Lisbon, Portugal - City of the Seven Hills
Portuguese refer to Lisbon as the "cidade das sete colinas" thus accounts for why the streets are quite hilly in some parts .
Yet another port fabulously rich in history and architectual marvels. But being on a tourist schedule, especially while on a cruise, one really needs to decide whether to be selective and focus on one area to explore or to just get a superficial but macro perspective of the city.
Well, for Lisbon we inadvertently fell into the second track...or rather, the choice naturally happened to us when we found out that being a Monday, most of the museums and cultural attractions are closed ( this is the case generally in many parts of Europe). Plus, not wanting to be tied down to a ship-to-shore excursion we took off to experience the local city trams (for 2.80 euros each) to transport us to the Belem district.
Undecided and attaining no consensus even between the two of us, whether to take in Jeronimos Monastery or Tower of Belem first, I simply flipped a coin in my head and we got off at the front of the imposing structure that came up on the tram stop and strolled the outer reaches of the extensive church /monastery
Mosterio dos Jeronimos - one of the most important monument to celebrate Portugese naval prominence during the Age of Discovery ( 1400 to early 1500's). It was built to mark Vasco de Gama's ( navigator & explorer) successful voyage to India. King Manuel I chose the monument's site to be on the banks of the Tagus river (quite fitting as tribute to sea voyages) and invited St. Jerome Order or Hieronymite monks to occupy it.
The architecture here is noticeably different & I later found it is called 'manueline' style or Portugese late Gothic - it possesses a distinct Spanish plateresque (silversmith) technique.. but that's not all, the style synthesizes aspects of Gothic, Italian and Flemish influences as well. This manueline architecture is well examplified also in the Tower of Belem which we did not have time to visit on this occasion.
From the grounds of Jeronimos Monastery, Tom noticed the ubiquitous two-decker tourist buses whizzing past .. lets just get on ?? ...so here we ended up atop the sunny top deck, gabbing with fellow tourists (met up with two interesting ladies who just completed a bike tour of Amsterdam-Bruges on a barge) sampling their bag of cherries and snapping whatever that comes into view...
Quay that fronts Terreiro do Paco- these pods look to be relaxation way to soak up all this sunshine
Praca do Comercia - was one of the areas rebuilt after the destruction of the 1755 earthquake. The large public square is known as Terreiro do Paco (palace square) because it was the location of the previous (Royal Ribeira Palace)
Unfortunately the statute of King Jose (1775) on his horse symbolically crushing snakes on his path was covered up for renovation.
Different exteriors are found in the buildings ..here is one which celebrates the renowned Portuguese literary giant - Jose Saramago who won the nobel prize in literature in 1998. His books often offer up sharp criticisms on society and religion. His most notable work is 'Blindness' which tackles the themes of human condition & values
Eden Teatro was one of Lisboa's major cinema/theatre but closed in 1989 and now converted to an apartment hotel
Campo Pequeno bullring of the 1890's. It's design has a distinct Arabic influence. Unlike the Spanish, we are told the bullfighters in Portugal only wrestle the bulls to the ground & rendering them immobile since King Miguel in late 1800's banned killing of bulls as inhumane
Man's gota eat ...so we hopped off the bus and found a patio diner on a street corner. I used the occasion to sample some local dish - Francesinha - which was quite a hefty meal as it turns out as it's a layering of beef and cured ham (linguica), chipolata, all covered with melted cheese and a delicious tomato based sauce & with an egg on top!
Tom just has a burger and beer.
Parque Edwardo VII is a scenic formal park in a roundabout with great views down the hill to the harbor. Standing atop the column is a monument to Melo, or Marquis Do Pombal with his house pet, a lion. The Marquis was credited for the rebuilding of the city after the disasterous earthquake that fell on Lisbon on All Saints Day - November 1, 1755 (est. magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale). 85% of the Lisbon's buildings were destroyed, including the famous Royal Ribeira Palace and royal libraries.
Here are good examples of the Portugese sidewalks we heard about on board the ship. This 'calcada portuguesa' is a traditional style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal. It is more than a sidewalk, its a mosaic art-form that reflects a culture & history beneath ones' feet. We also noticed it in other ports visited. The undulating wave like optical illusion was also prominent in La Ramblas pedestrian street of Barcelona.
Towards late afternoon we took the oldest city trolley 'eletrico 28'. This legendary tram 28 is a tourist attraction all its own as it passes by the oldest parts of Lisbon and takes you via narrow tessera stoned streets to the Alfama district - during the time of Moorish domination, Alfama constituted the whole of the city. The name comes from Arabic 'Alhamma' meaning fountains or baths.
on way to the miradouro
Igreja de Sao Roque (side view only) known to be very ornate and opulent in its interior although has an austere stone exterior
We arrived finally in Alfama to the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara - a garden with a panoramic view over Lisbon. It's a family place it appears & lots of locals hangout ..so a great ppl watching stop to get some refreshments after an appreciation of the views from the belvedere terrace
In the distance is historic St. George's castle 'Castelo de Sao Jorge'
On the tram 28 you also pass the Portas do Sol Alfama which is a lovely lounge terrace recently opened (2009) with viewpoints of the Tagus river. A statute of Saint Vincent of Fora, patron saint of Lisbon, holding a boat with two ravens guards the entrance to the Portas do Sol (gates to the sun) Miradouro
Time for ice cream and while Tom caught up with some free Wifi downloading, I checked out how the 23% VAT was affecting the shops around the main shopping strip - prices are quite comparable with home...the VAT already reflected in the tags on goods
Beautiful facades typifies traditional Lisbon style
To the left an assortment of different homes existing together - urban vs rural
Pics from our cabin balcony of the 25 de Abril Bridge, built by the same company that constructed the San Francisco bridge, as the ship pulls away from Lisboa shores
The giant Monument to the Discoveries honors Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator and the country's leading explorers
The Belem Tower (Torre de Belem) built in Manueline style has guarded Lisbon's harbor since 1520. It is the first and last sight of Lisbon for the sailors as they voyaged abroad in search of gold, diamonds & other riches
