Lisbon: Vasco da Gama Bridge, gently outside
It's been four days since I set foot in Lisbon. Memories of yesterday's city tour are still fresh. There are still pictures of Belem Tower, Geronimus Monastery or Discovery Monument painted on the canvas of the mind. I left the bed with the obsession of happiness. As my roommate Swapan is in the wash room for now, I melted the sandal and went to the lobby. The area we are in is called Baisha Chiado. Chiado is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Lisbon. And our hotel Borges Chiado and one of the Heritage hotels.
Now a little off-peak time, even if the room rent is reduced to about ten thousand rupees per night in Bangladeshi rupees. Of course, there is a complimentary breakfast. Most of the day at the conference we have to eat grass herbs (vegetarian meal) and dinner is not eaten properly because we have to make dinner early, so we have made breakfast the main meal. Even today he is no exception. At the breakfast table, the team leader Saiful Bhai informed that after today's conference we will visit Vasco da Gama bridge across the Lisbon. There you can visit one of the most famous factory outlets in Europe as well as shopping opportunities.
I also have some work to do today at the conference. I have a poster presentation tomorrow, so I have to mount the poster today. Early breakfast has been done since I woke up in the morning. We still have some time left for our bus to arrive, so we decided to take a look around this famous Baisha Chiado neighborhood in Lisbon. As soon as I got ready and entered the lobby, I saw that Swapan Da and Belal Bhai were also ready. All three of us went out on the street.
Vasco da Gama Bridge (wikipedia Link)
Let me tell you at the outset about our Heritage Hotel Borges Chiado. Built in 184, it is one of the oldest hotels in Lisbon. Michelle of Tradition and Modernity This hotel has all the comforts of modern comforts and at the same time the hotel retains its traditional heritage. Pictures of old Lisbon emblazoned on various walls of the hotel bear that signature. According to the tradition of Lisbon, there are rooms with balcony in almost every room. Located in the Rua Garret Chiado, this traditional hotel is very close to the main attractions of Lisbon. Rosio, the city center of Lisbon, is only a 5-minute walk away, as is the case with the Parca de Comoros. The nearest metro station is Bixa Chiado. As a result, there is no thought of traveling, and the famous tram 26 is only a short distance away. The hotel, which has been in business for more than a century, has been visited by various celebrities at different times. Many have even written poems about one, such as Fernando Pessoa or Ina de Quires, one of Lisbon's most famous poets.
Another famous restaurant right next to our hotel is Cafe Brasileria, one of the oldest cafes in Europe, not just in Lisbon. Poet Fernando Peshwa used to sit at a table here and sip a cup of coffee and write poems every day. We also took the opportunity to sit in a chair next to Peshawar and take pictures. I was walking to see this ancient area. Scattered all around the antique house. I was amazed to see that each house retains the old historical structure of its exterior and decorates the interior with modern molds. This fervent effort to nurture their own history and heritage inadvertently touched my heart. At one place I saw some workers working in a house under construction.
(YouTube Video) Parrot Anafi 4K first flight near Vasco da Gama Bridge
Here is the same scene, the outer wall is exactly the same as before, the inside is being rebuilt. I found out by talking to the workers. There is no permission from the municipal corporation to demolish the whole house. It can only be rebuilt without distorting history and tradition. Unknowingly, he bowed his head in respect to them. If only we could preserve the traditions of our Panam Nagar, Sutrapur or Shankhari Bazar.
I took a walk and saw several museums. With more time on hand, I walked a little farther to the river bank, then to the Parca de Comorosio, where I spent some time, passed Rua Agusta, crossed the Lisbon Gate, and returned to Rossio Square. We have to catch the bus from here. In the last three days, my mother's cousin Shuvo and his partner Faisal Mama have taken us around these areas on foot, so today we have no trouble recognizing the road. In fact, most of the major tourist attractions in Europe have to be visited on foot.
Lisbon said Rome said and Prague the same scene everywhere. Arriving at our designated stop, I saw that many of the group were sitting, the bus had not yet arrived. I took this opportunity to do window shopping in the nearby shops. One of the shops here is claimed to be the oldest shop in Europe. I don't know if it's true or not, but it looks very old, and their antique book collection seems quite rich. I was looking around and sighing, what is the combination of sadha and sadhya can be done all the time. Even then I bought a paper book on Lisbon, which is working now as I write this.
After a while the bus left and I got on the bus without delay. Our bus continued on the river bank, passing several parks and passing by the Parca de Commerce. It is only a few minutes straight from Rocio to the Parca de Comercio, but due to the one way traffic, it took us only 15 minutes to cross that route. Of course, there is nothing to do. The roads in the old town are not very wide, but there are also tram lines, so this arrangement. At a jetty by the river, I saw a huge 15-story pleasure boat floating.
Seeing me staring curiously at it, our today's driver-guide David told me that such cruise ships crowded the jetty two days a week. By boarding these, tourists can travel to various destinations in Europe by sea. Each ship is like a self-sufficient city. From super shops to restaurants, bars, dance floors, ballrooms, cinema halls, swimming pools, tennis courts are all there. Rents vary depending on the class of the room. From here you can cross the Baltic Sea and reach Sweden or Norway.
I went to see Mio Arena. Today is the fourth day of the conference. Tomorrow will be the closing ceremony, part of which is the marathon. Some parts of this marathon, mini, half, full and ultra marathon. The mini marathon is probably 6 km, half 21 km, full 43 km and ultra 50 km. Although many of us were enthusiastic, in the end none of us came forward and despite my wish I did not register. I didn't bring any running shoes or dress on him. There is no point in getting injured in this foreign land just by running in temporary excitement. Running a marathon without proper preparation can be counterproductive.
Entering the conference center, I went straight to the poster. I mounted the poster with the help of the volunteers there. This poster competition will continue if it is a huge one. I saw many like me busy preparing for the last moment. It is a matter of pride to be able to present in such an international program. Scientists from all over the world have come to present their research knowledge in this program. At least 500 posters will be presented at this year's conference. It is a great pleasure for them to represent their country. We were reminded once again of our red and green flags flying with other countries outside the conference center.
It is very fortunate to have a paper at such a world-class conference. They do not accept unless they have good quality authentic paper. And the inhuman work that goes into making this kind of paper seems to be paying off today. For the time being, I have been working in different halls and getting to know about various scientific updates. In the meantime, I met Victoria, a medical student from Germany. Victoria, originally from Berlin, volunteered here. Hasn't finished graduation yet.
A very beautiful young woman of 20-21 years. Quite smart in conversation. Next year's program will be in Berlin, he invited her in advance and also praised his country. I also did not miss the opportunity to represent my country. We did not forget to mention the location of the Sundarbans, the largest white sand beach in the world, Cox's Bazar and the largest mangrove forest in our country. Victoria also showed interest in coming to Bangladesh. By exchanging e-mail addresses, I assured them of all kinds of help in Bangladesh.
I said goodbye this time with the promise of seeing you again tomorrow. Participating in a few sessions, I had lunch with herbivores (vegetarian mills) at the conference center and joined the rest of the group at pre-arranged points. Some of the group entered the shopping mall next door, it took them some time. Eventually, when everyone was together, we set off for the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Lisbon, we drove through various alleys to Ponteo Vasco da Gama. The shape of the bridge could be seen from a distance. Next to it is the Lisbon Tower. Inaugurated on March 29, 1997 on the occasion of Expo 97, the 18 km long bridge is considered as one of the architectural masterpieces of the twentieth century. Built as part of the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's entry into India in 1498, the bridge is largely curved like a bow. One part of it is much higher than the other part. From our today's guide, it is learned that this kind of arrangement is done so as not to hinder the reproduction of different species of fish in this part of the river Tagus.
However, it seems to me that this work has been done here due to the intensity of the current of the river or to facilitate the movement of huge pleasure boats. While crossing the bridge, I noticed another strange thing, most of the vehicles are crossing the bridge without paying toll. Surprised to ask the driver, he pointed me to a white box attached to the front dashboard. In fact, it is a sensor. If this sensor is installed, auto toll can be given through scanning. This box can be recharged with a pre-paid card or with the facility of deducting money from a bank account as postpaid. Two years later, while traveling from this head of Spain to Omatha, I realized the usefulness of this box. Another thing I noticed while crossing the bridge by bus was four lanes on one side of the bridge and only two lanes on the opposite side.
These lanes are changeable to draw the attention of our guide again. Now during office holidays so everyone is returning home at the end of the office, resulting in high traffic pressure in the city exit line, so this time two lanes are being used more in the exit line. On the other hand, due to the high pressure of vehicles in the in-line, then two lanes were used in the in-line. Most people in Lisbon live outside the city. Every day he comes to the main city from outside and returns to his home after completing his work. I came across this famous bridge.
After crossing the bridge, our guide pointed to a town on the other side. This is where the famous footballer Luis Figo was born and raised. As soon as we saw, we went to the free port, the name was Bairo Alto. This is the most famous free port in Europe. From here, most of the products are imported and exported to Europe. This free port is the gateway for entry and exit of various products especially from Asia and Africa.
As the bus dropped us off at the parking lot, we began to look around for a different kind of shopping hub. Everyone from all over the world came to Bagha Bagha Company with their own factory products. As it is duty free, the price of things is much less here than in the shops. But as I said before, these outlets are not really for the poorest tourists like me. Still, with a lot of courage, I bought two bags of Kelvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger for my wife. It's time to go back a lot. After crossing the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the bus took us to different parts of Lisbon and dropped us off at Rossio Square. Will have to go out for dinner again at night.
I have a poster presentation at the conference tomorrow, then the holiday, which means farewell. But I have decided to stay for a few days, so I have changed the return flight by extending the holiday. Many of the team are planning to return to Spain from here. I saw many people planning to go to Madrid from here tonight and leave all day tomorrow. Spain and Portugal are side by side. As both are registered in Shenzhen, there is no problem of visa. I don't have that opportunity anymore; So I stepped towards the hotel without crowding in that group anymore.