Designed by Santiago Caltrava as part of the city's Expo 98 event, Oriente station is a stunning looking structure with a beautifully lit structure covering a less stunning concrete railway, metro and bus station. I was looking to explore behind it in one of the old expo buildings for a rumoured fair.
It didn't take me too long to find it. Feria Internacional de Lisbon is a venue that houses a Christmas Fair that due to a successful run had been given an extension into January. Open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday and today being a Sunday, today would have been the only chance to visit it.
Fortunately it was open and very quiet with perhaps a dozen people in the hall and half as many security guards walking around. I don't know if that was normal or stepped up following the Paris atrocities of the weeks leading up to this trip.
Indoor neon looks a bit odd and the sounds bounced around the venue but the shiny floors reflecting the light gave this a weird ambience.
The fair did have a coaster, and the first of this trip was yet another Wacky Worm.
Lisbon has never really had a theme park culture to call it's own. The only permanent coaster was in a mall and that had closed a few years ago. The fairs is now all the city has.
So after a quick 2-lap stroll of the venue taking photos when the guards' backs were turned, and a little bite to eat it was time to head back.
Saw this poster on the metro and thought that if you wanted to show maximum efficiency you'd wouldn't want people peppered with paint, nor would you want them not wearing protective face masks.
Any opportunity to show this clip, has to be taken!
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