Jose Saramago's Lisbon

In Jose Saramago's Words for a city, he wrote
"In recent years Lisbon has been transformed,
has managed to reawaken in the conscience of its citizens
that strength that hauled it out of the mire
into which it had fallen.

In the name of modernization,
concrete walls have been erected over ancient stones,
the outlines of hills disrupted,
panoramas altered,
sightlines modified.

But the spirit of Lisbon survives,
and it is the spirit that makes a city eternal.

Entranced by that crazy love and divine enthusiasm
that inhabit poets,
Camoes once wrote
that Lisboa was a princess among other cities.

 We will forgive his exaggeration.

It is enough that Lisbon is simply what it should be
-cultured, modern, clean, organized-without losing any of its soul.

And if all these virtues end up making her a queen,
well, so be it.

In our republic,
queens like this will always be welcome."
Translated by Amanda Hopkinson & Daniel Hahn.

Someday I want to read this in Portuguese.
But for now, this is also good enough for me.

To me Lisboa is the most gracious queen of all cities.
Some prefer Porto, but not me. 

I just love this city full of culture and activities.

It has everything for each person, modern and chic
but also old and charming.