It's the fourth of July and our last day in this marvelous city. Pete wants to go to Belem, a small town to the west to see the famous monastery and cathedral, and a nautical monument. It's going to be a scorcher today, the weather prediction is for 96 so we try to make an early start. Unfortunately, it doesn't make much of a difference. Its HOT.
We jump the #15 tram and make our way to the monastery. It's a stunning sight- all white stone and carved with towers and turrets galore. It extends what seems to be a full city block and we gratefully make our way into the coolness of the interior after navigating the scores of women selling scarves and shawls. It's annoying but I really do feel sorry for them. Being in sales is hot work.
The cathedral is gorgeous and we all view the crypt of the famed explorer
Vasco da Gama. There is another crypt of a poet who must have been the Portuguese Shakespeare. Few poets make the grade for a full blown marble sculpture of themselves in eternal repose.
We tour the entire cathedral and marvel at the opulence.
The confessional. The monks had a mission to hear confession from sailors,
The holy family
Our next stop was to find a nice place for lunch, Pete's Lonely Planet guide recommended a good place for local cuisine and we quickly found it,
There were five choices - sausage, ribs, fried fish, chicken or beef. Who are we to turn our noses up at the unbelievable way this country has with our porcine friends?
On to the aquarium in Lisbon for some cool, watery wonders. This was highly recommended by my adventerous sista Rosemary and it did not disappoint, Sharks, turtles, mahi, penquins and so much more. I will let the photos do the honors here.
The coolest thing was the two levels where we could see from underneath, It was almost like being in the tank with these beautiful fishes. We marveled at how their caretakers managed to keep them all co-existing in such a small space.
A sky ride in a tram completed our adventure and we had a cocktail at an Irish bar and caught the metro back to the chiado for a rest and recuperation from the blazing heat.
We eventually pulled it together to go out for dinner around 9pm. We wanted to go hear some fado music but it was too late to figure it out so when all else fails- go have a good meal!
We found a very crowded place which is the sure sign of good food according to the wisdom of Daniel-licious, He is proven right once again, though I think it's hard to miss here in Lisbon.
Sinal beckoned to us with white wine, cerveza, monkfish stew and more. Lindsey had a tuna steak with sauteed onions that was sublime. Dan- clams and pork- the go-to dish these days. I was so busy eating and drinking I forgot to take pictures. Use your imagination here, friends.
We strolled back to the chiado and reveled in the music and street life, We wound up at an outdoor cafe listening to a street band with a great violinist performing American songs from the 70s like Louis Armstrongs "What a Wonderful World" ," Hello Dolly" and more in that vein. You get the picture here.
Lisbon has been superb and we are sorry to go,
Tomorrow we check out, get the car and on to the next adventure at the beachside resort of Plaia Del Rey near Obidos.
We jump the #15 tram and make our way to the monastery. It's a stunning sight- all white stone and carved with towers and turrets galore. It extends what seems to be a full city block and we gratefully make our way into the coolness of the interior after navigating the scores of women selling scarves and shawls. It's annoying but I really do feel sorry for them. Being in sales is hot work.
The cathedral is gorgeous and we all view the crypt of the famed explorer
Vasco da Gama. There is another crypt of a poet who must have been the Portuguese Shakespeare. Few poets make the grade for a full blown marble sculpture of themselves in eternal repose.
We tour the entire cathedral and marvel at the opulence.
 |
| Add caption |
Our next stop was to find a nice place for lunch, Pete's Lonely Planet guide recommended a good place for local cuisine and we quickly found it,
There were five choices - sausage, ribs, fried fish, chicken or beef. Who are we to turn our noses up at the unbelievable way this country has with our porcine friends?
A sky ride in a tram completed our adventure and we had a cocktail at an Irish bar and caught the metro back to the chiado for a rest and recuperation from the blazing heat.
We eventually pulled it together to go out for dinner around 9pm. We wanted to go hear some fado music but it was too late to figure it out so when all else fails- go have a good meal!
We found a very crowded place which is the sure sign of good food according to the wisdom of Daniel-licious, He is proven right once again, though I think it's hard to miss here in Lisbon.
Sinal beckoned to us with white wine, cerveza, monkfish stew and more. Lindsey had a tuna steak with sauteed onions that was sublime. Dan- clams and pork- the go-to dish these days. I was so busy eating and drinking I forgot to take pictures. Use your imagination here, friends.
We strolled back to the chiado and reveled in the music and street life, We wound up at an outdoor cafe listening to a street band with a great violinist performing American songs from the 70s like Louis Armstrongs "What a Wonderful World" ," Hello Dolly" and more in that vein. You get the picture here.
Lisbon has been superb and we are sorry to go,
Tomorrow we check out, get the car and on to the next adventure at the beachside resort of Plaia Del Rey near Obidos.
No comments:
Post a Comment