Lisbon

Hi everyone,

I posted a really big blog from Lisbon but it seems to have disappeared. I don't know if anyone read it before it vanished, but if not I will do my best to rewrite it.

Our first full day in Lisbon was very warm and sunny. We left the apartment and followed the tram tracks down to the town. We are immediately above the town but because of the steep, narrow, hilly streets it takes about 20 minutes to get there. The centre of Lisbon is laid out as a grid with large public squares. It is very easy to get around. We found the HopOn HopOff bus and its partner, the Hill Tram Car ( a mini version of a W class tram). They have lots of little trams in Lisbon as there are many narrow, steep, winding treets in the old part of the town.

We also went on the Santa Justa elevator which was originally built to deliver goods from the lower part of the city to the higher part and vice versa. It was designed by a pupil of Eiffel. Three were built and this is the only one left and is a great tourist attraction. It is built next to a 14th century church on the top level. This church was one of only three man made structures to survive after Lisbon's 1755 earthquake. The rest of the city was levelled. The castle of St George and the Aquaduct were the other two.

Later we went to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (the Monastery of Jerome) and the Padrao dos Descobrimentos ( the Monument to the Discoverers). The monastery is a very beautiful building. It is huge and very imposing. Several Kings and Queens have their tombs there, as does Vasco da Gama, the Portugese explorer who found the sea passage to India. The monastery was built to honour the explorers and to celebrate the success of the Portugese seafarers.

Through a park and under a road and a railway line we got to the waterfront area, which is the place the sailors set out on their explorations. To commemorate this a very large statue of a caravelle was erected in 1960 (the 5th centenary of Henry the Navigator - the King of Portugal at the time). The caravelle has 42 huge figures on it. Twenty-one on each side, representing all the people involved in the discoveries, from the king to a sailor, a mapmaker, a ship builder, a priest, etc. It's amazing. On the forecourt in front of the caravelle is an enormous map showing the places the Portugese discovered in this period.

When we got back we walked home - 30 minutes back as it is all uphill. After a rest we went on up the hill to the Castelo de Sao Jorge (the Castle of St George). This was the site of Lisbon's first settlement and is situated on the top of the highest hill of the town. It is just above our apartment but it is about a 1 km walk to get to the entrance. There are lots of cats and peacocks here.The views are spectacular from the castle walls, but really not that much better than the views from our apartment.

When we got back to the apartment we walked the other way down our street to the little restaurant that is at the bottom. It didn't look much but the food and the people were lovely. The owner even organised to book a taxi for us on Friday so we could get to the airport. Had a lovely call from Caroline and Benj at 10.00ish on Thursday. There had been a large earthquake in Southern Spain. Reassured them that we were not going south, we had changed our minds about Grenada partly because of the earthquake.
 
On Thursday we went on a bus tour to Sintra, the mountainous area just outside Lisbon. It has been the summer retreat of the kings and queens of Lisbon for hundreds of years. It is incredibly beautifully. An enormous parkland dotted about with the grandest stately homes and palaces. We went to Pena Palace the summer retreat forKing Ferdinand and his family in the 19th century. He designed it in a variety of styles - very whimsical. It was furnished in the Victorian style, totally over the top!!!
On the way back we stopped at Cape Rock, the most westerly point of Europe. We watched the wild Atlantic for a while and then headed back towards Lisbon on the coast road passing some of the most expensive and exclusive properties in Portugal.
 
 
Have really loved Lisbon. It's a beautiful and charming city. Full of castles, palaces, churches and MUSEUMS!!! Every stately home, grand house and palace has been turned into a Museum, housing an enormous range of subject areas from tiles to electricity from antiquities to modern art.
Lisbon is wonderful and we are very sorry to be leaving. Our apartment is gorgeous, Light airy and well appointed. We fly to Barcelona tomorrow and have our last few days in Europe.




Love to all

Maz, Great Gran and Andi