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With its many monuments,
museums and ancient quarters, Lisboa has also become, in the past decades, a
cosmopolitan capital with a rich cultural life, animated events (from
classical music to rock concerts, traditional bullfights and football
matches), lively late-night entertainment (discotheques, clubs and bars
along the waterfront, for example) and large commercial centres with
fashionable shops.
Spreading across hills on the north bank of the Tagus
estuary, the city is proud of its days of glory during the Age of Discovery,
as can be seen in such monuments as the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a
magnificent monastery from the 16th century, or the Torre de Belém, a tower
built as a fortress near the river Tagus that became a symbol of the
Portuguese era of expansion. Many other historic monuments and museums are worth
visiting, such as the Castelo de São Jorge (once a Moorish castle with
superb views over the city), the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (a national
art collection within a 17th century palace), the Cathedral and churches
such as São Vicente de Fora.
You should not miss the old and fascinating quarters with picturesque houses
and narrow streets, such as Alfama and Bairro Alto, which now exhibit fashionable
restaurants and bars or the fado houses, where this typical music of Lisbon
is sung accompanied by guitars.
More modern developments, such as the Centro Cultural
de Belém (featuring concerts, shows and exhibitions) or the grounds where
the Expo´98 was held, with a gigantic aquarium, illustrate new tendencies in
architecture and entertainment.
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