Hi all, May 29, 2008
I spent 3 amazing days in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon is a city that grows on you. When I first arrived by train, then went up to my hostel in Alfama District, the trip was through an industrial area, then past older run down buildings.... I was beginning to wonder what this place would be like. But after entering the Alfama District, the beautiful, quaint narrow streets, old tram #28 winding by my hostel, and my home for three days a beautiful new hostel, the town began to come alive for me.
I took a sight seeing bus, kind of like taking a Greyline tour, all around the city. WOW, this city is truly an international hub, and very cosmopolitan. From a run down north coastal area in the city, they leveled it and built a huge exposition and commerce center, that looks like the location of a world expo. Lisbon has major tree-lined avenues with huge plazas and the usual tall monuments honoring Portuguese notables or the early explorers.
Lisbon is well connected, with a great bus system, old trams that remind me of the San Francisco cable cars, and a nice city wide Metro. You buy a daily transportation pass, and you can hop on and off on any of these systems.
They have regions in the city that are fun to walk through. The Chiado (chee-ah-doh) district, upscale, the locals very well dressed, and designer shops and cafes. The Alfama, where I am staying, a quaint, puzzling maze of narrow streets, all cobble stones of course. The sidewalks everywhere downtown, have beautiful patterns of black and white stone (flat cobblestones) amazing amount of work. (until they have to dig up gas lines :)
I went to dinner at a restaurant where locals go, to hear some more Portuguese Fado. In an earlier post I think I told you about Fado, the Portuguese version of the blues. This was a hallmark evening. The restaurant was tucked in a narrow corridor and right in front of the local church, tall towers rising above. The restaurant was very small, it seated about 15 people tightly. The dinner was fantastic, sea bass in a bed of rice. The fado experience began. Two gentleman with very casual clothes, no uniforms, played acoustic guitar and mandolin. The singer began, then a man from out in the street came in and sang, then the waitress - who was terrific, and then the cook! With her white apron and white hair net, she wailed on. Then it was the guitar players wifes turn. Everyone was involved in this. Dinner and fado, a 4 hour experience. Got enough fado to last a year, but what an amazing cultural experience.
[Can`t seem to post the pictures on this machine, so look for them in a day or two in my next city]
On the bus tour I stopped in the area of Belem, along the coast on the south part of the city. I was able to tour the Monestary of Jeronimos. A world heritage site, this impressive structure was built by King Manual of Portugal in 1515 to honor the explorers ( De Gama, Diaz, Cabral, etc.) It was a place they could give confession, and pray before they set off to sea. Funny part was he financed it with a `Pepper tax`, a 5% tax on the spices and things brought back from their voyages, and `bought` his salvation by building the church/monestary.
It is an incredible place, the decorative elements added to the architecture, animal figures, political shields, and military symbols have now become known as the Manualine style of architecture.
I visited the village of Sintra, and Palace. This is the place the nobles and kings retreated during the hot summers in the city. A beautiful place, and great trip. Also got to Cabo da Roca, the western most point in Europe..wahooo!
Lisbon, although a very large, very busy cosmopolitan city, was a joy to tour. I wish I had more time here.
On to the little walled city of Evora. I´ll send my Lisbon pictures from there.
Yours in Travel
Bill
I spent 3 amazing days in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon is a city that grows on you. When I first arrived by train, then went up to my hostel in Alfama District, the trip was through an industrial area, then past older run down buildings.... I was beginning to wonder what this place would be like. But after entering the Alfama District, the beautiful, quaint narrow streets, old tram #28 winding by my hostel, and my home for three days a beautiful new hostel, the town began to come alive for me.
I took a sight seeing bus, kind of like taking a Greyline tour, all around the city. WOW, this city is truly an international hub, and very cosmopolitan. From a run down north coastal area in the city, they leveled it and built a huge exposition and commerce center, that looks like the location of a world expo. Lisbon has major tree-lined avenues with huge plazas and the usual tall monuments honoring Portuguese notables or the early explorers.
Lisbon is well connected, with a great bus system, old trams that remind me of the San Francisco cable cars, and a nice city wide Metro. You buy a daily transportation pass, and you can hop on and off on any of these systems.
They have regions in the city that are fun to walk through. The Chiado (chee-ah-doh) district, upscale, the locals very well dressed, and designer shops and cafes. The Alfama, where I am staying, a quaint, puzzling maze of narrow streets, all cobble stones of course. The sidewalks everywhere downtown, have beautiful patterns of black and white stone (flat cobblestones) amazing amount of work. (until they have to dig up gas lines :)
I went to dinner at a restaurant where locals go, to hear some more Portuguese Fado. In an earlier post I think I told you about Fado, the Portuguese version of the blues. This was a hallmark evening. The restaurant was tucked in a narrow corridor and right in front of the local church, tall towers rising above. The restaurant was very small, it seated about 15 people tightly. The dinner was fantastic, sea bass in a bed of rice. The fado experience began. Two gentleman with very casual clothes, no uniforms, played acoustic guitar and mandolin. The singer began, then a man from out in the street came in and sang, then the waitress - who was terrific, and then the cook! With her white apron and white hair net, she wailed on. Then it was the guitar players wifes turn. Everyone was involved in this. Dinner and fado, a 4 hour experience. Got enough fado to last a year, but what an amazing cultural experience.
[Can`t seem to post the pictures on this machine, so look for them in a day or two in my next city]
On the bus tour I stopped in the area of Belem, along the coast on the south part of the city. I was able to tour the Monestary of Jeronimos. A world heritage site, this impressive structure was built by King Manual of Portugal in 1515 to honor the explorers ( De Gama, Diaz, Cabral, etc.) It was a place they could give confession, and pray before they set off to sea. Funny part was he financed it with a `Pepper tax`, a 5% tax on the spices and things brought back from their voyages, and `bought` his salvation by building the church/monestary.
It is an incredible place, the decorative elements added to the architecture, animal figures, political shields, and military symbols have now become known as the Manualine style of architecture.
I visited the village of Sintra, and Palace. This is the place the nobles and kings retreated during the hot summers in the city. A beautiful place, and great trip. Also got to Cabo da Roca, the western most point in Europe..wahooo!
Lisbon, although a very large, very busy cosmopolitan city, was a joy to tour. I wish I had more time here.
On to the little walled city of Evora. I´ll send my Lisbon pictures from there.
Yours in Travel
Bill
