Cidade Baixa - Lower City

  Lisbon, Portugal
Sunday, October 8, 2006

It's easy to describe the Commerce Square, also known as Palace Square (Terreiro do Paço), in just one word: WOW! This is one of the most majestic squares of Lisbon and was once the main maritime entrance to the city. You can still see the old marble steps leading up to square from the River Tagus. The name Palace Square is clearly a reference to the Palace that was located here for 400 years, until the 1755 earthquake that completely destroyed it.

On the north side, the square is centered by an impressive 19th-century triumphal arch that leads to Rua Augusta.

2. Praca do Comercio

The arch is decorated with statues of historical personalities, like Vasco da Gama (Portuguese sailor) and Marquês do Pombal (responsible for the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake).

The spacious arcaded buildings extended around three sides of the square are now occupied by government administrative offices and some restaurants.

1. Statue of King John 1

At the centre of the square, once a huge car-park and now given back to the Lisboetas (people from Lisbon), stands the equestrian statue of King José I, King of Portugal during the earthquake in 1755.

We are now in the area of town that was totally destroyed by the 1755 earthquake, and entirely reconstructed by the despotic Marquês do Pombal. Pombal is notable for his swift and competent leadership in the aftermath of the earthquake. His famous words were "Now? Bury the dead and feed the living".

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, took place on All Saints Day, November 1, 1755, at 9:40 in the morning. It was one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes in history, killing between 60,000 and 100,000 people. The quake was followed by a tsunami and fire, resulting in the near-total destruction of Lisbon. The earthquake accentuated political tensions in Portugal and profoundly disrupted the country's eighteenth-century colonial ambitions. Geologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake approached magnitude 9 on the Richter scale. There has never been an earthquake since.

Passing through the impressive arch, we enter the traffic-free Rua Augusta, the main shopping street of Lisbon.

3. Rua de Agusta

On this and nearby streets are department stores and designer outlets, as well as flower peddlers, hot chestnut sellers, street cafés, independent street artists, "statue men" and buskars.

4. Flower Lady

Half way down the street is the impressive Elevador de Santa Justa, a 45 mt. vertical lift connecting downtown with the Alta Chiado district. At the top is a terrace offering wonderful views of Lisbon Castle, the Rossio Square and the Baixa neighbourhood.  

After crossing the Rossio Square, we arrive back at our hotel for a short afternoon nap before venturing out again for dinner. The pedestrian streets surrounding our hotel are full of restaurants, and we savour our first true Portuguese repast at the Sol Dourado Restaurant. On the menu, Caldo Verde, Cataplana de Bacalhao, all topped off with a great vinho verde. Heaven! As good as any meal we had in France...and this is just day 1.