LISBON, PORTUGAL : EXPECTATIONS vs REALITY...

Hello friends! So, having overcome many difficulties and significant changes in my life over the past two months, now is the time to return to the usual rhythm of life and regime, including writing blog posts ;) Today, finally, a month after my return, it was my turn to write about Lisbon. Fans and lovers of this city, please excuse me in advance - the article will not be laudatory :) I want to share my (certainly subjective) opinion about the Portuguese capital, and I've been there for 3 weeks, so I've seen a lot.

I will not describe the main attractions, list the must-see places - you can find all this by looking at Google. I'll pay attention to what I liked, disliked, surprised and disappointed, OK?

Let's start with the THINGS I LIKE....Yes, azuleju is certainly beautiful and unique in its kind, you can photograph this beauty endlessly....

Colorful buildings around look really cute and awesome ...

Of course, there are stunningly beautiful places, my favorites are the Jeronimos Monastery and the Belem Fortress.…

I can't say that Portuguese cuisine charmed me, I'm more of a fan of Spanish cuisine, but you can't deny the abundance of very decent restaurants, cafes, and especially delicious pastries in Lisbon...

By the way, one of the symbols of Lisbon - if we talk about grocery shopping and something out of the ordinary - is canned food of very high quality, usually sardines, but sometimes tuna and other fish. There is a charming Loja Das Conservas store at Rua do Arsenal 130 , and having bought a couple of packages of beautiful cans of vintage-style canned food there, we gladly ate them after returning from Lisbon, as a gift is also a great option.

I was surprised by the presence of English-speaking residents - there were no problems in understanding, 9 out of 10 passers-by know English, which is undoubtedly pleasing in comparison with Spain. And now we turn to the less positive aspects, of which, unfortunately, there are more. Well, first of all, the city is very dirty. I'm sorry, but it is what it is. Unpleasant odors are also common. Also, over the past few years, Lisbon has been actively modernizing and rebuilding, and as a result, repairs in the city are at every turn... Secondly, being with a child and a stroller is terribly stressful for the eternal ascents and descents all over the city on very narrow sidewalks...Such roads, combined with the above-mentioned repairs, cause only a pleasant desire - to put sandals and skirts away in a suitcase (there can be no question of heels at all), put on sneakers, jeans and a T-shirt and wear such a "uniform" for the rest of the time... Lisbon is not a very "green" city, there are not many parks, and sometimes you don't really know where to take a walk with a child...Estrella is considered the best urban park...Well, the place is, of course, quite beautiful, but..He's small! It was especially difficult to get through on weekends, and at such moments I remembered with special fondness the gardens of Turia in Valencia, a park without end...

Before my trip to Portugal, it seemed to me that Spaniards and Portuguese were very similar peoples...As it turned out, there is a difference, and a considerable one. And the comparison is not in favor of the Portuguese, I will not go into details, but having encountered dishonesty, lack of professionalism, and bad manners several times, I have to say that the Spaniards made a more pleasant impression on me.... Lisbon is somehow amazingly located - everything is very far from each other! Yes, yes, I've never had to use a taxi and bus so often to get to different points of the city, and that's assuming we lived in one of the central districts. I was amazed that very often it is necessary to take coupons in the queue! I'll explain. You know how in some institutions there is a vending machine at the entrance, where you select the function you plan to perform and receive a coupon with a number. This is great, of course, but not everywhere! This happens all the time in Lisbon - from the pharmacy to, attention, the bread queue to the window in a large supermarket. To be honest, this slows down the process itself and is a bit unnerving...

To sum up, I can only say one thing - Lisbon and I clearly misunderstood each other :) Unfortunately. I didn't understand his "beauty" and soul, he didn't understand what I needed..It happens, it's just not my city, not my atmosphere, not my place...Lisbon disappointed me, but as I mentioned earlier, all this is my personal subjective opinion and my opinion, and much of what is a disadvantage for me is just a nice feature of the city for someone else ... And a few beauties of Lisbon in the end, so as not to end on such a sad note :)