LISBON, PORTUGAL, Wednesday, April 16

Lisbon was once the center of a great maritime empire. Explorers like Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama & Ferdinand Magellan sailed from here. Today Lisbon is a stately city with classical squares & boulevards, ancient castles & cathedrals and a great shopping district.
Eternally linked to the lure & wonder of the sea, the magnificent harbor is crossed by the longest suspension bridge in Europe.

We took the shuttle to the center of town along with friends Gail & Dennis. It's a beautiful city and is always immaculate. It was about 65 degrees & sunny. We walked for several hours and again ran into our other friends David & Diane. We went for coffee at an outdoor cafe. There were musicians on the street near us from Peru that played their wonderful, haunting music. Afterwards we went our separate ways and Gary & I contuinued on. We stopped for lunch and sat outside to watch the world go by. The streets are made of individual smoothed stones that all seem to form an endless mosaic. In the center of the city is a large public square where most of the tour busses originate. On one side is a huge archway leading to the shopping streets and also all of the restaurants. Lots of street musicians & mimes along with colorful flower stalls. Beautiful day in Lisbon.