Although Lisbon is Portugal’s major port on the Atlantic Ocean, it is actually on the Tagus River about eight miles (~13 kilometres) from the ocean. That is what makes it a safe harbour, sheltered from the Atlantic waves. There is a suspension bridge spanning the river to connect Lisbon with Almada on the south side. The bridge was completed in 1966 and renamed to “25 April” to commemorate the date when the Carnation Revolution of 1974 created the Third Republic of Portugal.
The bridge resembles the Golden Gate bridge. It is about a mile and a half long (˜2.3 kilometres), the longest suspension bridge in Europe and is slightly longer than the Golden gate bridge by about 300 feet (100 meters). In addition to road traffic, there are two pairs of rails suspended below the roadbed for train crossings of the estuary. You can watch the video in full screen mode by clicking on the tiny box in the bottom right corner of the video player.
It was rather quiet on the dock when we arrived.
Another bridge was built in 1998 called the Vasco da Gama Bridge. You might think the next picture is a bridge but is an aqueduct. It is not an ancient Roman structure but was built in 1748 to bring drinking water into the city. Because the Tagus river connects to the Atlantic Ocean, the water is salty and not suitable for drinking. The aqueduct was so well built, that it was not damaged by a major earthquake in 1755. The city found another way to get its drinking water after 1973.
