This post features student writing.

I love Lisbon.

Though I enjoy cities in general for their liveliness and energy, I feel that Lisbon has a particular energy that is fascinating to me. There is so much going on in Lisbon, and there always has been; that is what draws me to it. It is a city of layers.

Lisbon has had these layers for centuries. We’ve learned that much of the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, meaning that most of the buildings we see were built after that—another layer of Lisbon. Among those buildings, we’ve seen the intricate tile walls that reflect Moorish design and style—more layers to the formation of Lisbon.

The very city is built on top of itself. We’ve climbed steep streets packed with buildings, and from the amazing view on the rooftop terrace of our accommodations, it is possible to actually see how the hills mean that the cityscape appears as building on top of building on top of building; layer on top of layer.

On our very first day, we got to see some of those layers. By visiting LX Factory, an outdoor shopping market with textiles and jewelry, we saw how a typical Lisbon neighborhood had been converted into a space with art, music, and crowds. We even went to a bookshop at LX Factory, which seemed to be in a converted warehouse. It had a tall ceiling, and books lining the shelves. Here was a repurposed space: it used to serve another purpose, but now it has a different energy and life than it did before.

Space is also repurposed and layered in Lisbon in the way of street art. Lisbon has so much street art, as we saw on a walking tour. It occupies many of the otherwise dead white spaces on the sides of buildings and sidewalks. I love how it reflects historical themes in Lisbon, such as the famous tiles, as well as more contemporary ones, about womens’ rights or the war in Ukraine.

As we’ve spent time in Lisbon, I’ve seen more and more layers. And as I’ve seen layers such as the ones I’ve described above, it has exposed even more to me: life beyond a tourist’s point of view. By taking walks through the neighborhood near our accommodations, I got to see normal Lisbon residents relaxing at parks, fountains, playing soccer, and picking their kids up from school. It was fascinating, because when someone is a tourist, they often don’t have the opportunity to see life in a city as it exists for those who live there, but when you transcend being a tourist – and can approach a city with genuine enthusiasm and curiosity – it opens up its layers to you even further.

I love how Lisbon’s layers express complexity and depth, imbuing the city with so much meaning; allowing it to exist in different ways at the same time, while still giving it the capacity to change. It is lively, refreshing, and rejuvenating. I will be very sad to leave Lisbon on Thursday, but I will remember its layers for a long time, and hopefully I will see them again some day!

Words by Anya G.

Photos by Anya G and Leaders Lis and Evan