HOW TO SEE LISBON PORTUGAL IN A DAY
HOW TO SEE LISBON PORTUGAL IN A DAY
Greetings from Lisbon, Portugal.
Lisbon is where we would embark on our 7 country European & African cruise aboard Oceania’s new ship, Riviera. Having only a single day to take in the sights of Lisbon before embarking on our cruise, we decided to hire an expert guide named Carla Carita through the website called Viator. She and her male colleague picked us up in a comfortable and spacious Mercedes van and took us on a whirlwind tour of the city. He drove us around and dropped us off at the various points of interest so there was no need to worry about where to park. She joined us and gave great explanations of the sites in absolutely perfect English. So, if you are wondering how to see Lisbon Portugal in a day, I highly recommend this method. Hire Carla Carita, a licensed tour guide and you won’t be disappointed.
She first took us along Lisbon’s waterfront…
where we were welcomed with open arms by this jolly fellow.
Our first stop on the tour was the area known as Alfama, a Moorish neighborhood and the oldest district in Lisbon. In the 6th century, during the time that the Moors occupied the city and influenced it in many ways, this area constituted the entire city. It has now grown far beyond Alfama’s borders but this area has retained its old-world charm.
Carla guided us through the twists and turns of the narrow, pedestrian-only alleyways.
If you visit, be prepared to do a lot of walking on cobblestone streets through this hillside village.
We wandered through the picturesque streets where the buildings were so close together the roofs almost touched.
The walls of the buildings were often decorated with scenes such as this, and there was much ornamental ironwork and pretty stone carvings.
While we only had time for a daytime visit to Alfama, it is after dark that this part of the city really comes to life. That is because the Alfama district is where Fado, Portugal’s very own music genre began, and the area is full of the legendary Fado Bars and restaurants.
Fado, meaning “fate” or “destiny” in Portuguese, is characterized by emotionally charged and mournful sounding ballads, mostly about loss. Fado is usually sung by men who use guitars or violas to accompany their nostalgic songs expressing “sausade”, the sensation of loss. Their hauntingly sad songs are often about ill-fated sailors, and as odd as this may seem, the Fado Bars are hugely popular in Lisbon. A night in one of these establishments has been described as magical and almost therapeutic. I very much wish we had had the time to partake in this experience, but instead we could only watch as the barkeepers and restaurateurs readied their establishments for the night.
Our next stop was Lisbon’s huge riverfront square known as Praça do Comércio. On the day that we visited there was a huge fair taking place that was dedicated to agriculture. Plants and trees of every description were on display.
Across the street and through this beautiful portal known as Portos do Sol the fair continued…
where street vendors displayed their products.
Continuing on our journey we passed Pedro IV Square. It features a lovely fountain…
and a bronze statue of Pedro IV, king during the early 1800’s. There in the distance you can see a strange looking gray platform.
It is known as the Santa Justa Elevator. Built of iron at the turn of the century by the Portuguese-born French Architect, Raoul de Mesnier du Ponsard, it is one of the city’s best-loved landmarks. The architect had been an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel, which explains the structure’s similarities to Paris’ Eiffel Tower. The elevator was built to connect the lowest part of downtown Lisbon to Barrio Alto, one of the highest points in the city. When it was first built in 1902 it was called an engineering marvel. Still in operation today, this Neo-Gothic tower houses a cafe and a viewing platform from which visitors can enjoy expansive views of the city and Tagus river.
The next stop on our tour of Lisbon was Jeronimos Monastery, one of the most impressive symbols of Portugal’s power and wealth during the Age of Discovery. It is one of Portugal’s most iconic tourist sights and is an absolute must-see attraction for visitors to Lisbon. King Manuel the 1st began the construction of the monastery and church in 1502 to commemorate Vasco Da Gama’s voyage and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. It took 100 years to complete.
In my lifetime I have visited dozens and dozens of monasteries, cathedrals and churches throughout Europe, but I must say that this was certainly one of my favorites. In fact, I loved it so much, and took so many photos of it that I could have devoted an entire blog post to it. I am not alone in my appreciation of this edifice, as UNESCO has classified it a World Heritage Monument.
The monastery was originally populated by monks of the Order of Saint Jerome. It was the job of the monks to give spiritual guidance to sailors of this important seagoing port and to pray for their souls. This impressive door is the entrance to the church that is part of the Monastery.
This amazing structure is one of the great triumphs of the style of architecture known as Late-Gothic Manueline. The Manueline style is characterized by elaborate sculptural details, and is richly ornate, featuring an abundance of maritime motifs that are evocative of the time of Portugal’s exploration at sea..
The architectural splendor of the church’s interior exemplifies Portuguese art at its very best.
Just look at the amazing detail in the ceiling.
The columns or piers are octagonal in shape and are richly decorated with reliefs and very intricate sculptural details.
Many great figures in Portuguese history are entombed here, including King Manuel and King Sebastião, as well as several celebrated Portuguese poets. These are the Royal Tombs which are being held up by 2 marble elephants with ivory tusks.
This is Vasco de Gama’s tomb. They say that this tomb actually does hold his remains.
Vasco de Gama was a Portuguese navigator who in 1497/98 established the first sea route between Portugal and India. This created a new trade route that for over a century allowed Portugal to enjoy supremacy in the Indian Ocean and brought great wealth to the nation.
I wish we had had more time to enjoy this overwhelmingly beautiful monastery as there was much more to see, including the cloisters and garden which we missed. If you visit budget several hours to take it all in.
But alas, we had to move on so as not to miss another unforgettable institution, Pastéis de Belém, the famous pastry shop just across the street from the Monastery.
As the story goes, in the early 1800’s there was a liberal revolution in Portugal that resulted in the closure of the monastery. In an effort to survive, someone from the monastery began selling sweet custard pastries that became known as Pastéis de Belém.
The famous pastries sold here are produced from the original secret recipe that originated at the monastery, and they say that the recipe has remained unchanged to this day. Everyone who visits Lisbon pays a visit to this shop to taste their wonderful pastry. Much more delicious than they appear, these Pastéis de Belém were one of the most delicious confections I have ever eaten. We were thrilled to find that our hotel offered them at the breakfast buffet the next morning.
One of these days I am going to attempt to make a knockoff recipe of these delightful treats.
Pastéis de Belém also had their own Portuguese tile mural that depicts the Monastery from which their famous pastries originated. By the way, there is a tile museum in Lisbon that I understand is highly worth a visit. Sadly, our limited timeframe prohibited a visit.
While there were many more sights to see in Lisbon and its environs, we had run out of time. The final stop on our whirlwind tour was the Tower of Belém, another UNESCO World Heritage Monument. Built in the early 1500’s to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s expedition to India and to honor the Age of Discovery and its maritime explorers, the Tower of Belém sits alongside the Tagus River. Like the Monastery of Jeronimo, the tower was also built in the Manueline style and incorporates many stonework motifs of maritime discoveries. The Belem Tower was the starting point for many of the voyages, and for the sailors it was the last sight of their homeland. The next day it would also be one of our last sights of Portugal as our cruise ship Riviera sailed on our own voyage of discovery.
So there you have it: HOW TO SEE LISBON PORTUGAL IN A DAY
Please stay tuned, as tomorrow our ship will sail. Next port of call on our Iberian Odyssey: GIBRALTAR
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