What is life like for young people in Lisbon?

DW (English)

Every year, several million tourists visit Lisbon. However, many locals, particularly young residents, can hardly afford to live there anymore.

Transcript

00:00Hi, my name is Beatrice. I'm 23 years old and I was born in Lisbon.

00:04I've been living here all my life and I'm going to show you a day in my life.

00:08Beatrice recently moved to a suburb of Lisbon.

00:12She used to live in her parents' home in the city centre.

00:15She can now afford a room of her own because her boyfriend was able to buy

00:19an inexpensive apartment from an acquaintance.

00:21Okay, so basically this is a typical Portuguese household.

00:28It's a three-bedroom apartment.

00:30Recently my boyfriend bought this and I'm helping renovating because this was not renovated.

00:37We painted the whole things and put all of the furniture.

00:44Beatrice is having breakfast with two of her three roommates.

00:48One of whom is her boyfriend, Francisco.

00:51All are trained actors.

00:53They share the kitchen, living and bathroom, and the housework too.

00:58This is also something I've realised that there's not in a lot of European households,

01:03which is the tradition of drying the clothes outside.

01:07At least a lot of people tell me they think it's really weird in Lisbon or they're fascinated

01:13by it.

01:14And it's just, we have a lot of sun and actually this is ready to take off.

01:20In Portugal young people move out of their parents' home at an average age of 29.

01:25In Lisbon in particular, that has to do with the rents rising much faster than the wages.

01:36In the afternoon she has to head to the old town.

01:38She's late, but luckily so is the train.

01:41Almost all European countries I visited had better public transportation than Portugal.

01:46We have a decent amount of coverage, we just don't have a decent amount of trains or buses,

01:57so they're not as regular as they should be.

02:00Around 20% of Portugal's 15 to 24 year olds are unemployed.

02:05Beatrice works a second job as a tour guide.

02:08All of the people under him are sailors.

02:11Her tours last four hours.

02:14Beatrice shows her city mainly to foreign visitors.

02:17The city is beautiful from the floor to the sky.

02:20The floor is decorated.

02:22Sometimes you're looking at random buildings and you have beautiful tiles,

02:27or random sinks in marble, or beautiful balconies.

02:31She doesn't limit her tours to the main sites.

02:37She makes an effort to put across something of the feeling for life in Lisbon.

02:48The tour puts in stops so the visitors can sample Portuguese specialities.

02:53Beatrice tells them a little about their history and the local cuisine and its culture.

02:57I really like to feel that I'm showing my country, that I'm telling history,

03:08that I'm enolting in a way the food and the flavours,

03:12because I really like Portuguese food and I really like Lisbon.

03:16I love the city, I love the food, I just want to give that to the people who visit it.

03:23After dinner, the tour continues through the Old Town.

03:26The next stops are all about traditional Portuguese baked goods.

03:37Beatrice also talks openly to the visitors about things that concern her in Lisbon.

03:42The way her city is changing and mass tourism and foreign investors

03:46are pushing out the local people and small businesses.

03:50She hopes she'll be able to move back to the city centre again someday.

03:53I have nothing against globalisation and the evolution of times.

03:58I just want the traditions and the things that make the city unique to maintain.

04:03Beatrice herself makes a living from tourists.

04:07But she tries to influence developments and impart an appreciation for Lisbon's culture to the visitors.

04:13She winds it up with shots of the Xixinha cherry liqueur, a tradition in itself.

04:18So this was my day in Lisbon, adeus!

04:26What a national guide.

04:28I just want the news to be able to do these beautiful things that she wants us to work in

04:30in the opposite direction of the city.

04:30I just want to talk to me live in Lisbon.

04:30I'm not sure what she's doing here to see at the same time.

04:32I'm excited to be here to talk to people about

04:33the people of the family, and the family.

04:35I know it's a beautiful thing.

04:36The family desserto, they're a beautiful thing.

04:37And the family desserto is that they give into being a challenge of the people of the

04:41the people of the country.

04:42And also on the child, all the family of the children that are raised in a country.

04:44But I'm sure to be able to support the family of the family.

04:45But I know it's going to be able to stay in the country with one country.

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