Along the Avenue Liberdade in Lisbon there are kiosks where the locals and tourists mingle while stopping for lunch or a cool drink. After shopping in the elegant stores on the Avenue, I’ll stop and sit and have something to drink or a snack. In the evening when walking back to my hotel, I usually stop for an expresso and just sit and watch all the activity on this bustling Avenue. I get nostalgic and dreamy just thinking about it. The gardens and ponds with the ornate fountains along this broad central street are beautiful and peaceful once again. In the forties, I understand that black swans swam in these ponds. But the non-violent revolution of April 24, 1974 changed a lot of things and Lisbon’s public areas were sadly neglected. Today, there are some ducks swimming in the ponds. Lisbon seems to be renewing many public areas. Maybe the swans will return. Wouldn’t that be lovely? These kiosks, ponds, and gardens are each an oasis of calm and serenity right in the center of Lisbon. I don’t miss this travel experience when I’m there. I enjoy the ritual of my visits to the Avenida Liberdade kiosks. Take the time to just sit and enjoy these areas when you are in Lisbon. You will be very glad that you did.
Ponds and gardens near a kiosk on the Avenida Liberdade, Lisbon, Portugal. © 2013 Connie Hand. All rights reserved.
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Garden, Ponds, Fountains, & Kiosks
Along the Avenue Liberdade in Lisbon there are kiosks where the locals and tourists mingle while stopping for lunch or a cool drink. After shopping in the elegant stores on the Avenue, I’ll stop and sit and have something to drink or a snack. In the evening when walking back to my hotel, I usually stop for an expresso and just sit and watch all the activity on this bustling Avenue. I get nostalgic and dreamy just thinking about it. The gardens and ponds with the ornate fountains along this broad central street are beautiful and peaceful once again. In the forties, I understand that black swans swam in these ponds. But the non-violent revolution of April 24, 1974 changed a lot of things and Lisbon’s public areas were sadly neglected. Today, there are some ducks swimming in the ponds. Lisbon seems to be renewing many public areas. Maybe the swans will return. Wouldn’t that be lovely? These kiosks, ponds, and gardens are each an oasis of calm and serenity right in the center of Lisbon. I don’t miss this travel experience when I’m there. I enjoy the ritual of my visits to the Avenida Liberdade kiosks. Take the time to just sit and enjoy these areas when you are in Lisbon. You will be very glad that you did.
