on 04 August 2011
I was in Lisbon for a couple of days in the spring. My sister said that it was just meh, but I couldn't disagree more (in her defense, she was there about 20 years ago). Super-cool, for sure. Clean, modern, safe, and everything seemed to work really well. And the airport is only a twenty-minute bus ride from the center of the city.

The following pictures are of things I found particularly interesting. Murals, graffiti, bathroom vending machines, and subway seats.

A Giant Alligator Mural in Lisbon

How pimp is that? Just in case the building ever gets razed or the wall gets whitewashed, this picture was taken in the spring of 2011. 

The Three-Eyed King in Lisbon

I like how the windows on the roof were used as part of the crown.

And the next piece is a bit of random graffiti.

Somewhere Near the Ocean in Lisbon

I wonder who the author was...American, or Portuguese? The world may never know. 

And the sidewalks--they were all (well, most of them) were made up of these little pavers. I would say they are about 2-inch by 2-inches. And lots of them, all over the city. 

The Little Brick Road

Here's something that I've never seen sold in a restaurant bathroom, though it does make a lot of sense to have them there: toothbrushes. 

For Sale in a Lisbon Restaurant

The last bit of show-and-tell has to do with the public transit system, specifically the subway. The subway system seemed like it was pretty new--by far the cleanest that I've ever been on. And it was just loaded with all kinds of fancy magic, like timers that countdown the arrival of the next train (which don't exist in Chicago). The trains themselves were fast and quiet, similar to the subway in Washington, DC. But way more comfortable due to seats with springy lumbar support. 

The Most Comfortable Metro Seats in the World

Lisbon, neat place. Check it out if you can.