Photos of Lisbon in Lockdown

[jungleboy]

Edit: Here is an article I wrote on Medium to go with these pictures. It's about sound, light and lockdown.

On my way to and from extended grocery shopping trips this week, I've been able to walk through and photograph the Baixa and Chiado areas of Lisbon. I thought it might be interesting for others to see the emptiness in the city at the moment. If you know Lisbon, you'll know that all these places usually throng with people, especially on gorgeous days like this.

Praça do Comércio / Terreiro do Paço



Praça do Município



Rossio / Praça de Dom Pedro IV



Praça de Camões



Rua do Carmo

 

[peregrina2000]

Wow, and to think I was supposed to be getting there on Easter Sunday! Seems like a million years ago that I had that hope and expectation.

 

[natefaith]

We were just in Lisbon in January and it was bustling, even though it was low season. So crazy the difference just a couple of months make and the contrast.

Can you get up to Sintra and take photos of the castle with no one there?? THAT would also be nice to see. Stay healthy!

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

WOW... I was there just about a year ago.... this is shocking. I mean... I understand what's happening in Spain but visually seeing the places that I visited a year ago... gives me a true reality.. I really hope this is not the end of human history. If it is, I'm more than grateful that I have walked the way through Spain which has become my second home in my heart. Pray for you people in Spain...

 

[jungleboy]

Wow, and to think I was supposed to be getting there on Easter Sunday! Seems like a million years ago that I had that hope and expectation.

Indeed, I was looking forward to seeing you. Of course, I had to cancel my trip to Australia, which would have finished this weekend.

Can you get up to Sintra and take photos of the castle with no one there?? THAT would also be nice to see. Stay healthy!

Hehe, nice idea! On a more realistic note, I'm hoping to get to Belém one day to take a picture of the tower with no people there. If I don't want to take transport, I can walk there from my house in about 1hr 15mins while practicing social distancing, so I don't think it would be that irresponsible, would it?

 

[Jan_D]

I'd forgotten the sky could be that colour!! (I live in Scotland )

 

[jungleboy]

I'd forgotten the sky could be that colour!! (I live in Scotland )

Yes, we still have magical light and colour in Lisbon! Travellers and writers have often waxed lyrical about the light here, e.g. Barry Hatton in his Lisbon biography Queen of the Sea:

‘The light in Lisbon is something to marvel at, even beneath winter clouds. It is not so much a feature of the city as a hallmark. It is a textured brightness, a creamy glow, at once vivid and silky.’

 

[gittiharre]

Wow, and to think I was supposed to be getting there on Easter Sunday! Seems like a million years ago that I had that hope and expectation.

Very strange, I was going to celebrate my birthday there, at the end of May...

 

[peregrina2000]

Indeed, I was looking forward to seeing you. Of course, I had to cancel my trip to Australia, which would have finished this weekend.

Hehe, nice idea! On a more realistic note, I'm hoping to get to Belém one day to take a picture of the tower with no people there. If I don't want to take transport, I can walk there from my house about 1hr 15mins while practicing social distancing, so I don't think it would be that irresponsible, would it?

Go for it! That would be a very nice walk without all the traffic. Will the pastry shop be open for pick-up? You could send us a full photoshoot of all those great spots in Belem!

 

[tpmchugh]

Been to Lisbon a few times. Beautiful city and oh those custard tarts, pastel de nata I think is the name. My spelling could be wrong but if you have tasted them, you wont care. One of those photos is close to a little bakery and the most unusual shop I have ever seen. The sardine shop. Hopefully, all being well, I will be back there early October. Stay safe everyone and Buen Camino

 

[John A Richard]

Thank you for sharing. Unfortunately we will all have to pray to return another day.

 

[Jane Silverman]

On my way to and from extended grocery shopping trips this week, I've been able to walk through and photograph the Baixa and Chiado areas of Lisbon. I thought it might be interesting for others to see the emptiness in the city at the moment. If you know Lisbon, you'll know that all these places usually throng with people, especially on gorgeous days like this.

Praça do Comércio / Terreiro do Paço

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Praça do Município

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Rossio / Praça de Dom Pedro IV

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Praça de Camões

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Rua do Carmo

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[natefaith]

By the way, our favorite episode of "Somebody Feed Phil" (a food travel show on Netflix) is his Lisbon episode. If you have the chance to watch it we highly recommend it!

 

[willydp]

Sweet Memories...Lisboa

 

[AJGuillaume]

A friend who lives in Lisbon sent me this:

706K views · 14K reactions | Lisboa Ainda | Aconteça o que acontecer, Lisboa Resiste. Poema "Lisboa Ainda" de Manuel Alegre, 2020. Vídeo de José Costa Barbosa com voz de Jorge Almeida. #Lisboa | By Câmara Municipal de Lisboa | Facebook

Aconteça o que acontecer, Lisboa Resiste. Poema "Lisboa Ainda" de Manuel Alegre, 2020. Vídeo de José Costa Barbosa com voz de Jorge Almeida. #Lisboa

www.facebook.com

Beautiful words...

 

[jsalt]

Can you get up to Sintra and take photos of the castle with no one there?? THAT would also be nice to see.

Montserrate Palace on 7 Feb this year - only 3 others there when I visited.
REALLY enjoyed my day trip to Sintra. Visited Montserrate and Quinta da Regaleira.

 

[jsalt]

Quinta da Regaleira

 

[jungleboy]

For those interested, here is an article I wrote on Medium to go with these pictures. It's about sound, light and lockdown.

 

[Jane Silverman]

For those interested, here is an article I wrote on Medium to go with these pictures. It's about sound, light and lockdown.

Thank you for the photo story about this city I love!!

 

[peregrina2000]

Beautiful writing, with such great historical touches. And those pictures are hard for me to look at without experiencing my own profound attack of saudade. Nick, now that the walk to Belem is probably on hold, your next photographic contribution could be to shoot some of those same places in the rain. I for one, would love to see some of those, and I see that weather.com predicts rain for all of next week. So if your camera can withstand the rain, how about some gloomy pictures on your forays to the food shops!

 

[jungleboy]

Beautiful writing, with such great historical touches.

Thank you! In lieu of my own rainy shots, here’s one that the city posted yesterday on social media - where the Terreiro do Paço meets the river.

 

[peregrina2000]

I don’t mean to derail this thread, but it is worth noting the huge difference in death toll between Portugal and the rest of Europe. Some say it was the early lockdown, others say it’s because the government announced full health coverage for all foreigners who have applied for immigration legalization, some say it’s because all political parties united behind the government’s announcement and avoided the infighting we see in so many places. I’m sure it’s impossible to identify a reason, and I’m sure there are many more contributing factors, but the difference is quite striking (Most recent total I have seen is 435 deaths, 15,000 cases more or less). This recent article is pretty interesting.

Hoping that Lisbon on lockdown photos continue.....

 

[Tom Leonard]

Montserrate Palace on 7 Feb this year - only 3 others there when I visited.
REALLY enjoyed my day trip to Sintra. Visited Montserrate and Quinta da Regaleira.
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My wife and I were there on this same day . We were spending February in Cascais and then left for 3 weeks going north and onward to PORTO after a few stops . While in COIMBRA I saw that yellow shell for the Camino . It reminded me of my Camino in 2015 and how it instantly reminded me of my journey and desire to do the Portuguese Camino . We left on March 16th back to Boston and just in time . Portugal ( we have spent two winters ) is beautiful along with the people ! I pray they stay safe and wish to return next winter . Buena Camino Amigos !!

 

[Jane Silverman]

Oh, to be in Lisbon, any time of year!

 

[jungleboy]

Lisbon is No. 7 in the top 10 world cities list that I published today.

P.S. I still haven't managed to get to Belém to try to take a photo without any people in it, but looking at the weather forecast, Sunday might be the day!

 

[jungleboy]

Fernando Pessoa in Chiado today.

 

[peregrina2000]

That mask wouldn’t last for a minute over where I am— everyone is desperate for masks!!!!

 

[jungleboy]

Can you get up to Sintra and take photos of the castle with no one there?? THAT would also be nice to see. Stay healthy!

I finally managed to get to Sintra today as Portugal's recovery is on track and museums/palaces etc reopened on Monday. I didn't make it to the castle but I spent nearly an hour at the Pena Palace as the only visitor there. It was amazing!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I finally managed to get to Sintra today as Portugal's recovery is on track and museums/palaces etc reopened on Monday. I didn't make it to the castle but I spent nearly an hour at the Pena Palace as the only visitor there. It was amazing!

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I've spent a lot of time in Sintra. Sintra is incredible and the Pena Palace is like Disneyland on acid! What a beautiful, crazy place. If you have time, be sure to see the Museum of the Coaches in Lisbon. It is one of my favorite museums!

 

[natefaith]

I finally managed to get to Sintra today as Portugal's recovery is on track and museums/palaces etc reopened on Monday. I didn't make it to the castle but I spent nearly an hour at the Pena Palace as the only visitor there. It was amazing!

View attachment 75388

Totally jealous that you had it all to yourself!!!! Thanks for the picture!

 

[jungleboy]

Lisbon is starting to open up this week in the second phase of the recovery. Here's a short story I wrote about it today:

Fernando Pessoa and the End of Lockdown in Lisbon

 

[jungleboy]

Can you get up to Sintra and take photos of the castle with no one there?? THAT would also be nice to see. Stay healthy!

Done! It was amazing up there today!

(Although unfortunately there were six other people there which completely ruined it.)

 

[willydp]

I was there with my wife in October last year and then there were more than 6 people
Even difficult to walk on the small walls, people in both directions.
It seems that you had the place for yourself
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures in this 'strange times', makes me like I'm there in vacation again
Stay safe.

 

[natefaith]

Done! It was amazing up there today!

(Although unfortunately there were six other people there which completely ruined it.)

SHOOT!! I made you go to extra effort, when actually I mistakenly was calling the Pena Palace the "castle". We actually haven't gone to the actual castle yet, but your photos are great. You had gorgeous weather! Thanks again!

 

[jungleboy]

SHOOT!! I made you go to extra effort, when actually I mistakenly was calling the Pena Palace the "castle". We actually haven't gone to the actual castle yet, but your photos are great. You had gorgeous weather! Thanks again!

Haha, I would have gone anyway! Actually I even went back to the Pena Palace today for the second time in a week because it’s so spectacular in this light and with no crowds.

 

[natefaith]

SO beautiful!! Thanks for sharing. It was one of our favorite places when we visited and it's strange now to see it so empty. What a treat for you!

 

[jungleboy]

Getting slightly off-topic now on a Catholic pilgrimage forum (!), but since this seems to have turned into the thread where I share my photos and articles about Lisbon, here's my latest story for anyone interested.

The Muslim City of Lisbon


Rooftops of the Mouraria, once a Muslim ghetto in Lisbon following the 1147 siege.

 

[malingerer]

Done! It was amazing up there today!

(Although unfortunately there were six other people there which completely ruined it.)

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many happy memories! thank you.

The malingerer.

 

[jungleboy]

On a more realistic note, I'm hoping to get to Belém one day to take a picture of the tower with no people there.

It only took four months (!), but I finally went to Belém this morning to photograph the tower. It was so beautiful there!

 

[jungleboy]

As we go back into partial lockdown in Lisbon and most of Portugal in an hour's time, here are a couple of photos I took in the last few days. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can go photo hunting again!

Sunset at the Torre de Belém:



Moonrise over Alfama:

 

[willydp]

Thanks for showings those very beautiful pictures
Great to see during this lock down times

 

[peregrina2000]

Moonrise over Alfama:

That view of the Alfama is one of my favorite views in Lisbon. Can you identify the precise spot where you took it, @jungleboy? Somewhere near Portas do Sol? Your picture is gorgeous.

 

[jungleboy]

That view of the Alfama is one of my favorite views in Lisbon. Can you identify the precise spot where you took it, @jungleboy? Somewhere near Portas do Sol? Your picture is gorgeous.

Thank you, and you’re exactly right! It was taken from a bar above the platform at Portas do Sol, on top of the old city wall (accessible from the Santa Luzia miradouro). Portas do Sol has always been my favourite of Lisbon’s miradouros. A few months ago I went there for sunrise so now I have three completely different photos in different light from the same spot.

 

[natefaith]

Beautiful photos!

 

[jungleboy]

That view of the Alfama is one of my favorite views in Lisbon. Can you identify the precise spot where you took it, @jungleboy? Somewhere near Portas do Sol? Your picture is gorgeous.

Thank you, and you’re exactly right! It was taken from a bar above the platform at Portas do Sol, on top of the old city wall (accessible from the Santa Luzia miradouro). Portas do Sol has always been my favourite of Lisbon’s miradouros.

I just realised that I have a photo looking up at the terrace seating of the bar, for more context. The tower belongs to the Maltese church at Santa Luzia.

 

[jungleboy]

View from out my window in the São Bento neighbourhood of Lisbon this afternoon. We have a curfew at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays at the moment.

 

[peregrina2000]

View from out my window in the São Bento neighbourhood of Lisbon this afternoon. We have a curfew at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays at the moment.

Is that the 28? Bet the incidence of pickpocketing has dropped dramatically.

 

[jungleboy]

Is that the 28? Bet the incidence of pickpocketing has dropped dramatically.

Yes it is, coming down the hill from Estrela. And I’m sure it has!

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes it is, coming down the hill from Estrela. And I’m sure it has!

When I was in college, I once spent a summer in the “Lar da Estrela,” a boarding house for girls/young women on Calçada da Estrela. I have tried to find the place many times but never found it. It must have been on the left side of the street going up because you could see the river from the balcony. It was a modern building with an elevator. And I remember that the military hospital nearby, which is still there, but maybe not operational (?), was filled with wounded soldiers from the war in Angola. Ah, the memories.....

Sorry for the off-topic diversion.

 

[jungleboy]

Not at all. I didn't know your history with Lisbon stretched back that far - that's some serious cred! And we are almost neighbours across the decades as we live right at the bottom of the Calçada da Estrela, where it meets Rua São Bento and becomes Rua Poiais de São Bento.

 

[jungleboy]

Incredible storm light in Lisbon this morning. I took this out my living room window just before 9am on the shortest day of the year.

 

[jungleboy]

Monuments and museums are open again in Portugal from this week (and some are free for the rest of the month) so yesterday Wendy and I went to the castle for the first time in years and had a great afternoon there. Here are some photos.

The No. 28 tram in front of the cathedral on the way to the castle:



One of the (restored) castle towers:



Looking through the ramparts at the Church of St. Vincent and the dome of the National Pantheon:



A peacock puts on a great show on the castle grounds but the object of his affection seems unimpressed:

 

[willydp]

Thanks for the nice pictures
More beautiful memories from my 2018- & 19 visit

 

[jungleboy]

If anyone is keen for some armchair travel in Lisbon, I published this article on my website today:

Lisbon Highlights - Spirit of the Camino

In the article, I write about historical neighbourhoods, viewpoints, churches, bookstores, street art, museums and Belém. There are also a lot of photos, including this one of the cathedral in the late afternoon light.

 

[Elle Bieling]

Wow, fantastic stuff. Thanks for the incredible photo journey down memory lane!

 

[camino07]

Wonderful article. Think its time I spent some time in Lisbon before my next Camino.

 

[AJGuillaume]

@jungleboy , thank you for an excellent article. Together with @peregrina2000 's walking tour of Lisbon, this is definitely a reference I'll use!

Thank you!! Obrigado!

 

[jungleboy]

Wonderful article. Think its time I spent some time in Lisbon before my next Camino.

Thank you! I definitely recommend it!

@jungleboy , thank you for an excellent article. Together with @peregrina2000 's walking tour of Lisbon, this is definitely a reference I'll use!

Thank you!! Obrigado!

Thank you! Hopefully it's a nice and reasonably concise overview - I had to leave out a lot otherwise it would have dragged on forever. Maybe a 'Lisbon off the beaten path' sequel will come one day!

 

[dougfitz]

If anyone is keen for some armchair travel in Lisbon, I published this article on my website today:

Lisbon Highlights - Spirit of the Camino

In the article, I write about historical neighbourhoods, viewpoints, churches, bookstores, street art, museums and Belém. There are also a lot of photos, including this one of the cathedral in the late afternoon light.

View attachment 98236

Thank you, I enjoyed the article. I cannot foresee when I will get to Lisbon to start my Camino Portuguese, but it will happen.

 

[jungleboy]

Well, this is new.
#dust #nofilter

 

[willydp]

Sand from the Sahara

 

[Former member 22438]

WOW... I was there just about a year ago.... this is shocking. I mean... I understand what's happening in Spain but visually seeing the places that I visited a year ago... gives me a true reality.. I really hope this is not the end of human history. If it is, I'm more than grateful that I have walked the way through Spain which has become my second home in my heart. Pray for you people in Spain...

we hope so too.
by the way… the pictures were taken in Lisbon Portugal