A Trip to Lisbon

Hello!!!!  It's been a while since I posted an update.  It's been so busy and a little difficult to keep up with my blog lately.  Lots of travel and a new job (actually, a new job in addition to my old job).  But all is good and it was a really great summer.  I'm hoping things will slow down (at least a little) for the next few months and I'll be able to get back to more regular updates.

I've been wanting to share some pictures from our trip to Lisbon, which we took with my parents in early September.  When we moved to Russia in the summer of 2010 (3 years already!), my parents visited us in St. Petersburg for 3 weeks during the following summer.  The next year, we all went to Paris & Normandy together.  And this year, we decided to visit Lisbon.

 

It was really a fascinating city.  One of our friends described it as "gritty", and that is absolutely true.  But I we found it to also be beautiful in it's own way - full of art & old world architecture, lively & friendly people, great music, and interesting food (although not always easy for our vegetarian).  It's built on 7 hills, so there are all sorts of hidden alleyways and surprise vistas to overlook the city.  And it was incredibly affordable place to visit.

We stayed in an apartment in the Chiado section of the city. Apartments are such a great option when you are traveling with friends or family, and want to be able to spend time with each other without sitting in a hotel lobby or bar.

Here's a few views from the apartment

Our street, Rua Garrett

 

 

 

Se Cathedral in the background

In this post, I'll share some pictures from the city of Lisbon and Belem.  In the next post, you'll see pictures from our day trips to Sintra and Fatima.

Like I mentioned, it's a city full of views since it was built on 7 hills.  I learned that the city of Lisbon is considered the oldest city in Western Europe,  having been a settlement since around 1200 BC.  Today, it's a city of 500,000+ people, and is the westernmost city in Europe (and the only one located on the Atlantic Ocean).

We took a lot of pictures from the tops of various hills, overlooking the River Tagus.

 

If you like music, Portugal is known for a musical style called Fado.  It started in the early 1800's and is typically characterized as being a Portuguese folk song, accompanied by a guitar, which is typically very sad & mournful.  They are songs about the harsh realities of life or any other subject related to loss or a feeling of desperation.  Sounds fun, right???  We visited a Fado house one evening for dinner, called O Faia.  It was really cool.  Three different singers, each with a very different style.     

 

 

One of the highlights of Lisbon is the Castle of São Jorge.  It's located in the Alfama section of Lisbon.  It's one of those places that you can see from almost every spot in Lisbon - a great land marker.

Its oldest parts of the castle date from the 6th century, when it was fortified by the Romans, the Visigoths (Eastern Germanic people), and eventually the Moors.   It served as a Moorish royal residence until Portugal's first king, Afonso I, captured it in 1147 with the help of northern European crusaders on their way to the Holy Land.  At that point, the castle was dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of England,  and became the royal palace until the early 16th Century.

It was a great place to walk through, exploring the gardens and artifacts

 

Some of us climbed the walls, while others stayed below to explore.  Hi Dad!

Cool view from the top of one of the castle walls.

Walking through the streets of Lisbon, it was interesting to see all of the unique tiles, vibrant painted doors, and iron balconies on each of the building.  All were a little "gritty", but still beautiful.

 

 

We had MANY stops for cold beer.  It was in the low to mid 90's every day, and walking all of the hills of the city was exhausting.  Here Dad & I are with a few empties

 

A few dog pictures (and her owner).  Mom is visible in the window reflection.

This is a nighttime view of the gate in Praça do Comércio , or Commerce Square. 

The square was originally called the Palace Square (Terreiro do Paço), because it was the location of the Ribiera Palace from the early 16th century until 1755.  1755 is the year of the Lisbon Earthquake, a 8.5-9.0 earthquake which occurred on November 1st (All Saints Day).  It almost destroyed Lisbon, and the estimated death toll in Portugal, Southern Spain, and Morocco is 40,000-50,000 people.

Some more nighttime views from one of the hills in Chiado (near our apartment)

Largo do Carmo (a square near our apartment)

Part of the grittiness of the city was graffiti.  But some of it was very cool.  

Next, we visited Belem.  It was a short tram ride to the west of the city.  Belem is known as being the starting point where many of Portugal's famous explorers launched their voyages (Vasco Da Gama,  Henry the Navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, and Christopher Columbus).

Below is the Jeronimos Monastery, built by King Manual I in 1502, on the exact location where Vasco Da Gama and his crew spent their last night before leaving for India.  Both Da Gama and King Manual I are entombed here.  We unfortunately didn't get to go inside (closed on Mondays).  The guy in charge of our tour missed this one!

I thought this Ficus tree (In the Belem Botanical Gardens) was amazing.  Have you ever tried to grow a Ficus in your house?  I wonder how old it is?

Lots of peacocks in the Botanical Garden as well

The Belem Tower..... Built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbor.  It was the starting point for many of the voyages, and for the sailors it was the last sight of their homeland. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage monument.

Finally, this is the Monument to the Discoveries.  It was originally built in plaster in 1940, for the World Exhibition.  A more permanent structure was built in stone in 1960, on the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death.

It represents a three-sailed ship ready to depart, with sculptures of historical figures such as King Manuel I, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese explorers, crusaders, monks, and others.  Prince Henry the Navigator is at the front holding a small vessel.

Next is Sintra and Fatima....................