Lisboa by day

On New Year´s Eve we spent most of the day in Lisbon, the old part of Lisbon that is. We took the metro into the city center, then took the old historic tram up the hill to the Castelo de São Jorge where many a step was climbed and clambered by all and many a medieval wall was clung to (by me, for fear of heights, force of wind and lack of railing...). The views over Lisbon are breathtaking. Following this historic venture, we sauntered down to a tosti mista lunch and a (wet) walk through the oldest part of Lisbon, the Alfama - a bee hive of narrow streets built against hillsides. Its name originally derives from Arab Al-hamma, meaning baths. When the city started to grow, it did so towards the west, on the other side of the hill now crowned by the Castelo São Jorge. Since people were afraid of earthquakes, the rich abandoned the Alfama neighbourhood, leaving Alfama to fishermen and other humble people. Alfama actually survived the worst earthquake of Lisbon in 1755. Still now, the streetplan is pleasantly chaotic with a structure much like a kasba in Moorish countries.