Highlights of Lisbon

Up and out early today. We had three walking tours to take that would take us through some of the highlights of Lisbon.

There is a Metro underground station right out the front door of our hotel. We bought all day transportation passes for €5 that allowed us to use the Metro, the buses, the trolleys and the funicular that takes you up to the Barrio Alta (upper city). It is a real deal and the transportation system here is one of the best I have seen in any city in the world.

Sao Roque Church ceiling

We subwayed three stops to the funicular, a cute, very old trolley car that takes you up a short, but very steep street to the Barrio Alta. at the top we walked over to the Sao Roque church. It is a stunningly restored church with a ceiling painting as beautiful as any I have ever seen. Several of the side chapels are also must sees, especially the next to last on the left with Christ on the cross but surrounded by dozens of the cutest little cherubs you ever saw.

Down the street we came upon a little patisserie that we stopped in for a bite of breakfast. We ordered to cafe de leche and two lovely baked items. But the highlight was the people watching. This was a true neighborhood cafe and the folks lingering over their morning cappuccino and roll possessed some of the most wonderful faces you'd can imagine. I wish i could have photographed some of those sun burned and lined faces from years of sun and hard work.

Off we went until we found the trolley line we thought we wanted to take. We saw a lot of the city but suddenly the trolley came to a halt and the driver told everyone they had to get off. He left the trolley and walked towards a cemetery  across the street and disappeared leaving all the passengers wondering what happened. We all milled around getting to know each other a bit and after about 15 minutes, the driver suddenly reappeared and after we all reboarded, without a word, he continued on his route.

Eventually we figured out where we needed to be and that was in the opposite direction we had gone. So we made the decision to take another trolley and head for Belem district, about a 30 minute ride out on the edge of Lisbon.

Here we explored the beautiful Monastery of Jeronimo cloisters and church. The famous explorer, Vasco da Gama's tomb is inside this church. He is paid tribute in part of the designs in the I interior. Knots are carved into the stone pillars as well as symbols of the nautical life. Even artichokes are carved as a reminder of the effect they had on sailors suffering from vitamin C deficiency.

Down the street but also within the old Monastery it the National Maritime Museum. It houses a wonderful collection of antique nautical instruments, period uniforms, ship models and even some old boats. I was most impressed with the old navigation instruments. Other than that it was a rather disappointing collection.

Beginning to feel a bit peckish, we headed for a place we had picked out ahead of time for lunch. The Restaurante Os Jeronimo was described to us a great place for fish and we wanted to try it out. Despite being crowded we got seated within about 20 minutes and the very friendly and helpful staff helped us order just the right items. We'd read that we should allow the wait staff to make recommendations and follow them. We ordered a beer each and the waiter suggested an order of clams to start.  They were amazing! Fresh, steamed perfectly and dripping in a garlic, cilantro and butter sauce, they just melted in our mouths.

 

Our mains were great as well. I had a seafood dish which was supposed to be thickened with bread. Hard to describe but it came out with a raw egg yolk in the middle which the waiter folded into the mushy dish making it turn a bright yellow. It was like a risotto with shrimp but not.

Leslie got a fish we never did get identified but it was a whole, mild white fish that had been charbroiled and was surrounded on the plate by a small salad and boiled potatoes. It was just a lovely lunch and we topped it off with our second cafe de leche of the day.

Out the door, we caught another trolley heading back more toward the center of Lisbon and another that took us up near the top of the Alfama neighborhood. We got off and began a slow and steady climb up the hill toward the castelo, peaking down narrow side streets, into shops selling the famous Portuguese tiles and ceramic statuary and stopping to gaze out across the city below at vistas along the way. Street artists were here and there painting Lisbon scenes and selling their work.

We decided to walk back down the hill instead of taking the trolley which turned out to be serendipitous as we found even lovelier shops and eventually an artist who was selling art that we had to have.

In a small shop we spoke with a very nice proprietor who allowed us to listen to several tracks from a CD of Fado music. If we bought only one Fado CD, this is the one to get he insisted. It included several songs sung by the reputed best Fado singer of all time, Amalia Rodrigues. We have been listening to it as we drive through the countryside. Talk about mood music!

Further on down the hill we came across the artist whose art we purchased.

Finally, at the bottom of the hill we re-entered the Baixa neighborhood where we wandered through a more upscale shopping street with cafes and on to a Metro station. Three stops later we were back at our hotel. What a day!