Parque das Nações, Lisbon in the Golden Hour

I blogged recently about my fondness for the historical centre of Lisbon. However there are only so many crumbling, elegant facades, wrought-iron balconies and yellow trams you can photograph before it’s time to seek out something new.

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Neighbourhoods like Alfama, Castelo and Graça might be the main focus for many of Lisbon’s visitors but a few brave ones make it all the way down the red metro line to Gare do Oriente (Oriente Station). The station, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is a fantastic piece of modern architecture with a stunning metal and glass canopy that forms the central hub of the newest part of the city – Parque das Nações.

(please note I will cover Oriente in a future post as it deserves a photo gallery all of its own)

Parque das Nações, Oriente station, and the spectacular Ponte Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama bridge) were all built for the 1998 World Expo. I was there on honeymoon and although we missed the grand opening we did spend a few days checking out the various exhibits and shooting off a few rolls of film in my then-new Pentax camera.

Over the years since it could be said that the area has aged quite badly in terms of how the infrastructure has held up. The calçada paving is uneven and constantly under repair, signs are chipped and everywhere you look things seem to be a bit tired.

But if you overlook these issues and instead simply watch the local Lisboetas as they go about their Sunday afternoon stroll you may come to the conclusion, as I did, that the architecture and overall design of the place is still rather beautiful – especially as the background to the pastel sky of a winter sunset. It’s a minimalist’s paradise of subtle tones, reflections and strong vertical and horizontal elements. Hopefully I have done it some justice in these photos.

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Equipment Used

• Nikon D7000
• Sigma 17-50 f/2.8
• DxO Optics Pro
• Adobe Lightroom
• Google Nik Collection

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