses Lisbon from the opposite bank, or stands with open arms thinking “who can do better than this?” For those arriving by plane, it is best to come at night. The twinkling lights below resemble a pirate’s treasure chest until one sees the sky reflected in the Tagus River and begins to hear the muted hustle and bustle of the streets. By sea, following the same route that in the 15th century saw Portuguese explorers bring new worlds to the world, those who navigate into Lisbon feel the last breath of the Atlantic before it plunges into the river, and behold an endless parade of beaches, as if Lisbon and its coastal suburbs chose this summer to live for fun.
Lisbon has more aspirations than contradictions. It wants to ride bicycles in a city with seven hills; it wants to promenade along the coast as if enjoying a golden retirement; it wants to splash in the river while imagining dolphins on their way back to the Tagus; it yearns for a city permanently decorated with balloons and festive banners, smelling of marjoram and tasting of grilled sardines, where the best of graffiti urban art discovers that azulejo tiles are their ancestor. It desires, above all else, to understand – with the same purity of soul and astonishment of the senses – what causes visitors to fall in love with Lisbon at first sight, one neighbourhood at a time.
