Scott and I have been following the weather back home in America this winter, and for our kids in Chicago, Katie and Chris, it has definitely been a snowy winter. The same holds true for Dan and Jamie in New Jersey. Even our Istanbul based family, Jennie, Zach and little Josiah, had a big snowstorm this year! Here on the Cumbrian coastline we rarely see snow; generally only an odd snow shower once in awhile. Instead, of course, we see a lot of cold rain and wind and this year has been no exception. I have found that by mid-February we are looking for somewhere to get away for a few days and escape the cold, dark winter days. Scott's schedule doesn't really permit long getaways, so I look for the closest place I can find, with the highest possibility of sunshine. Of course it also needs to be somewhere we have not visited yet. This year we opted for a short flight and a long weekend to Portugal and headed off to Lisboa (Lisbon). What a great choice! Friendly, welcoming people, good food and wine, moderate temperatures, and……..sun! Just what we needed!
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe, dating back to 800 to 600 BC. Lisbon's early history included settlements by Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Moors. It has roots in both Christianity and Islam. Lisbon is situated at the mouth of the Tagus River, just inland from the Atlantic Ocean and well positioned to enjoy trade from both Europe and the Mediterranean. Because of it's strategic location, Lisbon has always been an important seaport. Historians believe that at one time Lisbon was larger than London and Paris! The influence of so many different cultures gives Lisbon a very different feel from most of the European cities we have visited.
Our hotel was located in central Lisbon, not far from the ancient Alfama neighborhood, and close to several beautiful public squares. A short walk down a pedestrian shopping street led to Praco de Comercio, Commerce Square, which is also known as Terreiro do Paco, Palace Square. This has to be one of the largest public squares we have ever seen! We did find out that it used to be part of an immense palace. In 1755 Lisbon suffered through one of the largest earthquakes and tsunami's ever recorded where an estimated 30 to 60,000 people lost their lives. The palace, along with a most of the other waterfront buildings, was destroyed. As part of a huge rebuilding project, the square was reopened and and re-purposed as a center for commercial trade.
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| In the center of the square is a fantastic monument including an equestrian statue of King Jose I. |
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| Rua Augusta Triumphal Arch built to commemorate the reconstruction of Lisboa after the earthquake of 1755. The statue at the top was created by French sculptor Celestin Anatole Calmels and represents reward of valor and genius. |
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| Street cars can still be found taking tourists around Lisbon. We were told that in the summer months some of them are absolutely packed. |
This square was also the scene of some more modern political drama. On February 1 1908 this was the scene of the assassination of Carlos I the second to last king of Portugal. Within only about two years Portugal was embroiled in revolution spelling an end to the Portuguese monarchy. On our first night in Lisbon we enjoyed an outstanding late night meal in this square at Populi restaurant, where we were introduced to Ginja D'Obidos, Portuguese sour cherry liqueur. A local treat to be sure.
Food, Folks and Fado
On our second night we visited Sr Fado restaurant in ancient Alfama to enjoy traditional Portuguese food and to experience traditional Portuguese Fado Music. Duarte and Maria Santos are the propriators and were our hosts for the evening. Their stated aim is to "welcome strangers and have them feel like family" and they certainly did that for us. They welcomed us into their home and served us wonderful Portuguese seafood along with olives, fresh vegetables and home made wine from their farm. Maria prepared the meal and Duarte served it up. We were joined by people from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Canada, and the US. Duarte was able to cary on conversations in all five languages without hesitation bringing us all together for an outstanding experience. After our meal we were treated to an evening of Fado, poetry set to music presented by our hosts and two additional musicians. Obrigada Maria and Duarte for sharing your home and your culture with us!
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As we mentioned, Lisbon has roots in many cultures. High atop a hill overlooking the old town area of Lisbon is The Castle of Sao Jorge. From here the narrow streets wind through the Alfama district down to the waterfront. We booked a walking tour of this area and we spent several hours learning about this intriguing part of Lisbon from our guide, Paulo.
The Castle of Sao Jorge is a Moorish castle on the top of a tall hillside overlooking the old city of Lisboa and the Tagus River dating from the midieval period of Portuguese history. The first fortifications on this hilltop date to the 2nd century BC. Through time the hill was used by Celtic tribes, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians then by Roman, Suebic, Visigothic and Moorish peoples. In the 10th century fortifications were substantially rebuilt by Muslim Berber forces. What a rich history!
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| Rooftops over the Alfama District down to the river. |
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| Paulo, our guide, told us that new docks have recently been built along the waterfront here to accomodate large cruise boats. While that's probably going to be a nice boost for Lisbon's economy, those huge boats definitely alter the views! Thankfully it's still the "off-season" so no cruise boats interrupted our appreciation of the beautiful vistas! |
The Monastery of St. Vincent
The Church of Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora or Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls is a 17th century church and monastery. It is dedicated to the parton saint of Lisboa. The church of the monastery was built by King Philip II of Spain after he also became King of Portugal in 1582.
Sintra
We were told that we could board a train in Lisbon and in an hour's time we would be in the countryside and at the mountain village of Sintra. Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for Romantic architectural monuments. We read about, and had seen pictures of, the colorful Pena Palace and wanted to see it so we set off on Saturday morning for an adventure in the countryside. When we got there we were not disappointed.
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| A very pretty village |
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| Sintra National Palace |
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| Pena National Palace |
We found the colorful palace we were looking for. The Palacio Nacionl da Pena or Pena National Palace is the palace of Sao Pedro Penaferrim and is located high on a hilltop in the countryside municipality of Sintra. This structure is recognized as one of the worlds major expressions on 19th century Romanticism and identified as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is used today for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic. The palace is an eclectic mixture of Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo Islamic and Neo Renaissance architecture. The combination is colorful and magical mix and we had a bit of fun poking around all of the nooks and crannies and open air spaces. The views across the mountains and out to the sea from up here are fantastic.
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| This almost looks like a castle from a Disney movie! |
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A newt, symbolizing the
allegory of creation of the world
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| An 8th century Moorish castle perched high on the mountain top. |
Also here in Sintra is the estate of Quinta da Regaleira which includes a palace a chapel and a landscape of gardens and structures including underground tunnels leading to movable rock walls, spiral stair wells and spiral stair towers and a variety of statuary and water features.
The palace is known locally as the Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire for the former owner Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The site was constructed to include many symbols that reflect the interests and ideologies of its owners. Symbols of Alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians are all said to be captured here. Architecture of the estate includes examples of Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline styles. Construction was completed between 1904 and 1910. We found this place to be curious and reminiscent of an old television show from our youth, and a newer movie, The Adams Family.
"They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together ooky, the Addams Family. The house is a museum, when people come to see 'em…".
We expected Lurch to pop up at any moment!
