LISBON
Q&A with Pedro Vieira, founder of Lisbon City Runners
At the nearby Miradouro São Pedro de
Alcântara, people are already sipping piña coladas to reggae beats mid-morning, with the city spread at their feet. There’s a hint of spring in the air, with the fi rst puff s of blossom evident on the trees between the tinkling fountains scattered around. Backtracking through the shuttered lanes
of Bairro Alto towards the river, I follow steps down to the gardens of Miradouro de Santa Catarina, where locals chat, drink beer, play guitar and smoke beneath the burly statue of Adamastor, the storm-battling giant in Portuguese poet Luís de Camões’ epic poem Os Lusíadas. The city views here at cafe Noobai are beautiful at this time of day, although the bartender tells me they’re even better in the purple haze of sunset.
HEADING FOR THE HILLS Lisbon’s hills have made fairground rides out of its public transport. Bee-yellow vintage trams — including the famous tram 28, which rumbles through much of the historic centre — roller coaster along the streets, while elevadores (funiculars) buzz up the steepest inclines, just as they have for more than a century. In downtown Baixa, Lisbon’s only street lift, the neo-gothic Elevador de Santa Justa (designed by Raul Mésnier, Gustave Eiff el’s protégé) presents passengers with 360-degree views of the skyline. Much newer on the scene is Lisbon’s fl eet of tuk-tuks. “Your limo has arrived,” chuckles Eduardo
Carvalho, of Tuk Tuk Tejo, the next morning. He’s a fast-talking, passionate man with a broad grin and a jumper that matches his sky-blue, open-sided tuk-tuk, which I hop into. “Lisbon is mountainous but compact, and the cobbles can be slippery — many
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struggle to walk here,” Eduardo says. “Electric tuk-tuks arrived in the city 10 years ago, and initially taxi drivers and cars overtook us impatiently; they thought we were just a fad. But now we’ve been accepted.” We trundle up to the pine-shaded
Miradouro Senhora do Monte, Lisbon’s highest viewpoint, where the wide-angle vistas reveal the city in all its multi-tiered glory — sweeping from the castle across the river to Cristo Rei, a late 1950s tribute to Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, and beyond to the forested mountains of Sintra. I recognise the historic centre, fading where the skyscrapers of modern Lisbon sprout up. “Tuk-tuks let you see all the detail without
the uphill slog and crowds. We can get to the places trams and taxis can’t, fi ll you in on the history, show you secret spots,” shouts Eduardo as we rattle through the noisy Alcântara docks. He suddenly swings around a corner
to one of these secret spots, puttering up a boneshaker of a hill to Miradouro de Santo Amaro, where a wizened Renaissance chapel has withered like the 400-year-old olive trees surrounding it. But it’s the Ponte 25 de Abril, leaping boldly across the Tagus, that fi lls the frame. Completed in 1966, the suspension bridge is the spitting image of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. And as staggering as the view is, we’re the only ones here — it’s silent but for the distant roar of traffi c and the gulls wheeling on the breeze. “Nice, huh?” says Eduardo with a smile,
more to himself than to me, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. I nod and trace the line of the hills with my hand down to the sunlit river, which in turn drifts to the deep blue of the Atlantic. From up here, you can have all of Lisbon at your fi ngertips.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO RUN? Early morning. Our runs start at 7am, when the city streets are empty. The sunrises from the miradouros looking out over the river are just beautiful. Later on, the big sights like the castle, cathedral and Praça do Comércio square get so crowded you can barely take a picture.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SPOTS? Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and Portas do Sol for incredible sunrise views, and Parque Florestal de Monsanto, because you can run for hours on beautiful trails and feel immersed in nature.
WHICH RUN WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO FIRST- TIMERS? The Castle Running Tour. It’s just 7km [4.5 miles], but challenging because of the climbs. If you’re in Lisbon for a short time, it’s a brilliant way to see the city; within an hour and a half you’ve seen many high points, absorbed a lot of history, visited hidden spots and had a workout — and all before breakfast.
lisboncityrunners.com
Right: Vintage trams trundle through Lisbon’s hilly streets
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