Lisbon

Day 18

Cruise Day #14 -  Lisbon, Portugal

We got up early, grabbed a coffee and headed to the top deck to witness our passing underneath of the April 25th Bridge that crosses the Tagus River.  Five meters to spare! You also had great views of the Christ the King Monument on the south shore.

Our morning view!

Another coffee and a quick croissant in the Cafe Promenade this morning as we prepared for our day in Lisbon, Portugal.  Our friends David and Janet from our previous excursions had booked a private tour and had asked us if we wanted to come along this morning. Of course we said yes and joined them on the dock at 9:30. Our tour guide Alexander arrived with a Mercedes van and took us on the start of our tour around the city. We did not really know what to expect or where exactly we would be going but that just added to the excitement.

Alexander gave us a running commentary on the local history and the plans for the day. We headed west under the famous April 25th Bridge that commemorated Portugal's return to democracy in 1974. First stop was the park that has two major items of interest. First is a reconstructed full scale model commemorating the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic by the Portuguese Navy to Brazil in 1922 (sort of their Lindberg ) and second, the UNESCO World Heritage site the Belém Tower

 Fairey III-D MkII seaplane

Kelly at the Belem Tower

 This fortress guarded the approach to the inner harbor and is celebrating it's 500th year since being built!

Our next stop was the incredible Discoveries Monument monument that commemorates the period of amazing exploratory voyages that open up the world. The Portuguese had it down when it came to charting the world and discovering new frontiers to open trade and commerce. If you have lots of time you can read all about at Age of Discoveries 

Incredible.. the pictures don't do it justice.

Another angle of the great artwork.

The monument's focus was on Henry the Navigator who lead these explorers along with the people who supported the missions financially and the map makers etc that made it all happen.

The pavement in front of the Discoveries Monument has an attractive mosaic that depicts a compass, alongside a map of the world that shows the routes and dates that were taken by Portugal’s explorers. The sweeping stones of the plaza make the ground look and feel like ocean waves and are found throughout Portugal. 

Kelly hunts down our west coast :-)

The cobble stones look like waves... although perfectly flat.

We walked via a tunnel under the Avenue De India to the Jerónimos Monastery and the main Church entrance. It was an amazing piece of architecture (as is everything it seems!) and contained the tomb of Henry the Navigator.

Monastery

Church Chapel

Stunning architecture!

Simply stunning displays.

Pictures just don't do it justice.

Tomb of Henry The Navigator

I had mentioned to our guide that a coworker Marie Harris told me be sure and have the Pastel de nata's if we had a chance. Turns out the birthplace of these was within walking distance so off we went to try them at Pastéis de Belém. This place has been going since 1837 and produces 10,000 a day with as much as 50,000 on a weekend! (Kelly also managed to get some Starbucks mugs next door:-)

Pasteis de Belem

We headed back towards the city center and viewed the city from the Jardim Amalias Rodrigues. This is a huge tree lined park with stylized shrubbery that travels down towards the sea and the entrance to Lisbon.

Next stop was a visit to the downtown core and some shopping time for the gals. We were dropped off and had 40 minutes of free time to explore the area.

This is Rossio Square and the Statue of Pedro IV King of Portugal. Note the wavy cobblestone once again.

Kelly getting some shopping time in.

This area is close to the main shopping/tourist district with it's many shops, stalls and restaurants.  We headed up to a viewpoint above the city and got some great pictures overlooking the city.

A great view with David & Janet taking pictures.

City views

Church of Santa Engracia

The Alfama district with it's narrow streets and tiny restaurants.

This tiles depict a map of the area.

Tiles depicting events are attached to the sides of buildings.

A view from our ship towards the Alfama District and the Church of Santa Engracia. 

After the 6 hour tour, our guide Alexander returned us to the ship and we thanked him for the incredible day. It was time once again for some R & R on the pool deck and a cold beverage.

Dinner with our usual group and then we watched the show in the Lyric Theater. It was a 4 man group called String Fever and they were fantastic as they played their electric violins and bass. Check them out here

After the show we headed up to the lounge above and watched the Quest Game. It was hilarious as adults did the most silly things to get a key chain! Always fun to watch and participate in.

Off to bed.....  have a Sail day tomorrow as we head back towards Southampton.