The Cais das Colunas lies in the edge of the Terreiro do Paço, a platform protruding into the Tejo estuary. The columns that name it have been coming and going, and it seems that they were on their day off at the time Roque Gameiro stopped by to visit.

Little has changed in the century that spans between these two images. The São Paulo square remains pretty much the same since the time of Roque Gameiro. The late 18th century style architecture that characterized the post-earthquake reconstruction prevails. The 19th century fountain is still in the center of the square.