View from Castelo de São Jorge

It seems that every tourist in Lisbon was converging on the Castelo de São Jorge or Saint George’s Castle. It is one of the most important landmarks in the city and it unsurprisingly occupies a prominent location within the city. The castle has very old origins dating back to 48 BC where it started as a simple fortification. This spot was an obvious choice for a fortress since it was the highest point in the area. This makes defending the place easier as well as making a good spot for observation. The fortress transferred hands over the centuries from the Celtic tribes, to the Romans, the Moors and finally the Portuguese who finally renovated and built the first proper castle at the site.

The result is a castle right in the middle of the city of Lisbon. Despite the large number of visitors to the castle, there was still a space within the complex. When I first entered the complex, I realized how high up we were and proceeded to the park. It was probably coincidence that the park was also very shady with a lot of trees, which gave us respite from the noon day sun. From here, visitors can get sweeping views of the city of Portugal. It is a shame I don’t know too much about the city that I wished I would have been able to identify some prominent structures in the area. Visitors can also see the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge which traverses the Tagus River.

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