Wanderings: Lisbon & Cascais

March 19, 2022

There are a number of ferries crossing the Tagus River in Lisbon. After figuring out which ferry accepted the Metro card, the ferry crossed to Cacilhas and back with splendid views of Lisbon from the river.

The weather was warm and sunny after a week of clouds, rain and haze, so there were long lines of tourists waiting to take one of the old trams that clatter up and down the hills on the city's narrow streets (1). I had been on the Lisbon trams before, so I sought an alternative to the long lines.

There is a rail line from Lisbon to the seaside town of Cascais, which was filled with people getting out of the city for the day. A sign for Boca do Inferno beckoned, which was reached by a nice stroll. The views of the sea encouraged lingering (2).

After climbing up the Cascais Harbor Light, the ride back to Lisbon was in the gathering darkness. The final event of the day was at Teatro Nacional do São Carlos. The Opera Company was staging Puccini's La Boheme, which was very well done.

(1) The trams of Lisbon are the tourist equivalent of the cables cars of San Francisco (a).

(a) But completely different technology. As the names suggest, the San Francisco cable cars are propelled by cables under the street that run from a central powerhouse, while the Lisbon trams run on electric motors powered from overhead wires.

(2) Perhaps for too long. I did not leave enough to freshen up, so I went to the opera wearing a black T-shirt from a metal festival