Museum Day

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was born and spent his childhood in Istanbul. He traveled extensively and lived in London and Paris later in life. The museum named for him consists of over 1000 artworks from his private collection. He began collecting ancient coins when he was very young and continued collecting art throughout his life. He came from a wealthy family of merchants and learned the art of negotiation which he used to set up the first oil industry in Iraq. He was once the richest man in the world. The last years of his life were spent in Lisbon.  In his will he gave the art collection to Lisbon with the stipulation all the pieces had to be under one roof. A foundation was created and the collection became the museum in 1969.

The collection of art in extraordinary. Ancient coins in pristine shape, ancient whole pottery pieces, not the shards you often see. The art is beautifully displayed from various cultures and time periods. The museum is small enough so it's not overwhelming.  Some of the Egyptian pieces were collected by Howard Carter. 

We didn't take too many pictures in the museum because each item was worth photographing. The museum also hosts special projects, art classes and other activities. 

There are lots of great museums in Lisbon. Since our time was short, we decided the last museum we'd go to was the tile museum. Azulejo tile is popular throughout Portugal. The colors are mainly blue and white. The tiles were popular in Spain and The Netherlands and gained popularity in Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries. Simple designs became more ornate and included more colors as the art developed. We have been seeing the tiles since  arrived, decorating walls, in buildings and sometimes covering entire houses.

The tile museum is closed from 1 until 2. We bought tickets and asked for a restaurant recommendation. We were able to eat outside at a restaurant/bar where locals eat. The waiter had limited English but he worked hard to make sure we got everything we wanted. He carefully marked the available dishes but after he took our order into the restaurant, some of the dishes were not available but we happy with what we got. 

Parts of the tile museum were added on to a convent from the 15th century. The tiles are displayed in a chronological order. There are entire walls displayed. I was disappointed that the origin of the displays were not listed since there were entire walls that had to be taken from somewhere. 

a contemporary sculpture in the modern section

the Chapel from the convent

Besides sightseeing and eating, we spent some time trying to figure out the washer/dryer combo. Several loads washed but didn't dry. When I decided to do a load that would do both or just dry, we read the instructions that were left for us. I even got the manual online. What we learned was a picture of the sun must appear to indicate drying. We pressed all the buttons which turned out to be a big mistake. This is not the first time I have failed at European laundry, even breaking the machine sometimes. On the way out, we asked a worker to fix it while we were gone. He kept saying it would work if we didn't press start and just shut the door. Wrong. When we came back, the load we left was damp so something was accomplished. We tried another load but nothing happened so we asked the young man to come and fix it. He had to call someone to figure it out. It turned out by pushing every button we had activated a permanent child lock. He had to flip the breaker to reset it. He set a program and I put in a load. 4 hours, 38 minutes later, the load was washed and dried. Joyce also did a load on the same setting.  It took over 6 hours. Yes, I realize I wrote more about the laundry than 2 museums.

We ate on Commerce Square for our last dinner in Lisbon. Then we went back to pack.

Bye to Porto

Churches and a Castle

Tuesday morning was rainy so we delayed the start time. Our plan was to visit the cathedral and castle by using two of the free elevators that were designed to take people from one level of the city to the others. We figured that wouldn't take too long but we hadn't anticipated how long it would take to get to each location.

 Our first stop was the Sao Jorge castle, which is high on the mountain in the center of the city. When we got as high as we could go on the elevators, we had to walk the rest of the way up the mountain. 

The first fortifications on this mountain date from the 1st century or the 8th, depending on what source you consult. It was occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors before being seized by the Crusaders in 1147. The purpose of the castle was to house military personnel and elite families living in the citadel in case of a siege. From that vantage point, it's obvious they could see who was coming. A popular tale about the Crusaders siege is one of their soldiers threw himself in a doorway to block the Moors from shutting the door which then allowed the Crusaders in, over his dead body.  They killed most of the people living inside the walls but the Moors who remained were given an area to occupy and the city still has the Moorish Quarter which is now the most multicultural area of Lisbon. 

 Recent archeological excavations have revealed evidence of humans dating back to 8th century BC. There is an excavation site on the castle grounds which revealed some ancient homes of wealthy Moors. Unfortunately, no more excavation can be done now because of political reasons that are unclear. 

The castle was heavily damaged by the earthquake of 1755. No matter where you go, you hear about that earthquake because all subsequent history is defined by it. It was devastating; it killed more than one third of the population and destroyed or damaged most of the buildings. It is believed it had a magnitude of over 8.5 to 9, the largest one Europe has ever experienced.  After the earthquake there was a tsunami and many fires. 

The views from all overlooks on  upper levels of the city are spectacular and these views are no exception. 

The castle has been renovated several times. There's not a lot to see inside but the outside area is beautiful. There's also lots of peacocks running around. As in the botanical garden, they are the most photographed attraction. People provoke them until they spread their feathers and then stand around them taking movies and multiple pictures.

After the castle, we walked to where we thought the cathedral was but it was St. Anthony's church. Nice church but not what we were looking for. We then had to find the cathedral. There was much discussion and map searching about how to get there. We just couldn't believe we had to walk down flights and flights of stairs but that seemed to be the fastest route.

No one counted the steps but there were about 3 tiers that looked like this. Greg decided to attack it the other way--take the elevator down and walk up to the castle. We arrived at roughly the same time. Not sure whose legs are the sorest but we all suffered the next day.

The Saint Mary Major Cathedral, built in 1147, is the oldest church in Lisbon. It has survived several earthquakes and been restored several times. Like so many of the other buildings, it incorporates several architectural styles.

The high arched ceiling and stained glass are two highlights of the building.  When some of us went in, we could see if you turned left you could would remain on the first floor or go right and climb stairs to go to the choir area. The ticket taker told us to go up and like idiots we obeyed even though we could barely walk. We had to rest there for awhile before going down the stairs. 

Reflections from the stained glass windows in the choir balcony.

When some of us left the church we decided to take the quickest transportation back. There was a line of tuk-tuks so we took one of them, straight down several steep streets. Very bumpy but it was kind of fun.

Once again, the strenuous activities left us tired and achy but we did walk a few blocks to a highly recommended restaurant.  Unfortunately,  it was full. We stood and discussed options until a woman who had been listening to us recommended an Italian restaurant right around the corner. We got in there and had a great Portuguese Italian meal. 

Sintra and Cascais

This was indeed the most exhausting day. We went by train to Sintra which is a small town in the mountains west of Lisbon. Much of it was developed during the Moorish occupation. It's always cooler than Lisbon and aristocrats built summer homes there in the 18th century. Later it became popular with artists and poets. 

Once you get to the train station, you take a bus to the top of the mountain to see Pena Palace then a tram to get close to the entrance. You walk a short distance uphill to get to the line going into the palace. The line is on the mountain so you're standing on an angle as you inch your way up.You have to get timed tickets and our time was 11:30. We decided to get in the long line because we figured it would take more than a half hour to get in. The signs said there was no tolerance for late arrivals but once you were halfway there the signs said go to the inside track when it was your time. We did that but at the top, the ticket taker went to lunch or was otherwise engaged. We waited until he finally let some people in.

The palace is magnificent. In the 11th century, the site housed a monastery but the 1755 earthquake destroyed it. In the 1800s parts of the Monastery were restored and later more buildings and the garden were constructed. Monarchs used it as their summer home until 1910 when it was classified as a National Monument.  As with other buildings in Lisbon, the architecture mixes many styles.

We got seats on the tram going down from the palace but we didn't on the bus taking us to the train station. There were lots of people standing and holding on to seats and 

hand straps. We went down a mountain that way; it was horrid. All the trams and buses are like clown cars--you can't believe how many people come out of them.

There is a restaurant close to the train station that gets rave reviews and we needed lunch so we set off to find it. A woman who was carrying brochures approached us and asked if she could help. We thought she probably wanted a big tip but it seemed she was just a designated helper. She took us to the restaurant and went in to tell them we needed lunch for 7. We told her we could split up but she and the restaurant management insisted we needed a table for all of us. We waited around 15 minutes and then Joyce went in to be sure they knew we were there. Our helper had helped someone else but came back to see how the restaurant was doing. Joyce told her she could leave but asked what name she used for our reservation: "The Americans."  Of course. The lunch  was terrific. At the end of the meal they gave us a free dessert and a glass of port. I've never been a port fan but just as I read, port is different in Portugal. 

After lunch we took a bus to Cascais which is a former fishing village by the sea and now a tourist location. We got seats on that bus but it was still uncomfortable because they let lots of people stand in the aisles. It took over an hour when we thought the trip would be shorter; we think there was probably an express bus we didn't know about.

We were exhausted by the time we got to Cascais. We watched people sunning on the beach and walked around a little. We weren't too hungry and the first place we saw was a pizza restaurant so we ate there. Thin crusts, light sauce, perfect for a light dinner. After that we went to the train station and came back to Lisbon. 

In retrospect, it seems we should have anticipated the crowds everywhere from the weekend before through the Monday holiday. We couldn't really change plans for the days but we might have started earlier.

Belem

Belem is a section of Lisbon by the Tagus known for its many museums and excellent restaurants.  The famous and ubiquitous custard tart, Pateis de Belem, was created there in a bakery of the same name. We decided to start at the bakery for breakfast before seeing the sites. We've had some problems with Ubers a couple of times. Yesterday the driver took half the group to the wrong place. Today half the group had an Uber that didn't show followed by one stolen by a woman who jumped in it when it pulled up. The third one was fine but by the time we were ready to go into the restaurant, the line was long and we feared we'd miss the tarts. What we didn't know was how huge this bakery is--rooms full of tables and a huge outdoor area where we sat. We've had the tart before but these were served warm and may be the best in Lisbon although locals have their favorite places to buy them. Besides the tarts, we decided to order what we thought was a small sample plate of assorted pastries but turned out to be huge individual pastries. We forced ourselves to eat them. We had a lost in translation moment when 3 people decided coffee with chocolate sounded good. It turned out to be hot chocolate with no coffee at all.

The first place we wanted to visit was the Jeronimos Monastery but the line seemed to have hundreds of people. There were no skip the line options promised by our Lisboa cards. Mass was happening so we couldn't get into the church until 2 but we could go to the cloisters but those were also crowded. We decided to do other things before going back.

We walked to the river to see the huge Discoveries monument that pays tribute to explorers that discovered sea routes. There are explorers depicted on both sides, led by Henry the Navigator. It's stunning. 

After seeing that we walked through a park and eventually made our way to the botanical garden begun in 1873. For some odd reason, much of the garden has been recently decorated with inflatable and mostly ugly Alice in Wonderland figures. There are peacocks and chickens wandering the garden. 

The garden is close to the Monastery so we could see the numbers waiting to go in had dwindled but we decided to eat lunch before returning. We found a row of outdoor restaurants, serving the usual Portuguese food as well as pizza restaurants and a McDonald's where you're served outside. Everywhere was packed but we had good food and excellent service given how packed every place was. It was clear a lot of families came to the area, either because it was Sunday or the day before a national holiday. Families were at all the sites and many were having picnics in the parks by the river. The warm weather might have also been a factor.

April 25 commemorates the Carnation Revolution of 1974 when

the last dictator was overthrown which paved the way for democracy. Monday is usually just a bank holiday but this year marks the 48th anniversary of freedom from dictatorship, one year more than the 47 they were ruled by dictators. There were some celebrations but we don't know what they were since we were going out of town.

After lunch, we went to the church which is a World Heritage site and one of the best examples of Manueline architecture, also called Portuguese Gothic. One difference in this architectural style is the use of maritime motifs. King Manuel ordered it built in honor of Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India. He is buried there,  along with other royalty, Vasco da Gaman other explorers and the national poet Camoes. 

By late afternoon, we had time for one more activity. Three of us decided to go to the Coach Museum and four went to the cloisters at the Monastery. 

The Coach Museum has a historical collection of horse coaches. There are brief explanations of who owned them and how they were acquired.  Most of the early ones held only two passengers. Almost all of them are overly ornate until you get to the late 1800s with mail coaches and ones that carry more passengers. At that end, they have the first car that was common in Portugal.  Looks a lot like a Model T.

The other group went to the Cloisters which were the home of the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome. 

Like the church, the architecture in the Cloisters has Moorish, Eastern,  and maritime motifs. The Refectory is huge and contains Portugeuse tin-glazed ceramic tile work. 

Tram Tour

Our three hour tram tour turned into 6 hours. Tram 28 is a popular tourist attraction because it goes through most of the neighborhoods but it's also popular with residents who are supposed to be able to board before tourists. We met at a stop which typically has few people so we all got seats. Two stops later, the car was packed. The tram is small but the roads are too narrow to make bigger cars and they can't be much longer because of the curvy roads. 

Our guide, Carlos, was fantastic. He told us the history of everywhere we went. He sang Fado to us. He read poetry. He took us to the oldest bookstore in Portugal when he was walking home. We told him he could leave us in the bookstore but he wanted to show me all the Pessoa books and read more of his poetry to us. There are 70 statues of the author in the city. The poet they call Portugal's Shakespeare, though, is Luis Vaz de Camoes who I'm not familiar with.

There are seven hills in Lisbon and it seems we walked up and down all of them that the tram didn't. The popular overlooks were full of tourists. 

This sign from 1686 announced the toll coaches had to pay to cross into the neighborhood.

The fountain of St. Lucia who protects and cures your eyes. We got some of the water and wiped our eyes with it. Couldn't hurt.

The tiles are everywhere and are beautiful. Some houses are covered with them. The blue ones are Delft and the colorful decorative ones are Moorish. 

Fado, the Portuguese blues, was created around 1840s but had its heyday from the 1930s to 50s. Amalia Rodriguez is called the Queen of Fado. She grew up in poverty, selling fruit for a living until she became famous singing Fado. Her performances around the world, including in the US, spread its popularity. 

Amalia Rodriguez.  Carlos played some of her music for us, sang along and explained some of the words.  Most Fado has is sad, nostalgic or melancholic. 

The Notorious 7

Eating pastel de nata, a popular custard tart invented in a bakery in Lisbon

Eating seafood rice with our tour guide for the tram tour. This restaurant serves one dish only. Popular with locals. 

On tour with Carlos. Here we're in one of the areas overlooking the city

Yes, Greg brought a selfie stick. In Commerce Square. 

We eat often. That's what travel is all about.

We're here!

The new age of travel required us to get covid tests and upload results, upload a picture of the vaccine cards, fill out a Portugal locater form and upload that. None of that was easy but everyone managed to do it eventually, just to show all the papers again at the airport to check in. Except for John and Susan who were waved through after showing their passports. Not sure if they liked them best or just wanted them to leave the country.

We had about 3 hours layover at JFK so we went to a restaurant where new ordering protocols required us to scan the qr code, order and pay for food for someone to deliver. Mediocre food for $40 but they didn't kick us out when we sat for another hour before going to the gate. The flight was packed. Few people wore masks but, of course, everyone had had a recent covid test. Masks are required in the Lisbon airport so flight attendants distributed a few to people who shouldn't have come to Portugal if they didn't know the rules. Starting tomorrow,  you don't have to wear them on the street or anywhere outside but they're still required everywhere inside except when eating. The screens weren't working at all the seats on the plane but most were fixed by rebooting. Except mine. Finally, they gave me 5000 miles, proving Delta must be trying to improve customer relations. Except for the food. 

 

We had a pickup at the airport.7 people, 7 bags. $40 total. Cheaper and more convenient than multiple cabs. The driver talked nonstop about everything we should do in Lisbon. She even made us learn some Portuguese.  Much too perky for people who'd been traveling for hours but we appreciated the information. Our condo rentals are fab, located in the center of old town. Fully equipped kitchen with espresso maker, dishwasher, and most importantly,  washer/dryer combo which will be discussed thoroughly after we use it. They had two of the rooms ready when we got there and it was only a 45 minute wait for the other. We were able to unpack and take short naps before 2.

After naptime, we walked to the main square Praca do Comercia or Commerce Square. It faces the  Tagus River. It's wet and rainy here today but the rain isn't constant so we were able to stroll around the pedestrian streets and window shop. Joyce did real shopping for chocolate. She succeeded. We had to get a few things for breakfast and found a small store close to us. About an hour later we were still wandering around trying to figure out which containers were real cow milk. The first thing I picked out turned out to be strawberry milk. We finally asked the clerk on our way out. He speaks perfect English so he could have helped us sooner if we had asked.

Most restaurants open at 7 for dinner. We went to one we had seen earlier and got seated because we went early. Our table of seven and another table with eight people almost filled the entire restaurant. They locked the door to keep people out and only opened it when people left and they had an empty table.The food was fabulous. As an appetizer we ordered garlic shrimp, whole shrimp swimming in garlic butter. We had ordered butter for the bread baskets, extra charge, but ended up dunking the bread into the garlic butter. We ordered baked octopus,  cod, sea bass, pork cheek stew. Everyone's entree was perfectly cooked. We chose white wine grown in Central Portugal since we'll be going to wine country in the Duoro Valley. We all tried 3 desserts--lemon merigengue pie, chocolate mousse, creme brulee--and agreed the pie won the dessert contest.

I just slept off and on for 10 hours. This morning we have a tour which involves taking the famous tram 28 up a mountain for a view of the city. Then we'll walk down with our guide who will explain the history of each neighborhood. 

Blogger had always been difficult to figure out how to add and label pictures and I'm tired so I won't try editing. The pictures at the top are of the main square and Mickey's sea bass entree.