Lisbon at Sunset

Portugal constantly surprises you. On the one hand, it proves to be everything you would expect. Old men sit in the park, wasting away the day chewing the fat. The villages are filled with dilapidated little homes covered with brightly painted tiles. The smell of fish is pervasive, everything you order still has its head when it makes its way to your plate, and wine is cheap and easy to come by.

On the other hand, the country can prove as cosmopolitan as anywhere in Europe. Lisbon is surprisingly fresh (by European standards.) An earthquake leveled most of the country in the 18th century and wiped clean the proverbial slate. The resulting capital is more like Vienna than Madrid, and the Spanish influence we expected to find is nonexistent. The influx of EU money has revitalized the city, and we were sad to leave so soon.