3. 1 LONELY PLANET: A DESCRIPTION OF A PLACE

Location of Lisbon

southwestern coast of Portugal, overlooking the Rio Tejo

History of Lisbon

old quarters of the city, the poet Fernando Pessoa, 1930s-era cafés

Nearby sites

Sintra, beaches, fishing villages

Architecture of Lisbon

Gothic and Moorish, cathedrals, monasteries and a castle, narrow streets

Things to see/do

visit museums and cathedrals, walk through the narrow backstreets, eat at a small patio restaurant, listen to fado, sit in a 1930s café, go to bars in Bairro Alto,

Food and drink

fresh bread and wine, fresh pastries and espresso coffee

What tense(s) does the writer use to describe Lisbon? Why?

Present tenses for giving information and facts about a place. Makes the description more immediate.

Do you think the language in the article sounds formal or informal? Why?

Fairly informal, and friendly (words like stroll, revellers partying until dawn, scattered) - also contractions like you'd, they've.

Do you think the writer likes the place? Why/Why not?

The writer likes the place very much. We can see this from the positive language he/she uses to describe it.

What kinds of details did the writer add to improve the sentences bellow?

The writer has added a wider range of vocabulary and details such as colours, shapes, sounds and feelings.

Trams travel along the streets of the old town

trams wind their way through curvy tree-lined streets

where many locals walk

Lisboetas stroll through the old quarters

In Alfama, people gossip in the public baths,

Village-life gossip in old Alfama

or restaurants where they enjoy bread, wine

over fresh bread and wine at tiny patio restaurants

and traditional Portuguese music

as fadistas (proponents of fado, Portugal's traditional melancholic singing)

In Bairro Alto, you can find many restaurants and bars which play live music.

In the hilltop district of Bairro Alto, ..., with jazz, reggae, electronica and fado filling the air

Night clubs around the town can be found in all kinds of interesting places

Night clubs scattered all over town make fine use of old spaces

In Lisbon you can do many things

enjoying a fresh pastry and bica, window-shopping, elegant Chiado, watching the sunset

Outside Lisbon, it is worth visiting the town of Sintra, and also beaches and fishing villages along the coast.

the magical setting of Sintra, glorious beaches and traditional fishing villages.

sound

hear the voices of the market sellers; liveliness in the air

smell

sweet smell of fruit; aroma of strong, fresh coffee and petrol fumes

touch

ripened in the hot sun

sight/sound

small three wheeled motorised vans; old ladies haggle over the price of the cherries

sight

farmers, or "contadini"; mountains of different coloured fruits and vegetables

sight/touch

firm red peppers, purple beans, tomatoes of all shapes and sizes

quaint

attractive in an old-fashioned way.

cityscape

a view of a city, especially a large urban center

lane

one of the parts of a road that vehicles travel along.

backstreet

a narrow street with walls on both sides

to wind

if a road, river etc winds somewhere, it has many smooth bends and is usually very long

stroll

to walk in a slow relaxed way

gossip

informal talk about other people’s behaviour and private lives

tiny

extremely small

singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques.

warmly lit cafés

cafés de luz cálida, acolhedora, difusa

hilltop

the top of a hill

reveller

someone who is having fun singing, drinking etc in a noisy way

dawn

the time of day when light first appears

scattered

spread over a wide area or over a long period of time

tucked away

be tucked away to be in a place that is far away or difficult to find

encompass

to include many ideas, subjects etc to cover or surround an area

pastry

a mixture of flour, fat, and water that you roll flat then fill with other food and bake; a small cake made with pastry

leafy

having a lot of trees and plants

Moorish

relating to the Moors (Muslim people from Northern Africa)

pavement café

part of a café which is outdoors or on the pavement or sidewalk

window-shopping

when you look at goods in shop windows without intending to buy them

wares

the things that someone is selling, usually not in a shop

ripened

fruit that is ripe is ready to eat

linger

if a smell, memory etc lingers, it does not disappear for a long time

fumes

strong-smelling gas or smoke that is unpleasant to breathe in

stall

a large table on which you put things you want to sell

firm

something that is firm does not feel soft when you press it – used especially when something feels right

liveliness

the quality of being outgoing, energetic, and enthusiastic; an atmosphere of excitement and activity

haggle (over the price)

to argue about the amount that you will pay for something

rebuke

to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong