Long overdue, here are some photos from my trip to Lisbon, Portugal.

We found a hostel in the very centre of the city. When we stepped out, we were already on a main boulevard, Rua Augusta.

Lisbon seems to be an environmentally conscious city. The police had electric vehicles. Here’s one for tourists.

 

Here’s another example. In Europe, buildings require an ‘energy performance certificate’, which is a rating of how energy efficient the building is. These were being advertised in many bus shelters.

And besides these signs, even the ATMs where you get cash out had a sign telling you how much energy it was using!

This is the view of some rooftops from a lookout in Alfama, which is Lisbon’s old Moorish part.

 

That’s Castelo de São Jorge (Castle of St George) on the hill top.

I spotted this sign and it took me a second to understand what it meant.

And here it is! A very basic urinal on the streets approaching Castelo de São Jorge.

Although this was only a small tourist shop, it still had a large stock of port. Portugal is, of course known for the port, a fortified dessert wine. I used to drink it rather regularly after eating three courses at Cambridge formal hall.

Many houses were drying their clothes high up on the second, third or fourth floor of a building. What happens when a bit of clothing falls from a laundry line four storeys up?

You’d think only scooters could get up these streets but there are also quite a few Smart cars and tiny Renaults motoring around here. I think you need to be brave, driving around Lisbon.

A window sill that caught my eye.

Lisbon is a well developed city but there are quite a few abandoned derelict buildings. The city is still rebuilding after the 1755 Great Lisbon Earthquake.

 

I spotted these mail boxes in a derelict building. Amazingly, one or two of them were still being used.