来瑞典之前，我一直不明白为什么瑞典人一到天晴就出门晒太阳，融入之后才知，是由于瑞典常年多阴雨，又靠近北极，冬天夜长，这才使得人们更渴望通过阳光来帮助舒缓一下抑郁之情，更多地补钙强体。

　　所以，每当节假日，瑞典人都会如潮水般去往南欧国家，来一场欧洲版“夸父追日”。而在我所知的南欧国家中，日照最充足的当属葡萄牙。葡国一年365天中就有超过300多天阳光灿烂。今年有次小长假，我和女友丹雅就特意安排前往葡萄牙里斯本，去拥抱阳光，开启一周的“阳光旅行”。

　　（一）

　　事实上，这次是故地重游。四年半前的圣诞节，我们曾经来过这。如今，漫步在里斯本高低起伏的马路上，虽然记不清当时的许多细节，但看到的一切还是与四年半前的景象几无二致。时光老人的脚步，看来走得很慢，只是少了上次冬天的凉意，多了当下的春日阳光。

　　里斯本市中心的人行道多以砖石铺就。几百年的时光，人们的脚步已将过去的粗糙磨得光滑，将以往的“生硬”变成和谐。眼中的街道显得十分宽敞，两边高大的梧桐，像威武的战士站立在街道两旁，既装扮了景色，愉悦了视野，又为行人遮阳避暑。

　　走着走着，我们便看到了作为里斯本标志物之一的有轨电车。在有着悠久历史的欧洲，意大利的米兰、匈牙利的布达佩斯和葡萄牙的里斯本这三座城市，至今仍拥有并运营着古老的黄色有轨电车。这种欧洲最古老的有轨电车，距今已有近150年，在给里斯本这座城市增加历史厚重感的同时，也增添了一丝西洋的浪漫。

　　丹雅迫不及待地拉上我，一同体验这别致的“厚重”的浪漫。有轨电车像位老人，慢悠悠地爬到坡顶的Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara。电车发出的吱吱声和街道两旁墙壁上街头艺人涂鸦的壁画，这种古老与现代的碰撞，真的是一种很难用语言来描述的“陶醉”。

　　随着电车一点点爬高，远处的风景也渐渐显露了出来。车到坡顶，视野豁然开朗。下了车，再往上攀走约两百米，我们站上了观景台。春风拂面，登高望远，放眼四周，里斯本大部分的老城区尽收眼底。橙红色的屋顶，白色的墙面，高大的树木，爱美的人们在窗台和院落里种的小花，交相辉映，依山就势铺陈开来，直至远处的大西洋。这真是一幅绚丽夺目的风景画。

　　一路爬坡，我们来到了位于市中心的圣乔治城堡。由于历史的缘故，欧洲许多城市都建有城堡，且都建在高地或山坡上。这座城堡规模不大，但地理位置极佳。在城堡上，人们可以俯瞰到城景和宽阔的特茹河，不仅能观察到霍塔河对岸山顶的圣象，还能看到横跨霍塔河的标志性建筑物“4月25日大桥”。

　　大多数人来到里斯本后，还会乘坐火车或的士前往离市中心约30分钟车程的辛德拉市一探佩纳宫。

　　佩纳宫极具浪漫主义色彩。这座于19世纪兴建的王室行宫，由各种不同风格、不同色彩的建筑组合而成，其大胆的配色，在整个欧洲城堡中都不多见。城堡主要采用了亮黄、橙红、蓝色及乳白四种颜色，宫殿也兼具哥特式、摩尔式及文艺复兴式等不同风格。兼收并蓄的和谐之美，不是更印证了多文化交融的魅力吗？

　　（二）

　　来到里斯本，就必须到坊间作一番深度“考察”。

　　整洁干净的小街小巷，就像上海的石库门和弄堂，生活气息极浓。窗台上摆满鲜花，穿着背心悠闲而懒慵的人们，或随性或专注地打量着来往的行人。一只灰白色的小猫眯缝着眼睛，在墙角悠然地享受阳光，路人经过时，毫不惧怕，还舒适地伸着懒腰。散落街旁的各式小馆子，让空气中充满了阵阵诱人的香气。

　　但最吸引我目光的，还是每栋房屋墙壁上那五彩斑斓的瓷砖。每一块瓷砖都有其独特的纹理和颜色，而不同的纹理和颜色，无序地铺陈在每面墙上，却显得如此协调。这使我想起2019年在中国召开的亚洲文明对话大会。文明，不会、不能也不该有冲突，在交流中丰富、在丰富中和谐。这或许也是多彩的“瓷砖之国”对人类文明的启示。

　　葡萄牙的点心很有名，特别是享有盛誉的蛋挞。记得上次来里斯本时，在位于市中心的Pastéis de Belém烘焙店，吃到了可以说是人生中最好吃的点心——葡式蛋挞。这次在朋友的推荐下，我们去了一家据说更好的烘焙店，名叫Manteigaria。门前长长的队伍，无声地印证着它的名望。

　　我透过密匝的人流，踮脚探头，向内张望，想尽早一睹“芳容”。长长的队伍在有序地向前推进，熟练的店员让速度推进得令人满意。轮到我们点餐时，一位戴着工作帽、扎着围裙的高挑美女，音起手落，按要求麻利地夹出了两个蛋挞，手指轻点，咖啡机迅即转动。在等待咖啡的间隙，她迅速收好了餐款，一个华丽的转身，热乎乎的咖啡和热腾腾的蛋挞就一并交到了我们手中。

　　端着色泽诱人的蛋挞和香浓的咖啡，我们慢慢往屋里移动，这才发现，大多数人都是站着的，根本没有座位。我们好不容易在角落处找到一个可以容得下两人的空位，学着当地人在蛋挞上撒上少许肉桂粉，开始大快朵颐。一口下去，先是感受到脆脆的酥皮，紧接着就是那鲜嫩爽滑的馅心，浓浓的奶香加上鸡蛋的香味，瞬间，美美的幸福感充斥于唇齿之间。三下五除二后的回味间，虽感略甜，也算上品，但我仍难忘之前去过的Pastéis de Belém店的口感，也许这是我的恋旧情结吧。

　　阳光让人亮堂，和谐方致多彩。美丽的里斯本让我难忘。我还会再来的！

I had long been wondering what was behind the fascination of Swedes about “going out for a bit of sunshine” until I had a chance to spend several years under the overcast and rainy sky of this Scandinavian country that is snow-clad for five months in a year. Sunlight, for Swedes, is an antidote to depression.

My girlfriend and I went to Lisbon earlier this year for our vacation. We enjoyed every minute of our stay there, and came to understand the meaning of embracing the sun.

It was our revisit to Portugal four years after we spent a happy Christmas there. A leisurely walk on the city’s undulating streets and in one of the winding alleys refreshed my memory of our winter trip four years ago. Although many details have become hazy, nothing seemed to have changed. The only difference was that, this time we were welcomed by the cascading sun of spring. Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon is one of the rare Western European cities that faces the ocean and uses water as an element that defines the city.

The city stretches along the northern bank of the river Tejo as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. As the terrain rises north away from the water, steep streets and stairways either form the old tangled districts or give way to green parks in the western suburbs. The sidewalks that have been trodden on for hundreds of years add to the soothing harmony of the city life. Lisbon’s “Main Street”, Avenida da Liberdade, is a broad boulevard resplendent in leafy trees, chic hotels and upmarket shops.

Lisbon is served by an extensive bus and tram network. The city is one of the three European cities (the other two being Milan and Budapest) that still have Europe’s oldest tram system in operation. Tram (or “Eléctrico” in the Portuguese) Line 28 is one of only three traditional tram lines that still operate in Lisbon. The iconic, yellow-colored Tram 28 winds its way, like an old man who has seen the world, through the “Old Town” of Lisbon beginning in Graça all the way up to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, taking you by many of Lisbon’s most famous and interesting sites including monuments, churches and gardens. The thrill brought by such fusion of antiquity and modernity was beyond description. The trip is hilly, noisy and hectic but it affords many beautiful glimpses of the city.

A bird’s eye view from the observatory presents the city’s unique architecture and floral vista blending well into the Atlantic Ocean to the fullest. It is an ideal place to relish the enchanting cityscape characteristic of white-bleached limestone buildings, intimate alleyways, and an easy-going charm that makes the city a popular year-round destination.

Located up the hill, Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle) has a great view over the city and the river Tejo. If you have the energy, get there by walking from downtown, going through the fantastic old neighborhood of Alfama.

Ponte 25 de Abril, the sister bridge of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, was designed by the same architect in 1966 to connect Lisbon with the Setubal peninsula across the Tagus (Tejo) River. Formerly known as the Salazar Bridge, it was renamed after the Carnation Revolution, which on April 25, 1974 ended the dictatorship.

The Palacio Nacional da Pena, located in Sintra (about half an hour’s drive from the city center), is one of the finest tourist attractions in Portugal and exemplifies the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture. The palace is a hedonistic mix of vividly painted terraces, decorative battlements and mythological statues, all of which stand at stark contrast to the lush greens of the Parque de Pena forest. The interior of the Pena Palace is equally as fascinating, being restored to reflect the decor in 1910, when the Portuguese nobility fled to Brazil to escape the revolution. Surrounding the Palacio da Pena are forested grounds, which continue the design ideals of Romanticism, with hidden pathways, mystical ornaments and stunning vistas.

Portuguese dining rituals tend to follow the Mediterranean siesta body clock, meaning that you have to slow down and put your mobile phone away to truly enjoy the “slow life” of Lisbon. A whole afternoon can be whiled away surveying the magnificent colors of the ceramic walls that make every building a piece of art.

Rossio is the main square in Lisbon, the equivalent of London’s Trafalgar Square, which is a common meeting place for locals. This is a must visit for all visitors to Lisbon to experience city life. The trendy district of Principe Real with all the fancy shops is just a 5-minute walk from Bairro Alto.

Take a stroll along the historical streets of the elegant shopping district of Chiado, stopping for a cup of coffee with the statue of Fernando Pessoa, Portugal’s great Modernist poet. Head uphill to Bairro Alto, for stunning views of the city and some wild partying in Lisbon’s most popular nightclub district.

Completely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake by the Marquês de Pombal, Baixa in downtown Lisbon has a planned layout that is greatly different from the more ancient neighborhoods, and is a testimony to the ideas of the Enlightenment.

Alfama still bears signs of the Moorish presence in the city, with the buildings very close to each other, and very irregular streets. This very atmospheric neighborhood is a great spot in which to wander around.

Try the magnificent pastéis de nata at any pastelaria; or better yet, visit the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém (Casa Pasteis De Belem). They are served right out of the oven there, with the side of confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon; as you navigate through the azulejo-decorated labyrinthine passages of the expansive shop, stop to look at the workers behind glass panels turning the endless stream of these delicacies, just baked, each in its own little ramekin, over onto the waiting trays. These are absolutely a must eat and you can’t possibly regret it. It’s good to accompany your treat with a cup of coffee. For a taste of the cafe culture of Lisbon that is also a mainstay of Portugal, you can’t go wrong by trying one of these coffee shops scattered abundantly through the city’s quirky narrow streets.