Lisboa – Not Finished Yet

I have not failed to mention, have I, that all of the coastal areas of Portugal are hilly.   I am not talking about hilly like Cantrell Hill in Little Rock or Cardiac Hill in Atlanta.  The land here is nothing but hills, one steep hill after the other, and the Portuguese built cities with cobblestone streets on them, so up and down you go – or sometimes a set of steps offer an alternative but after 25 or so steps, they are no relief.  But the hilly streets make beautiful sights!  I love, simply love looking up one steep street lined with antique buildings on either side or looking down on a winding street, no bigger than an alley, where people live, might have clothes hanging on a line or might be enjoying a tiny cup of strong coffee with friends at one of the amazing street-side coffee shops or restaurants. 

Food?  The food here is delicious.  On the menu, there are always a few offerings of bife, porco, or frango (beef, pork, or chicken) but peixe is king here.  Every bite of fish we have had has been fresh, well-prepared, and delicious!  Portugal is a place for foodies!  And although Portugal is known for its wines, their beers are superb as well.  A cerveja has become a noontime refreshment for us.

We returned to Lisboa today (Tuesday) thinking it might be our last, but there are at least four more spots we yet want to see so we will return tomorrow.

We checked the weather before we left the apartment but surprise, surprise; instead of the fully pleasant day the Weather Channel promised, the day was misty and very cool.  I was thankful I wore my sweater.  I know this will be very strange to all of you in an immense heat wave, but today was cold for us.

One absolutely cannot visit Lisbon without walking and getting lost in Alfama District. It is the oldest section of Lisbon and is a community in a tight net of cobble streets going up and down and this way and that.  It can be a maze.  If lost, just wind yourself, zig-zagging downward toward the water.  Otherwise, you might wander the streets for days.  Two grand churches are in Alfama – the Cathedral of Lisbon, the oldest church in the city, and the National Pantheon which honors tombs of Portuguese important people.

 The Cathedral of Lisbon survived earthquakes and has been built and rebuilt many times over time since it was first founded in 1147.  Wow!  It’s been classified as a National Monument since 1910.   What makes this particular church unique is that its chapels which normally line the right and left walls of the seating area of a grand church are instead, built in a semi-circle behind the main sanctuary.

Moving on to the National Parthenon, this beautiful holy place never served as a church.  Although construction on the ground began as early as 1568, the original structures collapsed.  Construction was tried again in 1682 but the architect died and the sponsoring King lost interest.  Finally, the church was completed in the 20th century when the dome was added.  It is very pretty, in fact, it is fantastic but today it is considered simply an architectural museum laying honor to famous people – some are actually entombed in the vaults we saw but some are honored here but buried elsewhere.

We tried to go to Padrao dos Descobrimentos today but we just could not make it happen today.  Instead, we took the bus to the Jardim de Botanico.  The walk through this small but lovely very old place was refreshing and did us good.

Still not satisfied with seeing all we need to see here in Lisbon, we returned again on Wednesday—this is day five in Lisbon, and remember, we planned to spend only three.

We had only four spots on our list today.  Three were situated on the waterfront in Belem and very near to each other.  The fourth was on the waterfront but completely on the other side of town.  Oh, we also had a fifth to-do today.  We needed to purchase a new piece of luggage.  When we picked ours up at the luggage carousel in Lisboa, one piece was cracked, a wheel was missing and there was a hole in the side.  What happened??? All contents were fine but that piece of luggage is going no farther.  We filed a claim with TAP Airlines but have received no word on it yet. 

We were uncomfortably cool yesterday so we dressed in layers today, and took umbrellas and windbreakers.   Thank goodness we did, we needed them today!

We took a bus starting at 8:35 am from Ericeira, then a subway, then a tram to Belem on the far west of Lisboa and the northern bank of the Tagus River.  I am so happy we did not miss this.  There, right on the banks or the Tagus River was the Tower of Belem, then the Padrado dos Descobrimentos,

The Tower of Belem (Torre de Belem), is officially called the Tower of Saint Vincent.  Unbelievably this 4-story fortification was built in the 1500s, out over the water, just as the river enters the ocean, and it served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers.  Some say it might have been the last sight Portuguese sailors saw as they sailed out into the Atlantic.

Both the Belem Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery just down the street were named UNESCO World Heritage Sites in about 1983.

The day was damp and cool.  After the Tower, we stopped at a tiny place sitting out on the river and had pricey cappuccinos and pastries.  Are we getting spoiled?   We have been eating pastries and drinking cappuccinos in the mornings and having a tall beer at lunch. Who knows what we will do next?

Then, and this is what drew me here to this far east place on the river, was the angular monument standing juts on the river’s edge, called the Padrao dos Descobrimentos.  Just take a look!  This unusual monument was erected in a temporary form in 1940 as part of the Portuguese World Exhibition.  It was deemed so important that it was reconstructed in 1960 in a more permanent form.  It honors important historical figures who played key roles in expansion and discoveries made during Portugal’s Age of Discovery.  This beautifully crafted monument depicts people from many ages along the way forward and upward from Middle Ages.  The figures do not symbolize specific people but navigators, map-makers, soldiers, colonizers, missionaries, writers, and artists. Finally but just a few steps to the east, we arrived at the nearby Jerónimos Monastery.  This plaza and complex are tremendously big and tremendously elaborate and beautiful.  The line of people to go inside was tremendous as well.  We’ve seen our fill of beautiful monasteries and churches in the last few days so we passed on standing line for admittance to the inside and simply walked the entire length from left to right but did not go inside. 

We boarded the tram and a subsequent bus and made a quite long but very scenic trip through the city to the eastern side of town.  The bus dropped us off at the door of the National Tile Museum (Museo Nacional do Azulejo).  I was particularly excited to learn more here about the history of these wonderful blue tiles we see so often set into walls of buildings, bridges, and more.

We bought our tickets and saw that situated just past the entrance was a lovely, shaded tropical outdoor restaurant.  It called us inside.  It felt nice to simply relax in a beautiful setting and enjoy a sumptuous lunch.  As we waited to be served, we were asked if we minded sharing our table.  Of course not!  The delightful couple was from Tel Aviv and spoke impeccable English.   Like at an intimate dinner party, we had a completely enjoyable time sharing our experiences, our life stories, and more.  Lunch was served and passed.  We kept chatting.  Finally, we paid our bill and realized we did not have time to see the museum and still catch our direct-route bus home.  Phooey!

Stan wanted a Hard Rock pin, probably the 60^th in his collection from all over the world???  The restaurant was only two blocks from the Metro Station where we had seen a piece of serviceable luggage to replace mine that was destroyed on our flight to Lisbon. 

We bought the pin – and it’s a really pretty one!  We bought the bag and then we caught the direct bus home.  Sometimes things just fall in place.  As I always say, “Check!”

We might have to return to Lisbon for DAY 6!!!  I’d still love to tour that National Tile Museum. 

. . . And we thought three days!