Sketches of Lisbon

Strictly speaking, these sketches were made on our Spanish journey but not in Spain, in Portugal. Lisbon was the last stop after Tangier and we spent several days getting to know the city. Inevitably we left wishing for more time. I did a number of sketches but somehow didn't have time to add so much watercolor. Lisbon is hardly as drab as it might seem looking at these images. It's really bright and rather like a Mediterranean City, and as warm. The people are warm as well, and the city has much to recommend it.

We left our ship moored along the bank of the Tagus River, which flows into the Atlantic here. The Tagus originates far off in Spain and is the longest river on the peninsula. Here it's wide and flat and it is from here that the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama sailed to explore the coast of Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope. Magellan left from here too and so did quite a number of others. I drew one of the views in my pocket sketchbook and added a limited range of muted color.

Lisbon is very hilly and looms over the river. The streets of the old town are like a lot of old streets in this part of the world--narrow and twisting--opening here and there to spectacular views of the river and boats underway. Looking back up on of the precipitous streets, you can see the houses perched on top, where the most expensive views can be had.

We spent quite some time wandering the oldest part of the city, where little trams trundle through the steep cobbled streets. Eventually we settled down for a leisurely lunch under old plane trees while the trams rattled by. They're red or yellow, I suppose depending on the line. I made a little sketch of one of them. They only hold perhaps 30-40 passengers at most, but are very popular.

Entrance to Gulbenkian, Founders Collection

Without doubt the best thing about visiting a new city is the surprises you get. In this case it was the discovery of a truly memorable, world class museum which we'd never heard of, the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. It is a museum comprising antiquities, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, painting and coins that surpasses anything I had ever seen, if not in quantity then definitely in quality. And it was owned by a single person, who donated it as a museum. He was Armenian but lived in Lisbon during World War II, and was a naturalized British citizen. The building is superb architecturally and the grounds are wonderfully landscaped parkland. (More about the wonders of the Gulbenkian in another post.) We spent a dazzled few hours there and had a bite to eat in the cafeteria. While we were having lunch I kept seeing interesting faces and managed to draw a couple of them in pencil in a pocket sketchbook. It being a weekend, the museum was full of families of all ages, some looking a bit sour (like these two) but many full of smiles and fun. Lisbon attracts many nationalities and the room was a gabble of languages and fascinating faces.

On our last day in the city we rode a bus out to a suburb named Belem, which is the actual launching place for the Portuguese navigators who explored so much of the world so long ago. These men set off in the 16th century and eventually went as far as Japan, opening sea trade from China as well. There are a number of monuments and buildings from the time, particularly the Monastery of Jeronimos which was once charged with praying for the seafarers who embarked there. One part of the monastery, which was deconsecrated in the early 19th century, is the Maritime Museum. While we had a coffee and some rest I did an ink sketch of the entrance, the old monastery. It's tempting to try to include as much detail as possible, but with this style of architecture I think it's better to suggest certain features and do one's best to stay loose.






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Previously in this series:
Sketches of Spain
Sketches of Spain Pt. 2