Preocupante

Chegado por e-mail, por Mário Fernandes:

«Mais um turista desiludido com Lisboa, assaltado no eléctrico, decepcionado com a atitude da polícia, com as mesas de plástico no castelo que serve "junk food" no seu café, e que diz não querer voltar. É esta a Lisboa que se apresenta cada vez mais a quem gasta o seu dinheiro para visitá-la. Uma cidade desleixada, terceiro-mundista, sem qualquer dignidade. Julgo que esteja condenada a isso. Estarei enganado?

«Have just returned from Lisbon following a five night stay. Was particularly interested in Lisbons Moorish history and so, as one might expect, the Alfama district was on our list of must sees. What an ugly experience we had! Headed up on the No 28 tram, full to bursting with tourists. An extremely clever robbery then took place on said tram, whereby we were 280 Euros poorer by the time we'd reached the castle! This robbery was perfectly executed by at least three men and an old woman. The old woman was standing at the side of the tram driver and as the bus was so crowded I thought she was being kind when she moved aside a little in order to make space for me. Wrong! This was done to subtly separate me from my husband who was then equally subtly surrounded by three men. Even though he had a zipped wallet attached to his front jeans pocket by a chain (this wasn't obvious to the eye), he was jostled by the men during the trams jerking movements but was unaware that they'd expertly removed the wallet from his pocket, unzipped it and removed every one last note. We were left with nothing. We had to walk for ages until we found a police station whose police officers almost yawned as they listened to our account of what had taken place. We spoke to several locals during the course of our week in Lisbon and were repeatedly told that tram 28 is a notorious pickpocket venue, the thieving gangs being known to police but that nothing was ever done to address the problem. We were informed that thieving gangs were rampant throughout Lisbon but that the Alfama area was particularly bad. Reading through Trip Advisor entries headed 'crime in Lisbon' or '28 tram Lisbon' etc one can see how serious a problem this is. My husband and I have travelled the world and realise that one finds crime against tourists everywhere. Our experience has shown us however, that crime is taken more seriously in some countries. Lisbon, including the Alfama area, really does need to get a grip on this. Locals informed us that the tram drivers, some restaurant owners and even the police were a part of the problem. Our own observations would support this view. Another thing which disappointed us immensely was that nowhere in the castle or the Amalfa area was there any public recognition or information of the centuries of Moors' rule. At best, there was an odd sentence making reference to it. Perhaps more might have been gained in this respect by being part of a tour. Who knows. One was left with the impression however that Portugals Moorish past was deliberately kept low key. The entry charge to the castle was in our opinion not worth paying unless you don't mind wandering aimlessly around the walls and admiring the view ( these same views can be enjoyed for free elsewhere). Even the cafe's inside the castle walls are nothing but overpriced tourist traps...junk food , plastic tables, pigeons pooing and eating off plates. Dreadful experience. I would strongly advise you to seek out the knowledge of a reputable local guide should you be really interested in the local history and not just meandering aimlessly around the streets. Using the services of a reputable local guide may well offer you a little protection from the local thieves too, although I wouldn't bank on it. Please, before travelling to Lisbon, do read the numerous accounts written on Trip Advisor and other sites on the serious, and rapidly increasing incidents of crime against tourists. We've been shocked by our own experience as well as by the experience of others. Lisbon really does need to address this problem seriously otherwise people, like us, will choose never to return.
Visited June 2013
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g189158-d195649-r166431825-Alfama-Lisbon_Estremadura.html»