12/10: Lisbon Hodgepodge on our Last Day!

About a month ago I returned from being away on vacation with a friend in New Zealand and Australia for 3.5 weeks. In case you also want to follow that really fun trip, here's a link to the newest blog:www.bergersadventures7.blogspot.com

Hopping on Tram 28 was both the easiest and most enjoyable way to get from the downtown core to Lisbon's Basilica as it wove in and out of so many neighborhoods just feet from shops and people's front doors along narrow streets on the forty-five minute ride.

Close enough, you think?!

I loved how that tram route gave us an almost free tour of the city.

This was just one of the many gaily decorated sardine shops we passed that Lisbon is known for.

An early morning look at the almost empty Christmas-ready Camoes Square en route to the basilica:

No traditional dark green or blue tile fronted this building!

You can see why we chose to take the tram in order to avoid traipsing up and down the city's many hills.

Steven and I were both so struck by the lovely tile work that adorned so many building facades in Lisbon.

The tram couldn't have been more convenient as its route ended at the Basilica which was ordered to be built by Queen Mary I of Portugal (1734-1816), the first monarch to rule over all of what is considered today as Portugal and Brazil. She realized that, without a child and heir to the throne, the infighting between powerful nobles would divide her country which she had spent her life uniting. Queen Mary I was a deeply religious women and she prayed to God offering to build the greatest church of Lisbon if she were able to have a healthy child. Sadly, her son died two years before the church was completed.

Steven and I knew we were well out of the city's normal tourist haunts when we entered the Basilica as it was pretty empty of worshippers or fellow tourists.

The very ornate tile floor was decorated with the papal colors.

It seemed fitting that the elaborate empire-style tomb of Queen Mary lay within her beloved basilica.

I think the basilica's major attraction was the 500-figure Nativity Scene which was sculptured out of terracotta and cork by the artist Joaquim Machado de Castro. Nativity scenes reached their height in Europe in the 18th century. Portuguese nativity scenes incorporated both scenes based on the Bible as well as those from daily life.

It was remarkable getting a sense of how common people lived day-to-day in the late 18th century as they were portrayed washing their clothes, playing cards, having their fortunes told, etc! Just click on any of the images to get a better sense of the detail as de Castro brought the people to life.

Balthazar was depicted riding on horseback:

After getting such a kick out of the remarkable nativity scene at the basilica, we hopped on another tram to take us back downtown. I don't think Steven and I have ever been in a a city with as many varied transportation options as Lisbon had: tram, bus, funicular, escalators, elevators, and the metro plus of course countless steps to keep anyone in shape if you plan to dally in Lisbon for a bit! All the times we took the tram, we never encountered anyone verifying to see if people had scanned their passes after entering; it all appeared to be on the honor system.

The tram passed by the pretty Church of Santos Ovelho on its way back to the center of town.

We alighted the tram at the heart of the Baixa District to get our final look at the city's historic downtown before we departed Lisbon. After the city disastrous earthquake in 1755, the Baixa area was rebuilt, according to travel writer Rick Steves, on a grid pattern that felt almost military which made sense as it was constructed by military engineers who'd had experience building garrison towns overseas.

At the riverfront square bordering the Baixa was Praca do Comercio or Commerce Square where ships used to dock and sell their goods. It was the site of Lisbon's royal palace for 200 years preceding the earthquake. Following it and the tsunami and fire, the fearful king left for the safer Belem area, home of the Jeronimos Monastery and other similarly impressive sights we'd seen a couple of days previously.

The square was dominated by Lisbon's Arch of Triumph with famed explorer Vasco da Gama on the left and Marques de Pombal who rebuilt the city on the right. 

In the center of the square was the statue of Jose I, the king who ceded control of the government to his chief minister, Pombal. The monument, built 20 years after the earthquake, portrayed the king astride his horse, a symbol of triumph, stomping on snakes who represented possibly Protestants as the symbol of evil. The elephants brought to mind Portuguese empire colonies in India and Africa. 

At the bottom of the square, a pair of Pombaline pillars representing Lisbon's gateway to the sea marked a little pier that gave us a pretty, water-level view of the Tejo River. Behind Steven was the 25th of April Bridge and the Cristo Rei or Christ the King statue similar to the far more famous one in Rio.

Since it was low tide, we strolled along the beach for a bit looking to pick up a few shells for you  Zachary, as we always do.

Will: I don't know of your travels have ever taken you to Lisbon but, if not, you should consider looking at the Wines of Portugal Tasting Room in the vast square if you visit Lisbon. I'm sure you would enjoy sampling from up to sixteen local wines: eight whites, eight reds, a green and a port!

Under an arcade near the arch was Martinho da Arcada, a cafe founded in 1782 where the wealthy would come to enjoy early ice cream made with mountain snow, lemon and spices. Can you imagine the novelty that must have been almost 250 years ago?! The place was a favorite hangout for Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa and for early 20th century painters, writers and dreamers who shared revolutionary ideas here over coffee.

Passing under the big arch took us through the pretty arcade adorned with the characteristic black and white cobbled sidewalk that is  also found in Rio de Janeiro in Portugal's former territory of Brazil. 

The mosaic limestone and basalt cobbles were first cut and laid by 19th century prison laborers. I read that the patterns are still chosen from a book of acceptable designs. The city government has wanted to replace them with modern pavement because they are both slippery and expensive to maintain but the locals have been clamoring to maintain the status quo.

I, for one, would hate to see them go as they hearken back to a bygone age and are an integral part of the city's history. 

Walking through the Baixa area, there were few churches that remained in the post-earthquake district. 

The buildings were in the austere architectural style adopted immediately after the earthquake with exterior decoration added only in the 19th century after the Portuguese in colonial Brazil found that the tiles protected against humidity.

The facade of the Church of St. Nicola faced a square but its entire exterior on its street-front side was disguised by green tiles, another form of post-earthquake Baixa. Never would we have known from the side there was a church around the corner!

Inside, about ten women were being led in a Recitation of the Rosary by another holding a microphone, something we've only witnessed a few other times. 

A couple of blocks away we had a marvelous view of the Elevador de Santa Justa, one of the ways I described earlier locals and tourists can more easily access the city's hillier sections. The 150-foot tall iron tower connected the flat Baixa district we were in with another we'd explored a few days ago. 

On the corner of the rundown Praca da Figueira or Fig Tree Square was the thriving Confeitaria Nacional, a place little changed since the 19th century that displayed conventuel sweets. The tarts were special confections consisting of sugar and egg yolks made by nuns who used egg whites to starch their laundry and therefore had an abundance of yolks left over.

On the corner of the square was an historical statue of Portugal's King Joao I atop a horse.

To get a sense of real Lisbon it was worth walking along Rua Dom Antao de Almada as the lane had several characteristic shops.

Before we even reached this shop, we knew from its smell it sold cod which was part of of the country's heritage as a nation of seafaring explorers. Salted cod could keep on a ship for a year after soaking it in water to rinse out the salt. Doesn't that sound yummy - not!

At the end of the lane facing another square was another church, the Church of Sao Domingo, which was the center of the Inquisition in the 1600s but was now considered one of the city's more active churches.  

The church was more or less rebuilt from the ruins left by the 1755 earthquake that happened on All Saints Day Sunday when most of the people were at church and the earth began to roll. Across the city, heavy stone church walls like these collapsed on their parishioners. The black soot on the walls and the charred stonework at the altar were evidence of the horrific fires that followed the earthquake.

Crumbling pillars from the earthquake were never fully restored.

The simple chapel of Portugal's most popular saint, Our Lady of Fatima, had the most candles. Her statue was joined by two of the three children to whom she appeared. As the third child was still alive when the chapel was constructed, he wasn't shown in heaven withe saint.  There'll be more, by the way, in the next post about Our Lady of Fatima as we made an impromptu detour to the town of Fatima the next day.

Rarely have we been in a church where the seats were at a different level than the surrounding floor like those at this church.

In the large square just beyond the church was Largo de Sao Domingos which would have been outside the old town walls. It was where people congregated to enjoy bohemian entertainment and keep local watering holes busy. In an ironic twist, the square that was once a site of the city's 16th century slave market has become a meeting point for immigrants from former Portuguese colonies.

A stone monument on the square honored the Jewish massacre of 1506 in which thousands of Jews, who had sought refuge in Portugal after having been expelled from Spain, were then killed by the local populace after a drought ravaged the country. 

By then we were in need of some liquid sightseeing and therefore sought out this local bar on the square! It was famous for serving the favorite Lisbon drink, Ginjinha, a sweet liquor made from the ginja berry which was like a sour cherry with sugar, cinnamon and brandy. 

We had to wait a minute for the tram to pass to enter the Se de Lisbon or Cathedral that had such an immense fortress-like exterior that it was solid enough to survive the earthquake. The cathedral was the first place of worship that Christians built after they retook Lisbon from the Moors. It was begun in 1150 on the former site of a mosque, indicating the Reconquista was there to stay.

This was about the third time we'd seen the cathedral and every time there were tuk tuks out front waiting for rides!

With its rounded arches and dim, windowless nave, the interior was wholly Romanesque in style.

The church was the site of the 1195 baptism of St. Anthony, one of the country's favorite saints. The lovely tile panels around the baptismal font portrayed St. Anthony preaching to the fish.

The only area of the city Steven and I still wanted to see before leaving Lisbon in the morning was the easternmost area where what looked like a few interesting sites were located. 

Across from the futuristic Oriente train station was the soaring glass facade of Lisbon's biggest shopping center, Vasco da Gama Mall, that was originally the entrance to the Lisbon World Exhibition of 1998. It appeared like it had been "inspired by the main hall of a luxury cruise ship" as Steves so beautifully described. 

Behind the mall was the Parque das Nacoes, the site of Expo '98. At the top of the Grand Esplanade were 155 flag poles arranged alphabetically, in Portuguese, representing the official participating countries and organizations. 

At the far end of the line of flags was a 1.5 yard deep basin that was used for seaplanes before WW II.

Doesn't Steven look cute standing in front of Gil, the official mascot of Expo '98, who was named for the Portuguese navigator Gil Eanes!

Stopping to get a few groceries on our way back to the apartment, it was amusing coming across a Christmas tree made out of none other than cod!

We were sure glad the escalator was working to take us way up to our apartment located in one of the hillier sections as we were tired after all we'd seen and done that last fun day in Lisbon! We were so glad we'd chosen to spend so many days in and around the capital as we felt we really had a good sense of the vibrant city and more than a just an introduction to the country's seafaring history. 

Next post: Goodbye Lisbon and onto Fatima and Coimbra!

Posted on May 5th, 2019, from Chicago, Illinois, where we visited our daughters and son-in-laws for the weekend.