Have you ever experienced a feeling that you belong to a certain city? You feel that you have been there and every street, every building, bus stop and train station, big or small stores seem familiar. This feeling is called Déjà vu. But it’s not a déjà vu, it’s kind of hidden connection which unites a person with a particular place. This is what I felt after arriving in Lisbon, I just realized that I love everything is this city: the narrow streets, where I used to constantly get lost, the antique trams, the hills on which the city stands, the scent of the ocean-which I can’t live without and finally the open-hearted people.
Lisbon is a city of contrasts which combines modern architectural structures with antique palaces, renaissance churches, castles, monasteries and 18th century buildings and avenues. Located on seven hills and overlooking the majestic Tagus River, Lisbon is also famous for its graffiti artwork. You may have a feeling that someone is looking at you or is running toward you when walking the streets of Lisbon at night, but in the morning you see real works of street art.
You can find a large variety of graffiti in the center of Lisbon in The Amoreiras Wall of Fame. It is an open-air art museum situated between Marquês de Pombal Square and the Amoreiras Shopping Center. It is located in a big avenue called Conselheiro Fernando de Sousa.
The Amoreiras Wall of Fame is surrounded by five star hotels and buildings where lots of lawyer and business offices are located. It’s the wealthy part of Lisbon and drawing graffiti there had an essential meaning of underlining social and political statements.
Lately, because of the economic situation the topic of graffiti changed a bit from social and took political side. Along with political graffiti such as the huge drawing of Angela Merkel controlling Portuguese politicians like puppets one can find many other drawings and portraits among them portraits of Einstein and Monroe.
Many Lisbon tourists complain about the huge number of graffiti art in Lisbon and say it destroys the ancient sight of city, but at the same time there are many visitors who consider that graffiti is a form of art that reflects the time we live in and shows the sides of the life that are covered with beautiful and luxurious restaurants and hotels.
“In life there must always be “pauses”. Pauses when nothing happens to you, when you just sit and look at the world and the world looks back at you”. I don’t remember who the author is, but as you look at Lisbon and you gradually start realizing that the Portuguese capital has completely enchanted you.
