I was checking my pics for a post I’m working on (must-sees of Lisbon sort of post, which I haven’t finished yet), when I realized there were many quirky pictures that reflected the spirit of the city and that shouldn’t just be backed up. So I decided to share them with you.

They might not be the travel guide sort of photos of Lisbon, but you should also visit Lisbon for these. Take, for example the picture above, those tuc-tucs in front of the Sé Cathedral. I couldn’t take a pic where they didn’t appear, but still they are a reflection of a city that has adapted to tourism. And since tourists are always complaining of the slopy hills… The interesting thing is that they are at the Cathedral, not at Baixa, not at Chiado, but at a place where you have already climbed an steep slope. And that might also be the reason of their success: that once you realize you still have to climb some more to get to the Castle, Santa Luzia or Portas do Sol, you´ll choose between them and the crowded 28.

Santa Justa lift, at night

I don’t know if you do, but I love to look up to the skies. Lisbon has that amazing ligh, so ever changing depending on your location (might be due to the 7 hills where the city is placed.) However, it isn’t common to see Lisbon at night.

Yes, the lift is under maintenance and you can’t get really good pictures of it now. But might be the reason why you could see the moon so bright.

Trams that run on the sidewalks

Maybe you have never played with an Scalextric or a electric Train at home. If you have, you already know that turns on rails can’t be abrupt or you’ll be derailed. That must be the reason of this turn between Rua da Conceiçao and Rua da Prata (on one side of Rua Augusta), where the streetcar runs over the sidewalk.

It’s not the famous 28, but it’s still a classic streetcar with a very interesting route, including the Cathedral, S. George Castle and Baixa área. Plus, it tends to be way less crowded tan 28.

People walking on the streets (the slopery ones)

It’s not only the 28 that climbs the slopery streets in Lisbon.  That might be the idea you get from travel guides and tours, but the people from Lisboa goes up and down as they would do on any other town.

Some might be tourists that lost the tram, but many others are portuguese people that decided to leave the car home and just walk.

Rua Augusta, from the other side

Almost every picture you see from Rúa Augusta shows the street looking towards the Arco. Well, this is how you see Rúa Augusta, from the beautiful Arco de Rúa Augusta, with the yellow buildings and the cobblestones.

Branding cobblestones

When you look at your feet in Lisbon you see many interesting things (no, I never find a 200€ bill or a luck charm.) And one of them is the use of branding for traditional stores. Long ago, I was told that companies stopped producing corporate carpets and rugs because nobody likes to have their logo stepped on. But in Lisbon you can see if the store is “important” enough when they have customized the sidewalk to have their name on it.

These are from an old jewellery in Chiado, now a Tous store (or similar.) But both the façade and the sidewalk deserve a picture, don’t you think?

The sun setting at Belem, on the distance

Belem, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Padrão dos Descubrimientos… they aren’t places for the night life. But many people go there at sunset to take a picture of the 25 Abril bridge with the monuments. But, when you look to the other side from Padrão dos Descubrimientos (towards Torre de Belém), this is what you see.

By the way, the Padrão and the tower are not connected this way. There’s an entry for boats right under that big streetlight. And the building beside it is the sea guards.

There’s music in Lisboa and it’s not always Fado

One of the things that has caught my attention on this last trip to Lisboa is the quality of street musicians. That and the fact that none of them played Fado. Maybe that way you can keep the Fado spirit intact at Alfama, and maybe an open space is too complex to create the emotion of the music.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos at night

I haven’t seen many pictures of the Monasterio lighted up at night. The main reason might be that you need to stop traffic to get a good view. A lot of traffic…

// If you like it share it, pin it, post it… and let me know what you think below