It’s A Kind Of Magic

The Soul-Soother and I are in Lisbon for a well-deserved break from the wild world of work. The plan is to absorb as much of the local culture as we can before heading north to soak in martinis and soak in a pool.

We spend the first day swealtering around the ins and outs of charming Lisbon.  With its winding roads and back alleys, the place reminds me of other Mediterranean villages. We take one of the quaint trams to the top of one of the hills to visit the castle complex.

The view from the castle is stunning. We have a clear view of the River Tagus as it meanders its way into the Atlantic ocean.  I feel the spirit of the great voyagers walk beside me.  Surely Magellan or Vasco Da Gama sat here and contemplated what the great unknown would bring them?

The grounds are wide open spaces which do not leave much room for shade in the noon-day sun.  Keeping a bottle of water with us is proving to be the best idea we could have come up with but we are attracted like moths to a flame to a room inside one of the turrets along the fortified walls of the castle itself.  We are told to wait as the next show will start in 15 minutes’ time.  Apparently one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s devices has been reconstructed in the Tower of Ulysses and is shown to visitors throughout the day.

We wait and before long, it is our turn to be welcomed by the cooler air inside.  There is not a lot of space and about twenty people are allowed in at any given time. We all stand reverently around a huge round table wondering what is about to happen.  The room is poorly lit (which explains why it is cooler) but I can tell that an American family is standing next to me as their accent gives them away.

The Tower of Ulysses

Our host introduces himself and talks to us about Leonardo’s concept for a periscope.  The concept is easy enough – one or two well placed mirrors and a simple lens allows you to see over high buildings. Or castle walls.  After the brief introduction, the remaining light is dimmed, pulleys are activated and the image from the very top of the tower is reflected on to the round table in front of us.  The table top is concave and that gives us a full 360-degree view of the city.

It is beautiful and breath taking. I almost think of it as a canvas upon which a painting has been miraculously drawn.

The American next to me shifts a little and asks our guide, “So, what are we looking at here? What is this?”

The guide looks at him and without batting an eyelid says, “It’s a real-time image of the city”

The American turns to his wife, obviously impressed, and whispers, “Did you hear that honey? Da Vinci had real-time technology in his day too!”

I look at him and realise that mirrors have yet to reach certain parts of the US.

Do you know what a mirror is? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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~ by unexpectedtraveller on July 20, 2009.