Expo and Oriente
A visit to the World's Fair
Images of
Lisbon--Part Three: Oriente and
ExpoOne part of Lisbon that is
complete new is Oriente. Formerly an industrial wasteland, Oriente was
transformed into a popular destination, as well as a new neighborhood for
Lisbon. Expo 1998 was held here, and attracted 10 million people (the equivalent
to the population of Portugal itself). To ensure the future of this area,
housing units and office buildings are going up, along with shops. Lots and lots
of
shops.The
ultramodern Oriente station (above) is reminiscent of the TWA building at JFK
Airport, and wisely incorporates subway and commuter lines. The Vasco da Gama
shopping mall (below) is a beautiful modern structure, but I am sure the 16th
Century explorer would be appalled to know his name is thrown on to everything.
I am half surprised no one thought of a tacky logo like "Discover the
Savings."The
entire Praça do Nacões was rather subdued the day I was there. I
visited the Oceanario (below, left) and the Torre Vasco da Gama (below, right).
The Oceanario is one of the best I have ever visited, and I have been to a few.
The design has a One-Ocean concept, with a huge tank full of diverse sea
creatures in it, and it's three or four stories tall. I don't even know how it
holds all that water, let alone the fish. The building has four corners, one
devoted to each major ocean group. The higher floors feature the birds and
mammals that inhabit the shorelines. The Torre Vasco da Gama offers a panoramic
view of the Tejo River and Oriente and the new Vasco da Gama Bridge. The Torre
looks like the prow of a ship. I was the sole person on the observation deck;
and I couldn't have lunch without a reservation (another Portuguese catch that
made the trip
less-than-splendid).The
Oceanario and the Torre are connected by a wide boardwalk and a dual string of
Swiss-made cable cars, and taking the trip between the two gives you a great
overview of the entire park. The Oceanario's cutiest attraction is a pair of sea
lions (lay-oush, in Portuguese). Their anticd kept me amused for 45 minutes. The
mother sea lion balanced herself on her back while she cleaned her baby, who she
kept in line on her chest. The father spent most of the time swimming in a
circle, trying to clean his own nether
regions.
Some
of the most beautiful things at the Oceanario were the smallest, like these sea
anemone.
Posted: Wed - December
13, 2000 at 01:11 AM