Several young girls in the prime of youth are standing, waiting for us next to their eye-catching colorful cars in Rossio Square in the heart of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
These are small Beetle cars of the Volkswagen brand, and the idea behind them is that a Portuguese company collected these vintage cars dating back to the early seventies and named them “Lisbon Bay Beetles.”
The drivers of these tourist cars are exclusively young women, attracting the attention of both visitors and locals alike. As we strolled with a group of media friends aboard these cars to explore the historical center of the capital, we noticed people distributing smiles and waving their hands to the caravan of colorful Beetles with shades of purple, yellow, and red.
The tour took us through winding paths between the hills of the capital to discover the old historical center of Lisbon and enjoy its famous landmarks such as Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower. The girls synchronized in front of every historical monument or striking scene, allowing us the opportunity to take pictures, especially next to the historical palaces and timeless monuments built by the Portuguese in the eleventh century.
We saw many squares, cathedrals, and historical landmarks, with the most prominent being the Belem Tower, constructed in 1515 to protect the port of Lisbon. UNESCO considers it a world heritage site, designed by the Aruda brothers and built by King Manuel I.
Belem, which means Bethlehem in Arabic, is the point from which the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama set sail on his two-year journey, discovering the Cape of Good Hope and, consequently, the route to India. This enhanced Portugal’s military and financial standing. The exciting tour ended in the famous Rossio Square, a magnet for tourists from around the world, featuring a statue of Dom Pedro IV, who ruled Portugal between 1826 and 1828. The square is surrounded by numerous cafes, restaurants, and shops.