2025/04/28 Massive power outage throughout Portugal.
After a day, the cause of the problem is now known. It is apparently related to a sudden increase in voltage in the Spanish electricity grid, which triggered security mechanisms and led to this blackout. A committee has just been set up to identify the specific cause.
During the blackout, Portugal’s compassion was always felt.
Traffic paralysis caused long queues for buses in tourist areas, and sometimes it was impossible to get on a bus because it was full.
Traffic lights would stop working, but cars were moving without major accidents due to the spirit of giving way. When people pass, they usually give way, and I feel the compassion of Portugal.
There are people drinking beer and drinking in cafés, children playing in parks, and old men walking their dogs. Back in Lisbon, some people are very commercial, asking if you want to take a tuk-tuk. Some people are doing business with them.
There’s no shouting. Everyone is looking out. I think they are anxious. But they were calm because if they were impatient or anxious, it wouldn’t make any difference. (Although some of the tourist areas were a bit scary.)
I didn’t notice the blackout until four hours later.
I was on a boat in a little rural town. There was no signal here, all the buildings were dark and I thought it was a strange atmosphere. When I went to a café, I was told ‘Everything closed’. Why? I asked, and that’s how I found out about the situation.
I remember when I was travelling, wondering how I was going to get home today… and for the first time in a long time, I wondered if I was going to stay in the open air, or if I had to find a roof. (Thank God the buses were moving…)
Today I live in peace and quiet.
