Boarding Pass: LIS

Photo map of Lisbon. Click on image for interactive map.

Every traveler loves to add something new to their list. A new city, a new country, a new continent. So do I. The twist came when I developed favorites. “I love you, so I never want to see you again” isn’t really what humans do. Sometimes a place just fits, and it leaves me wanting more. Lisbon is like that. My first visit was several years ago, and I’ve wanted to return ever since. The Portuguese have a word for this: saudade. The sentiment is “Miss you already.” Time and opportunity finally aligned to bring me back to one of my soul cities.

Elevador de Santa Justa. I’ve missed you, friend.

Given the amount of time that had passed since my last visit, I was no longer the same person who visited Lisbon back then. Fundamentally, sure, but I have new interests and passions now. When I was here years ago, I hadn’t yet discovered my love for photography. Lisbon is a gorgeous city with that compact European walkability we Americans find magical, a perfect candidate for a photo project. Add to that the early December timing with the added glam of holiday lights and decorations, and I had a recipe for a slam dunk. I booked the same hotel as last time because it was perfect, and looked forward to eating at restaurants I knew and loved. Familiarity was turning out to be the greatest travel guide I ever consulted; recommendations completely customized to my tastes and goals for the trip.

The day we arrived was cool but gorgeous. We dropped by Hotel Santa Justa, scored an early check-in, and headed right back out for some photography. We followed the Tram 28 tracks through the heart of old Lisbon, knowing we would have some beautiful views, colorful architecture, and iconic streetcar shots. After detours to Praça do Comercio and Pink Street, we grabbed a slice of pizza followed by a power nap. When the sun wont down, the Christmas lights blazed on. We swung through the Rossio Christmas Market, then strolled through Praça da Comercio again to see the holiday displays. Dinner was at Swagaat, our favorite Indian restaurant from our previous visit. With a busy day after a long night of travel complete, we crashed to rest up for our outdoor adventure the following morning.

A driver gets the job done on Tram 28.

Another of my more recent interests is birding. I kind of fell backwards into it and of course, dragged Jay with me. I started photographing birds in my backyard as practice for other wildlife trips I was planning. My reasoning was that birds were smaller and faster than my other subjects would be, so if I could get them in focus, I should be able to handle a lemur or a gorilla. As I practiced, I became interested in identifying the birds I was seeing and started to feel the excitement of spotting new species. As luck would have it, I am married to a gifted wildlife spotter, and we started bringing our birding dream team out to the local lakes and parks. With our Lisbon trip in the works, I investigated birding opportunities in the area. I thought I might find some local parks to check out; even common European birds would be new and exciting to us. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve just across the bridge is one of the premier birding locations in Europe, and December is prime time to see migrating birds! I booked a birding tour with Birds and Nature Tours Portugal and packed my hiking boots, binoculars, and long lens. This would be the first trip for my Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary zoom lens, or as I like to call it, Big Punisher. At 2kg, it feels only marginally lighter than the OG Big Pun (RIP), but the reach is required to shoot small things at a distance. Y’all won’t be laughing when I’ve got shoulders like LeBron from toting this thing.

A break in the clouds just in time for golden hour with this flock of glossy ibises.

The morning of our birding adventure dawned dark and rainy. Nevertheless, our guide Hugo arrived right on time to pick us up and whisk us across the Tagus River. We spotted some flamingos from the bridge, but Hugo had a plan. He knew all the best spots around the estuary, and his identification skills blew us away. As we made our first stop, the weather cleared and favored us with a little sun. We saw a lot of small birds, as well as some larger ones like cranes and ibises. We traveled on to a park next to a shuttered wildlife management office, where I spotted my number one target for this trip: the Eurasian hoopoe.

The Eurasian hoopoe proves he does more than just look crazy.

A bird who looks even crazier than its name, the hoopoe is common in Portugal but was brand new for us Americans. The rain started again, but I was basking in the warm glow of my hoopoe shots. We waited out the rain for a few minutes in the truck, then hopped out for a few more hoopoe encounters and viewing of shorebirds. Hugo then took us through the town of Alcochete and on the the nearby salt pans, where I would receive my flamingo fix. The post-rain light was soft and golden, giving a beautiful environmental ambience to the abundant greater flamingos. Although I had seen flamingos before in Mexico, those were American flamingos, so I got to add a new species to my list. In total, we saw 65 species with Hugo in about three hours of birding.

Greater flamingos peacefully coexist in the salt pans near Alcochete.

Back in the city, we spent the afternoon relaxing and checking out all our cool bird photos from the morning. As the sun set, I came up with a few ideas for some more experimental shots to take advantage of the Christmas lights. I took test shots from our balcony and decided on a multiple exposure technique with one shot in focus and the other at maximum blur. I tried it out as we walked to dinner, and was pleased to get interesting results. The lights were beautiful enough on their own, but inspiration struck so I went with it.

Holiday fun with a double exposure image.

We had our final Lisbon dinner at another old favorite, Solidó. On our prior visit, we had eaten there and lucked out with a table by the window. It was such a moment back then, sitting there and looking out over the city, set to a soundtrack of live fado, Portugal’s signature music. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was still early, and the same table was available. As we lingered over a delicious dinner and listened to the fado singer, I felt the city embracing me once again. I welcomed the saudade I knew I would feel in the coming days after my return home, because I know how to cure it. Leave a light on for me, Lisbon; I won’t stay away long.