Two lisbons

Driving west last winter along the Androscoggin River, we came upon the sign—Welcome to Lisbon, incorporated 1799. Immediately a vision of a similar sign entered my mind. Its greeting read: Bemvindo a Lisboa (Portuguese for “Welcome to Lisbon”). Were the two somehow related?

A bit of research and I had the answer. Maine’s Lisbon was incorporated in 1799 and named Thompsonborough for Samuel Thompson, a Revolutionary War general who owned huge tracts of land there. A few years later, in 1802, the townsfolk disagreed with the general’s views (opinions vary as to which) and petitioned for a name change. The reason they gave was that Thompsonborough was too long. They suggested “Lisbon.” But, why “Lisbon”?

It was the fashion at that time in Maine to use names of places far beyond the borders of the newly incorporated United States of America.

To be sure, Portugal’s bustling capital city seems the

exact opposite of Maine’s small, quiet, inland town.

Yet, take a trolley through the Alfama, Lisbon’s

oldest neighborhood, dating back more than 1,000 years,

and you will find yourself riding along quiet cobbled streets

and alleys that wind up, down, and around a hill overlooking

the Tagus River—all oblivious to the hubbub of the city

less than a mile away. The photo here shows a trolley

making its way through the Alfama, where the streets

are so narrow that, in many places, pedestrians must tuck themselves into doorways to let the trolley pass.

A veritable labyrinth, to be sure! Even Google Maps

has a difficult time finding a pathway out! Yet no visitor

should pass it by, especially toward evening when singers

known as fadistas fill the air with their melancholy fados

(a form of music for which there is really no simple translation,

but for the Portuguese one that evokes a deep feeling

of nostalgia, a yearning for something or someone).

Another not-to-be-missed district in Portugal’s Lisbon

is Belem. It, too, dates back hundreds of years. Relatively

new to the area is the 172-foot-tall Monument to the Discoveries completed in 1960. The photo here shows only a portion

of the monument. But take a look at the figure leading the way.

He is Henry the Navigator, the 15th-century Portuguese

prince who encouraged exploration of the world beyond

Portugal’s shores and established a school to train

explorers and navigators. Today, Prince Henry still points

the way to our shores, and, for me, those of idyllic Maine!

P.S. Belem is also home to one of the most delicious desserts

in the world—pasteis de nata, the national sweet of Portugal!

A delightfully light and creamy custard fills a puff pastry base—

take a look at a few in the photo here! My mouth is watering at the thought!

Join me next time when Maine—Window to World trains its lens on another part of the world.

Comments are welcome: rosalie@ivycloseimages.com