Saturday January 14, 2023
Starboard to shore, driving on right hand side and 50F overcast day.
We were up at 6 AM to see the sun rise and the entry into the Port of Lisbon under the 25th of Aprilsuspension bridge (very similar to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge entering New York City), Past the statue of Christ (Sacred Heart) similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, and up the Rio Tejo to the Port.
Lisbon is the westernmost largest and Capital City in Europe and the only one on the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the oldest City, pre-dating London, Paris, Rome by hundreds of years. Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia adding to the name Olissipo. It was ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century. It was captured by the Moors in the 8th century. In 1147 the Crusaders under Alfonso Henriques reconquered the City. Since then it has been the principal city of Portugal.
The city is on hills and transport is by yellow trams introduced in the 19th century as well as a metro system. We opted to head out soon after we docked at 8AM and took the shuttle to Martim Moniz Square. Near the small church is an external escalator that helps with the initial part of the ascent, which we continued on the cobble stone streets on foot to the top of the hill and thus to visit the Castelo de São Jorge. It was built by the Moors in the mid 11th century and was the last stronghold of the Moors through the conquest on October 25th 1147 with Henriques becoming the first King of Portugal. In 1580 it became part of Spain and through the early 20th century became a major military fort and Royal Palace. Even though today it is a shadow of what it was in it’s heyday, it is still worth a visit if for no other reason but to see the Peacocks wandering around and more importantly to climb the ramparts for a spectacular view of the city in all directions. We kept looking for our ship and it was only after climbing the highest tower that a glimpse through the trees of part of QM2 was gleaned. A big relief!
Leaving the Castle we wandered along the narrow winding streets, admiring the variety of tile facades of the buildings, going in and out of the shops selling local art – ceramics, cork and tourist items. We stopped briefly at the Casa Portuguese Do Pastel de Bacalhau, to savor the local specialty – The Codfish cake with cheese and Port wine. A sort of “Crab Cake” / Empanada bringing together the Portuguese Cod Fishing, the famous Port wine and specialty “Emmental-Like Cheese form the dairy farms of Serra da Estrela (Star mountain)”. Wandering over to the Alfama district with it’s many shops cafes and viewpoints – Portas do Sol and Santa Lucia stopping along the way for a local beer and local Iberian Ham, Cheese (from 3 animals milk) and “peasant” home-made bread. Fortified we continued on what would be our 12.5 Kilometer walk of the day, down to the port area and along to one of the enormous main squares by the river – Praço do Comercio and it’s Terreiro do Paço statue, the Arco da R. Agusta leading to the principal “Champs Elisée” type road – Ave de la Liberdade. We opted to sit in one of the many cafe’s in the square to enjoy a late lunch with some local Green Wine – only obtained in Portugal and slightly green in color.
By this time our feet were ready for the 1/2 hour walk back to the ship to await the sail away at 7PM past the square where we lunched, past the Christ the King Statue and under the bridge, leaving just after the smaller Aida Bella Ship.
The evening entertainment was a Manchester lady now living in Lisbon – Sophie Tehrani -a spectacular singer bringing some of the best of “The 3 B’s” – Dame Shirley Bassie, Bette Middler and Barbara Streisand. She was able to capture their unique styles in the performance.
Roger & Anne Travels 