Elevador da Gloria: some cars need a wash

(click to enlarge)

Lisboa is a city of hills, but has some transport options to help with the climbing. Elevador de Gloria goes up to the Barrio Alto neighborhood from the district below.

Elevador da Gloria looks like a tram but only runs up this hill and back down. It has a twin that makes the opposite run, out of sight around the curve at the bottom

Lisboa has many charms, but made me, who often appreciates graffiti, wonder how much is too much. And related to this particular graffiti on the Elevador, who knew there was a Beach Boys revival? We were waiting for a bus one day near Lisboa and part of the queue was a group of teenage German girls. They sang Beach Boys songs to pass the time. I was amazed that they knew the lyrics and the harmonies so well!

But then, another day, at a miradouro atop another hill, two guys were jamming classic Brazilian tunes. The drummer was Brazilian, but the guitarist was from Poland. "You should not be surprised," he said. "Brazilian music is everywhere."

Like graffiti, I thought. Only smoother.