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Are you saying that the Portuguese invented tempura, Helena? Next you'll tell me that the Chinese invented spaghetti.
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Originally Posted by AJPeabody
(Post 17379283)
Are you saying that the Portuguese invented tempura, Helena? Next you'll tell me that the Chinese invented spaghetti.
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An Aqueduto, skulls and a spectacular cathedral
UNESCO listed Evora lies in the heart of the Alentejo, halfway between Lisbon and the Estremadura region of Spain and is considered a “museum city” with roots dating back to Roman times. Our first full day in Evora brought rain and a very cold wind. We sought out and found the Aqueduto da Água de Prata, dating from the 1530’s, surprised to see buildings tucked within its walls and even more surprised to discover that the area directly beneath it was also a carpark; an incongruous sight. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2d8c4e93ae.jpg Aqueduto da Água de Prata https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8498ec5ddc.jpg Aqueduto da Água de Prata https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...54e83d4aab.jpg Aqueduto da Água de Prata https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4703605465.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a4a646bc29.jpg Aqueduto da Água de Prata We next visited Igreja da Sao Francisco, the Convent and Church of Sao Francisco, best known for the Chapel of Bones, built in the 17th century, its walls and pillars covered with thousands of bones and skulls. Gruesome, but fascinating. Our €5 entry also included the museum and the collection of nativity scenes. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c219bb14b4.jpg Igreja da Sao Francisco https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b27fe79360.jpg Igreja de São Francisco/Capela dos Ossos https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a2d06d29c.jpg Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6b7542e37.jpg Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...056abdaef3.jpg Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9b9b131517.jpg Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...66b26b7edc.jpg Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...addc28c8ab.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6b5cb487f1.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...351805f931.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...18140894a3.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3c2e5dc3c5.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2fdd0e678c.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...70e451c8fd.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...41a39301c7.jpg Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ebc972e30.jpg Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4858c15182.jpg Views from the roof of Igreja de São Francisco We then aimlessly wandered the streets of Evora, passing a fast food vending machine (had we seen it yesterday I might have given it a go out of sheer desperation). https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28bd960a4f.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a854604a82.jpg We ended up at Docas, one of the few places open for lunch on a Monday. Caprese salad and sangria for me, grilled black pork cheeks, fries, salad and wine for Bill. The place was really busy, which I suspect had more to do with them being open than popular. The food was okay, nothing special (€28). https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9a319c5d2b.jpg Docas https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...24730a5316.jpg Docas Next we visited Sé Catedral de Évora, the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, perched up on a hill overlooking town (€4.50). Just wow; what a fabulous place, crummy weather notwithstanding. We visited the chapel and the treasury, admired the fabulous high ceilings, climbed hundreds of steep steps, wandered the ramparts, wound up and down spiral staircases and soaked up those wonderful views. Definitely the highlight of our time in Evora. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...184ff28912.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db3dfd648c.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b4dd6fa0c.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c25a4e41a.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cfd6e5665e.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0da7de27c9.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5689edc34b.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a62a1e9417.jpg Views from Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68b72b9ff0.jpg Views from Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9923e3442.jpg Views from Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1780634ede.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9419ab3f7.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4606bcada2.jpg Sé Catedral de Évora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4d7384df3a.jpg One of many spiral staircases, Sé Catedral de Évora Then we visited the nearby Roman temple, also known (wrongly) as the Templo de Diana after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...95690343a1.jpg Templo de Diana We wandered through the narrow streets, soon sidetracked by Páteo, an outdoor wine bar and tapas restaurant tucked away up a small alley, where we settled in at a table for port tonics and a snack of bread, olives, seasoned butter and some spectacular olive oil (€13). https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...351dba3942.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d624bb7db0.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f608209b28.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9d33dcf38.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6fe3e53419.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5456562368.jpg Praça do Giraldo https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ddd4d9c79.jpg Praça do Giraldo https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3f74edbde4.jpg Páteo https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9f5193cde.jpg Páteo Later we returned to Evora Taste; an encore black pork burger for Bill, vegetable soup for me, and a shared bottle of their house red, surprised once again at how good random house wines had been thus far – €24. Our bill seemed too low, so I asked the waiter to check it – he informed us that we’d received a discount for booking via The Fork again. Sweet. To be continued... |
The Chapell of Bones is creepy. And that's all I have to say about it.
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I found it fascinating Helena - in a gruesome sort of way. It's the sheer number of bones and skulls that freaked me out. So, so many.
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I think the Catacombe dei Cappuccini in Palermo takes 1st prize for creepy imho.
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Ian - I just googled that and I think you're right!
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Ian & Mel, maybe add the Guanajuato equivalent to that creepy list.
I am done. the creeps |
Reminds me of the Bone Chapel in Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic!
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An urban walk, kebabs, wine and more wine
We’d found our hotel to be comfortable and convenient with a no-frills, albeit sufficient breakfast, for which guests were required to wear plastic gloves. Our room was spacious, with a nice rain shower and abundant towels. It was a bit stuffy though; the air conditioning not yet turned on for the season. Opening the window helped, but the noise from the atrium below - a handful of raucous well-lubed guys one night and a guy watching soccer on his phone until late another night - disrupted what would have otherwise been a quiet stay. Wanting some exercise and having already hit the highlights of Evora, we decided to walk around the exterior walls. We detoured to a majestic large yellow building, which turned out to be the Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás). https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...424405f326.jpg Tight parking, inside the walls https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...289e462460.jpg Evora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b037b78980.jpg Outside the walls https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...956843888b.jpg Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...102f6edc16.jpg Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás). https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1db7e994b7.jpg Chapel of Saint Blaise (Ermida de São Brás). We also wandered through an outdoor market with a strong police presence; vendors were selling clothes, purses and kitchen goods, energetically calling out to potential customers. It felt a bit Middle Eastern to those of us who’ve lived there. It was very much like in this video: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a0d863af78.jpg Market https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dadd6384e9.jpg Market https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d5b7f80498.jpg Market https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...295afe4efb.jpg Market https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4294288836.jpg Market The walk was pleasant in some areas, deafening in others due to the proximity of cars speeding past on cobblestones. There was a lot of horn honking – something we’d also noticed in Porto and Coimbra. Portugal seemed to have more than its share of impatient drivers, and we frequently looked over our shoulders worried about oncoming cars. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...416d49e150.jpg Walking outside the walls of Evora https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...415aa1d7f5.jpg Fire station https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...55e00d3489.jpg Evora walls https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0ff5e0dad.jpg Evora walls https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9a0f130fee.jpg Evora walls The walk took just under two hours with our diversions. It served its purpose, but it’s not something I’d recommend. Back in the city center we followed a sign for kebabs which led us up a narrow passageway to Kebabino. The proprietor didn’t speak English and of course our eight word Portuguese vocabulary was of no use, but we muddled through and managed to order lunch. A few other English speakers stumbled in and it was entertaining to watch them do the same. We had to wonder if they too, were not loving Portuguese food. It was time for some wine. We’d passed the family owned Ervideira yesterday and decided to see if they offered wine tastings. It was raining when we arrived at the small shop, where we asked about a tasting and the possibility of purchasing a glass of wine afterwards. We were offered two seats in a small back room, where we watched a video of their operations (surprised to learn that they age their wine submerged in a lake!) and shared a €6 tasting of three wines. The tasting led to a glass of wine, and then to another, and then to the purchase of some tomato jam. The place wasn’t really set up for wine drinking, but the woman manning the shop seemed more than willing to accommodate us while we waited out the rain. Really nice reds here. We wandered the streets for a bit, eventually stumbling upon the Church of Noosa Senora da Graca and its 16th century façade. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb50d4fc10.jpg Se de Evora https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7f082da51a.jpg Se de Evora https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...237667ad99.jpg Igreja da Sao Francisco https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...faa2389ba1.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1d21493834.jpg Streets of Evora https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68b363fde5.jpg Church of Noosa Senora da Graca We then sought out a venue for late afternoon libations, which was oddly hard to find. We eventually popped back into the now empty Docas, where the mother and daughter who run the place were eating their lunch and watching a talk show. I stuck my head in, apologized for interrupting their meal and asked if they were serving wine; they generously welcomed us in. We whiled away the afternoon here, drinking wine, eating olives and watching Portuguese talk TV, guessing what the show was about, the women clearing the tables from lunch and preparing for dinner. A few locals came and went, one for espresso, one for beer and another for port. Evidently crashing a closed restaurant in the late afternoon in Evora isn’t unheard of. This, in all its simplicity, sums up what we've come to love about travel, those experiences that one can't plan for, but merely stumbles into. We try to avoid two night stays when we travel, but we probably could have gotten by with one less night in Evora. Had we been traveling by car, we’d have probably gone to Monsaraz the second day. To be continued... |
Bring on the madness
Knowing the train station was some distance away, and me being tired of dragging my luggage over cobblestones, we’d arranged a taxi through our hotel the previous night (€5). Good choice, as it was even a longer haul than I’d expected. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1df07fc310.jpg Evora train station https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bebc6b2216.jpg Evora train station https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...382280ae02.jpg Evora train station We’d purchased our tickets and reserved seats on the Intercidades from Evora to Lisboa Sete-Rios online before leaving home (€7 each, promotional fare). Once at Sete Rios we bought a train ticket to Sintra (€2.30 each + .50 for the Via Viagem card). While waiting with the luggage, I was approached by the same panhandler who’d hit me up for money at the Sete Rios bus station a few days prior, mumbling something about needing to get to Ukraine (huh?). The train was very busy, yet we seemed to be the only tourists. I’d read that Sintra is a small town located about 30 km west of Lisbon, so we were expecting a distinct change between the two, but the train ride took us through what felt like a never-ending city, one suburb to the next. We arrived to mass confusion – lots and lots of people milling about and lining the streets seemingly waiting for various modes of transportation, yet it was unclear where to stand for which service. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c69f86ae7.jpg Sintra train station https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3323e945d8.jpg Sintra train station I sought out help at the information office and was told to go back across the street from which I’d come. We finally found the taxi stand (or so we thought); but no taxis. Eventually a driver pulled up and offered us a ride as he’d noticed we were first in line, albeit the wrong one. He drove us up hills and through narrow streets, all the while telling us our apartment was only a few minutes flat walk from the station, but that to get there by car was another story altogether. He complained about how busy Sintra is, and said there was a shortage of drivers, mentioning that he’d been working flat out since 7 am, attributing the crowds to Easter week and visitors from Spain. Note: We didn’t realize until after we’d booked our trip that we’d be traveling over Easter, and even then we were more concerned about closures than crowds. It never occurred to us that Easter week would be busier than normal, as it’s pretty much a non-event in our world. We live, we learn. During his running commentary, he told us the National Palace is the real gem of Sintra, yet Pena Palace gets all the hype. He also recommended a few restaurants (unfortunately he was hard to understand) advising us that the majority of restaurants frequented by tourists weren’t very good. We were both a bit dazed by the overwhelming mass of humanity swarming the center of Sintra on this Wednesday mid-April afternoon. A few minutes and €5 later, he deposited us at our apartment, which was located near the busy historic center, yet down a quiet one way street. We’d booked Apartment Adraga, one of several apartments offered by Casas da Biquinha (€222 for three nights). The apartment was spacious and comfortable and while very convenient to the sights of Sintra, that short stretch of street turned out to be a wonderful buffer from the madness of town. We had access to a yard and garden, which were frequented by two friendly cats. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c19a57782a.jpg View from our apartment garden After getting settled we walked up the hill towards the historic center, popping into the second restaurant we came to - Romaria de Baco – hoping it was still serving food at this hour (3 pm) and hoping it might be one the taxi driver had recommended. It was busy, but seemed to be winding down from lunch, and lucky for us they were still serving food. Here we shared a lovely bottle of local wine that our waiter recommended (€13.40), and had a long leisurely meal – slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes for Bill (€15.80), vegetable curry for me (€11.30) and a shared dish of chocolate mousse (€4.50). The restaurant was tiny, the food excellent. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e4ab1c35c7.jpg Slow cooked black pork with smashed potatoes https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...42b210a323.jpg Vegetable curry https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfe4aed0d9.jpg Excellent wine Afterwards we walked up the hill towards Quinta da Regaleira in an attempt to get our bearings. The street was teeming with other tired-looking tourists, most walking in the opposite direction. At Quinta da Regaleira we witnessed an unsettling scene, a crazed English speaking woman cussing out the guard for closing the gate at 5:29 instead of 5:30. Wow. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23fddd8581.jpg Wandering https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9c82147c56.jpg Wandering https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...79b7040cd7.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dcf23869a9.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9d6129dab0.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ad44d853f7.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...53ea712cca.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d41cf666d.jpg Quinta da Regaleira https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ce2d4ff57a.jpg Wandering https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cacb7d2fbe.jpg Wandering We continued walking up towards the Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel - immediately taken with how incredibly green it was – my camera just sort of took over. We wandered the beautiful grounds and took in the views of all that spectacular greenery below. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1eb2c538d4.jpg Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d7ce239be8.jpg Views from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel overlook https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d7bba498ab.jpg Pena Palace as seen from Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ef18437446.jpg Braille parking https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28a1708fdd.jpg Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6bca95762d.jpg Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel I’ve since learned that the Seteais Palace was originally built between 1783 and 1787 on the orders of the Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester, on land granted by the Marquis of Pombal. It was built overlooking the landscape of the Sintra hills. The Portuguese government purchased the site in 1946 and the Seteais Palace has been used as a luxury hotel since 1954. Then it was back towards the historic center, which was still teeming with people - every outdoor table at every restaurant seemed to be occupied. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b7c31084e8.jpg Sintra https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3dd6256d7a.jpg Sintra views https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f7c51ff4ec.jpg Sintra views https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23ff938ef5.jpg National Palace https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6501b10b99.jpg National Palace https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d116acf701.jpg National Palace https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5e97a2e58f.jpg Sintra The draw of Sintra is immediately obvious, but the graffiti etched into the ancient walls near Quinta da Regaleira - the ugly tourist incident, the overflowing trash cans near the National Palace, and the overwhelming number of people who descend on this town, left me feeling very conflicted, ashamed to be a tourist and guilty for contributing to the problem – and I’d just arrived. We popped into the Information Office to enquire about logistics and were told that there was a strike planned for Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Pena Palace would be closed; Quinta da Regaleira would not. So, it was tomorrow or nothing for Pena Palace. I enquired about transport and was given a phone number for a taxi service. https://www.moveaveiro.pt/en/les-tra...edi-a-dimanche Back at the bottom of the hill, we saw our waiter from lunch overseeing some outdoor tables down the street from Romaria de Baco, so we pulled up a chair and ordered more of that wonderful wine, while people watching and mulling over our plans for the next day. Later I returned to the historic center to seek out food for tomorrow's breakfast at Fábrica da Nata, where the pastéis de nata were flying off the shelves. I called the taxi service that evening to arrange a ride to Pena Palace for tomorrow, but my inability to communicate with the operator made that impossible. To be continued... https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...89d2c1c004.jpg |
Love those colorful tiles at the start of this latest installment above Mel. Which other countries are so tile-centric?
I am done. The azulejos |
Thanks zebec - I loved the tiles too - couldn't seem to stop photographing them. And loved our visit to the Tile Museum (coming up in a few installments).
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Regaleira: the dream of a sad man thinking that money would allow him to be an "inniciated" at least. 1st mistake he did: too ovbious. 2nd: hiring a cenic theatre director to create the new arquithecture. Maçons do existed in those days in Portugal, but he was never accepted. It's a sad story, but at least he, Mr. António Carvalho Monteiro, was able to create a kind of disneyworld in Sintra. The poor man (I mean, rich but yet poor), raised in Brasil and with lots of money, never understood that money was not enough. He could have invested in some culture for himself, yet he decided he knew everything of the ancient knights, and created a big mess of signs, symbols, paths, etc. But... tourists love it! Wich is good for economy.
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Mel, thanks to you and Progol, Evora is on my list for Portugal. I also cannot wait for your take on the Tile Museum and the rest of Sintra.
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Helena - your post piqued my interest, so I looked up António Carvalho Monteiro for a few more details:
From wikipedia: The land that is now Quinta da Regaleira had many owners over the years. It belonged to the Viscountess of Regaleira, a family of wealthy merchants from Porto when it was sold in 1892 to Carvalho Monteiro for 25,000 réis. Monteiro was eager to build a bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the assistance of the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he recreated the 4-hectare estate (known as The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire). Born to Portuguese parents in Rio de Janeiro António inherited a huge family fortune, which he enlarged in Brazil by selling coffee and precious stones, which soon made it possible for him to leave for Portugal. He received a degree in Law from the University of Coimbra, and was a well-known collector and bibliophile, with a superb collection of the works of Camões. His cultural interests certainly influenced and guided the mysterious symbols and iconography of the palace that he had built on his estate nestled in the mountains of Sintra, the Palácio da Regaleira. |
Trying to beat the crowds
I’d never used Uber, but had installed the Uber app before leaving home, suspecting that we might need it in Sintra. Up and out early, we walked to the top of the hill near our apartment, ordered an Uber and watched its progress on the app. After 10 minutes it disappeared and another driver was sent with a new arrival time. And then that one disappeared and a third was sent. Some 30 minutes later a car finally arrived and we were on our way up to Pena Palace, where we arrived just before 9 am (€7). A line had already formed (the grounds open at 9 am, the palace opens at 9:30). We purchased a ticket for the grounds at the ticket kiosk (€7.50 each) and walked up the hill to the palace. One can also purchase a ticket for a shuttle up to the palace, but we chose to walk. Wow. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d13f2e682a.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...650cd25eeb.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ea544eeec1.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...82c3403b47.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9268ecf3d2.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2dc9205aaf.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0086b009e0.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...844e0d4cf4.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...96f79de093.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f07d048502.jpg Pena Palace https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...184f0f6181.jpg Pena Palace We explored just about every inch of the exterior, chuffed to have it pretty much to ourselves. Most people were behind us, either waiting for the shuttle up the hill or for the interior to open at 9:30. I could not take enough photos of this Disneyesque palace. The sun was shining, the views excellent. A great day for photos. After a coffee and pastry at the palace, we set out to explore the gardens. We walked up to the High Cross (the highest point in the Sintra Hills), explored the gardens and the chalet of the Countess of Edla, the farm and stables, the greenhouses and the Little Birds Fountain and Valley of the Lakes, covering all the main trails of the park. Evidently a shuttle runs through the grounds, but it wasn’t operating today. No matter, we would have chosen to walk anyway. This was our kind of place, peaceful, green and beautiful, enjoyed all the more as we had it pretty much to ourselves. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd01fbefb8.jpg Pena Palace gardens https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...44b61d7283.jpg Pena Palace gardens https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff48a9faa6.jpg Otherworldly - Pena Palace gardens https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...abf8d4f2b3.jpg Pena Palace as seen from the gardens https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...14c9504096.jpg Chalet of the Countess of Edla https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e5d2af7f24.jpg Chalet of the Countess of Edla https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5525f06b61.jpg Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c533cb8ea0.jpg Chalet of the Countess of Edla - interior We eventually exited the park and walked the trail towards the Moorish Castle, but the crowd was pretty thick by now, and having already logged many miles we opted to turn back. We then followed the Vila Sassetti trail, the pedestrian super highway that leads down to Sintra; part hiking trail, part cobblestones, and rather steep in spots. It’s always interesting to see what people wear on hiking trails and today was a riot; we saw a lot of temporarily white sneakers, a pair or two of high heels and a guy pushing a stroller, amongst other things. We warned the guy with the stroller that the trail ahead wasn’t stroller friendly, but he insisted it was built for this type of terrain. I’m curious if he made it to the top. It was nice to be going down, while everyone else was going up. On the roads below Tuk Tuks filled the air with noise, but the park grounds had been blissfully quiet. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...efe91f7bce.jpg Vila Sassetti trail https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fb65a41a54.jpg Vila Sassetti trail https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f242ab451d.jpg And there it is, Vila Sassetti https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...912bd81698.jpg Vila Sassetti https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9654a5436.jpg Vila Sassetti https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32e8217ce9.jpg National Palace Once back in the historic center, we revisited Romaria de Baco for an encore lunch of black pork and vegetable curry, dining outside this time (€26 with one glass of wine each). We then whiled away the afternoon in the garden of our apartment, sipping the remnants of a bottle of wine, eventually gathering the energy to explore, wanting to see if the train station really was a short, flat walk from the apartment. Once again the historic center was packed to the gills and a flurry of activity – horse drawn carriages, tuk tuks, pedestrians, taxis, alfresco diners, and countless pedestrians. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1228e07473.jpg Historic center, Sintra https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4bebcc79df.jpg Historic center, Sintra https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dca7e2bf6a.jpg Historic center, Sintra https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2c2e26c598.jpg Sintra In an attempt to find a grocery store we first followed the GPS, which led us on a meandering route up and down endless steps and through narrow passages to a tiny market. We didn’t find what we were looking for, but it was an interesting trek through the labyrinth of the historic center. After making a few enquires, we were told to walk to the Sintra station and then keep walking to the next station (Portela de Sintra), where we’d find a large grocery store. The walk between the historic center and the train station was further and less flat than our taxi driver had led us to believe. It was also crazy busy, lined with pedestrians walking up from the station, street vendors, busses, taxis, you name it. We eventually ended up in what I can only describe as lower Sintra (?), surprised at how big and how busy this ‘small town’ really is. The GPS had failed us again. We finally gave up and turned around, popping into a bakery for tomorrow’s breakfast, and Café Saudade, which I’d read good things about, but they were about to close, so we moved on. Dinner found us at Bengal Tandoor near our apartment. All the scaffolding around the building had led us to believe it was closed, but further investigation revealed it was indeed open, just a bit tricky to find the entrance. Our meal here was excellent – chicken Jalfrezi, dahl Makani and fantastic garlic naan (€25). We were the only people in the place at just after 6 pm. Then back to the apartment, to discover that we had no hot water! To be continued... |
Uh oh...But really good weather! TBH I tried to avaoid through that intersection in Sintra, it always looked like that. I was at first going to stay at Casa de Biquinha but changed to Casa da Pendôa around the corner from the Bengal Tandoor. The apartment was supplied with assorted goodies and port with fresh bread in the morning so I didn't need to shop for supplies (only one night in Sintra ).
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Casa da Pendôa looks really nice! We were given some coffee and tea but could have used more. Fresh bread and port would have been a nice perk.
Trying to find a grocery store in Sintra was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thank goodness for all the bakeries. |
I read trip reports once in a while and I'm enjoying yours. I especially appreciate mention of prices which is so potentially useful, not to mention just plain interesting. If more trip reports included that sort of practical detail I'd be reading a lot more of them. Thank you!
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Thank you for reading MmePerdu.
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Hello Good Friday
We got an early start again, walking up to Quinta da Regaliera and arriving 40 minutes before the gates opened. A queue had already formed, and was seriously long by the time 10:00 am rolled around. Evidently the word was out that Pena Palace was closed due to the strike. As we stood in line we considered going online to purchase tickets, but decided against it. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7805e1bdd5.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4350484dc1.jpg Line for Quinta da Regaliera (outside the gates) Once the gates opened, we went to the ticket kiosk to purchase a ticket – €10 each. The queue for pre-purchased ticket holders was significantly longer than for walk-up business and because we were so close to the front of the line for walk-ups, we got in much sooner than those in the pre-purchased queue. Sweet. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6c21963423.jpg Quinta da Regaliera (line for tickets, inside the gates) Once inside, we walked directly to the 88-foot deep Initiation Well, one of the main attractions of Quinta da Regaliera. I’ve read it was never used as a well, but was actually built for secret ceremonial purposes. It also served as an entrance to an underground labyrinth and is connected to other entrances via a series of underground walkways. Because we arrived so early, there was no wait; we went directly down into the well, following the spiral staircase to the bottom via nine landings. It’s believed that “the spacing of these landings and the number of steps in between are linked to Tarot mysticism and Masonic principles”. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c0822ce83.jpg Initiation Well https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...437576a567.jpg Initiation Well https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f3e15184b0.jpg Initiation Well https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ef6b9eaff7.jpg Initiation Well When we passed the Initiation Well entrance about 30 minutes later, the queue was verrrrry long. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56d7027a74.jpg Line for Initiation Well After exploring the well, we spent another two hours exploring the four hectares of grounds, inspired by mystic ideologies. We also explored the first floor of the palace. We found it interesting and beautifully green, but we enjoyed Pena Palace considerably more. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0fc2b2011d.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ccdf31df9b.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a5057afc3d.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f1294087e4.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...da34f3693d.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3dbee9fcb0.jpg Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...57699eaae7.jpg Grounds of Quinta da Regaliera https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bed017d817.jpg Grounds of Quinta da Regaliera The grounds were hopping by the time we left, but all of Sintra felt quieter, no tuks tuks racing up to Pena Palace, the historic center a bit calmer (temporarily as it turned out). https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30def5992e.jpg Line for tickets when we left, Quinta da Regaliera After Quinta da Regaliera we considered walking up to Monserrate, walking as far at the Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel, before we realized it might be closed due to the strike (turned out it was) and we didn’t feel up a 3 km uphill walk to find out. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62a0e8f3f2.jpg Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel So after wandering the grounds of the Tivoli Palacio, where we saw our first signs of the strike, we walked back down to the historic center. We had a nice alfresco lunch at Fatto a Sintra (really good mojitos, a shared Burrata pizza and a shared dish of tiramisu, which was good, but after that gobsmacking tiramisu in Coimbra, Bill was a bit disappointed €43). https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...858ff80f33.jpg Fatto a Sintra https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8586f8b09a.jpg Fatto a Sintra On the way back up to the apartment we stopped at Romaria de Baco to purchase a bottle of the wine we liked (Quinta do Garrido Diario da Quinta Tinto) planning to take it back to our apartment. Unfortunately, they’d sold out, but the owner (who seemed to be filling in during the Good Friday strike and was rather busy), offered me a sample of a different wine, which I decided to buy instead (€14). I asked her if I could have it opened there, as we didn’t have a wine opener in our apartment; instead she gave me hers and said “Happy Easter", probably thinking she’d never see it again. We returned to the apartment, opened the wine, and then I walked back to the restaurant to return the opener (and we’ve been looking for a nice opener like that ever since). We chilled in the garden, sipping wine, enjoying the beautiful day, watching the cats and just taking in our peaceful surroundings. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...78bb11049f.jpg Watching the neighbors from our patio Then it was back to the historic center to pick up tomorrow’s breakfast at Fabrica da Nata and an encore dinner at Bengal Tandoor (chicken Jalfrezi, Paneer Masala, and more of that wonderful garlic naan €26). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8620627e6d.jpg Fabrica da Nata Although the day had felt quieter than the two previous days, there was a lot of noise coming from the center later that night – clearly heard from our apartment - it sounded like a party, and it was still going strong at 9:30 pm. Thoughts: We’d braced ourselves for the crowds in Sintra, and had done a pretty good job of avoiding them. Many tourists day trip from Lisbon, and try to cram a lot of monuments into a single visit. We’d decided beforehand that our main priorities were Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaliera. We could have fit in a few more, but because the crowds became overwhelming from mid-morning through late afternoon - and because of the strike - we didn't. Spending three nights in Sintra worked well for us. We got early starts, had leisurely lunches, did some exploring and still had time for wine in the garden of our apartment in the afternoons. It was a good pace for us. Not having access to a grocery store for coffee and milk was a bit frustrating – we could have had breakfast and coffee in town, but due to the late opening times of restaurants, that would have delayed us getting to the monuments early in the day. To be continued... |
Crowd overload
Not wanting to deal with trundling our luggage upstream of the crowds pouring into Sintra, we walked to the top of the hill and ordered an Uber. It was early, Sintra was just coming to life, yet unbeknownst to us at the time, the area around the train station was chaos. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...99eb8c3b53.jpg All quiet...so far One Uber driver accepted, and gave a 25 minute ETA. Then minutes before he was to arrive, he vanished and another driver accepted with a new ETA. Then, minutes before the second person was to arrive, he vanished too, and a third driver accepted. The app then showed that the third driver was at the pick-up site, but he wasn’t. It was bizarre. Meanwhile, we saw a taxi in the distance, so we approached him, and he took us to the train station (€5.50). I’m new to Uber, so I don’t know if this is a common occurrence or Sintra specific, but it was frustrating and left a bad taste. Especially after two of the drivers claimed I’d cancelled (which I didn’t) and I was charged. I’ve since been credited, but I seldom use Uber, so may or may not have occasion to use the credit. As the taxi approached the train station we saw swarms of people, buses, taxis, tuk- tuks and horse mounted police. I suspect the Ubers we’d requested had dropped us for a closer fare, as at this time of day the action is around the train station. We were relieved to be leaving. A train had just arrived, and a mob of disembarking passengers was exiting the same turnstile that we needed to enter to get on the train, creating a huge bottleneck. Why they don’t have a one way system in such a congested area is baffling. The mob prevented us from reaching our train before it departed, so we had to wait for the next one, which wasn’t direct, necessitating a train change in Agualva-Cacém (€2.30 each). We eventually arrived in Rossio, confused, as there had been no announcements, and no signage indicting where we were. The train just stopped and everyone got off. We thought maybe we’d gotten on the wrong train at Agualva-Cacém, so we asked a security guard where we were; sure enough it was Rossio. We fumbled a bit looking for an exit and walked out of what looked like the back of the station that led into a loading dock. We tried again and eventually found our way out of the station and to our accommodation for the next five nights, The Visionaire Apartments, located on Praça da Figueira. We’d chosen the Visionaire because of its proximity to Rossio railway station, its excellent reviews advising it was quiet, the size of its units, and because it has an elevator and air conditioning. Fodorites had suggested the Baixa as a good flat area from which to explore Lisbon, so the Visionaire seemed to fit the bill. It was too early to check in, so we dropped our luggage in reception, and went to find a place to escape from the hot intense sun, ending up in a random bakery-cum-café, which Bill referred to as a COVIDtorium - too many people in too small a space. I was surprised, not for the first time, that Portuguese bakeries sell all manner of alcohol, not just coffee and soft drinks. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1748fdcc87.jpg Let there be cake! Knowing tomorrow was Easter, yet not knowing what might be open, we popped into a nearby grocery store for a few provisions, then returned to the apartment to check in. Nice place this. Our 538 sf fifth floor unit consisted of a spacious living/dining/kitchen area and a large bedroom. The kitchen was sparsely equipped, poorly set up for self-catering, but we made good use of the coffee maker, wine glasses and fridge. Coffee pods are sold in reception and there’s a washer and dryer for guests to use at no charge. Our unit was comfortable and quiet with a powerful, much-needed air conditioner (€630). After getting settled we set out to explore, mistakenly walking down Rua Augusta towards the Arch and the Praça do Comércio, which I now know is the busiest pedestrian street in Lisbon. The crowds were overwhelming, so much so that I had to turn back before we reached the arch, fearing I’d have a crowd-induced panic attack. En route we passed some guy wearing nothing but cupid embellished tightie-whities, dancing around with balloons. I didn’t stick around long enough to snap a photo, let alone figure out what he was doing. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...36cfd97b0e.jpg Tram 28 https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ca9e422068.jpg Rua Augusta https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b45c79a5c.jpg Rua Augusta https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a01f2f8f75.jpgRuaAugusta https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...992f88d944.jpg Rua Augusta We turned back and tried to find a restaurant on a quieter street for an early dinner. Enter Swaagat, where we had a decent but not outstanding alfresco Indian dinner (chicken curry, paneer, garlic naan and rice €30). Afterwards we wandered, trying to get our bearings while avoiding the busier pedestrian streets, chock-a-block with sunburned tourists, buskers, vendors trying to coax you into their shops and restaurants, and people trying to sell items to outdoor diners. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...edbcb998df.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6f3d1636ff.jpg Praça da Figueira was packed with tuk tuks, scenic buses, and an assortment of kiosks selling various items; it felt like German Christmas markets on steroids. We were tired and it was all a bit too much, so we returned to our apartment to hide, hoping that this was strictly a Saturday before Easter thing and that tomorrow would be better. To be continued... |
That cake looks wonderful!
I mostly use Lyft but often wind up with a different driver than the first assigned. So far I've not been hit a no show fee. I was grateful there was Uber in Lisbon. I only used it to get to the airport when a strike closed the gate to the station adjacent to my final night's hotel. Surprise!!! |
Wow, Lisbon has certainly changed!
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Let’s try this again
Up early on this Easter Sunday, we set out to explore, retracing our steps down a much quieter Rua Augusta to Praça do Comércio, where we poked around a bit before walking towards two monster cruise ships docked nearby. Those crowds suddenly made sense; these two ships had probably disgorged several cities worth of people yesterday. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1659d0c930.jpg Praça do Comércio https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3ea0b59cd3.jpg Praça do Comércio https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7e54b482ac.jpg Monster cruise ships https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...44a62c0d70.jpg Monster cruise ships https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c76dbbe3d5.jpg Street art We walked as far as the Santa Apolónia Station, which I’ve since learned is the oldest railway terminus in Portugal. Here we loaded our Viva Viagem transit cards and on a whim, asked about how to get to Belem. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d5be8e744c.jpg Santa Apolónia Station Soon we were on bus 728 to Belem; similar to the trains we’d been on thus far, this bus didn’t display or announce stops, so unless you have bionic eyeballs, you can’t read your stop until you’ve passed it. So, we erred on the side of caution, got off way too soon and had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. A tram stopped, but it looked like COVID central, so we took a pass. Now on the second 728 bus and still not knowing when to get off, we did the next best thing and got off when everyone else did…voilà! Belem was crazy busy. We arrived to some sort of parade, which we now know was the Solemn Changing the Guard, which takes place the third Sunday of each month. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...477fbbfe68.jpg Solemn Changing the Guard, Belem https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ba5f2987fe.jpg Solemn Changing the Guard, Belem https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e51ffdf35c.jpg Solemn Changing the Guard, Belem We hadn’t planned on visiting Belem’s main attraction, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and today it was closed anyway (other than for Easter mass) but that didn’t seem to deter the tourists. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7c15cf9eaf.jpg Mosteiro dos Jerónimos https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13fb4aaf8f.jpg Mosteiro dos Jerónimos https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...70ae1e190f.jpg Mosteiro dos Jerónimos https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28665a7d1e.jpg Mosteiro dos Jerónimos We walked up and away from the fray towards the Estádio do Restelo, poked around a bit and stopped for a cold drink at a random bakery. As we worked our way back down the hill we popped into La Follia for a shared four cheese pizza, drinks and a ladies restroom equipped with miniature toilet and sink for the littlies (pretty good €19 – cash only). https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a0c4fa6a80.jpg Wandering Belem https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e51cda8224.jpg Wandering Belem https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7a3dad2fc3.jpg Mini sink for the littlies, La Follia, Belem Afterwards we walked back down to the waterfront to explore the Monument of the Discoveries, a 52 meter high structure overlooking the Tagus River, built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. The monument features 33 prominent people who played a significant part in Portugal’s Age of Discoveries, including King Alfonso V, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and of course Henry himself. Evidently visitors can access the rooftop via a lift; the queue was rather long, so we took a pass. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a964895ecd.jpg Waterfront, Belem https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5bc6345ff5.jpg Waterfront, Belem https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6f02c3d8f8.jpg Queue for rooftop of Monument of the Discoveries https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb16d06ec3.jpg Monument of the Discoveries https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...96d2e8e523.jpg Monument of the Discoveries https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e02551190d.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b679ffb4b4.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...511f2fa3e8.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9b5d07b00.jpg Waterfront, Belem https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...977538f0fb.jpg Belem https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a0812b039.jpg Belem We wandered the waterfront for a while – very busy with tourists on this sticky Easter Sunday - and eventually sought out a bus stop to return to Lisbon. This turned out to be a bit of a challenge…a long fence separated us from the street. We walked for some time looking for a break in the fence, and eventually stumbled upon a train station, and finding no signage, descended the stairs to the tracks. Whether or not we could get back to Lisbon via train was a complete mystery. Not being a guy, I have no qualms asking for help when confused, and this is how we learned that the train did not go to Rossio. We were told to keep walking. After what felt like miles of walking we finally found a bus stop. A packed tram rumbled by (trams seemed to be more popular with tourists than buses), so we waited for bus 714 which took us directly back to Praça da Figueira. It’d been a confusing morning and we were both hot and cross. So after cooling off in the apartment, we headed out again – walking up the leafy tree-lined Avenida da Liberdade, known as one of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97670d298e.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a40a7e9984.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d3fe0d91e5.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...50242cd134.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13adbb6d64.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a661adae1.jpg Avenida da Liberdade https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28d43cc1a2.jpg It was busy, but not horribly so, and although we’re neither high end shoppers or interested in posh hotels and fine dining, it was a nice respite from the heat and crowds of Belem and Baixa. Craving a cold drink, we popped into a hostel with a roof top bar on a side street, but it was closed; we were referred to the Tivoli Hotel as they also have a rooftop bar. So we sought out the Tivoli, where we discovered that access to their rooftop bar required a €250 per person cover charge! Say what? We continued our wander down prestigious Avenida da Liberdade with its luxury shops, security guards stationed at tiny parking lots chock-a-block with high end cars and spit-shined BMW motorcycles, Bill commenting that one looked like a sculpture and was 1600 cc, more horsepower than my car. We stopped for refreshing mojitos at an outdoor café, where we encountered a first since we’d been in Portugal, a service charge added to our bill (€15.55). Hankering for Indian food, we followed the GPS to Gandhi Palace, which led us to Elevador da Gloria, the funicular that links Baixa to Bairro Alto (which we didn’t know at the time). We chose to walk up the steep mural-lined alley, so narrow that we could have reached out and touched the funicular as it passed, had we been so inclined. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4543045317.jpg Elevador da Gloria https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2fddf9d475.jpg Alley leading to Bairro Alto https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...efa1c22136.jpg Elevador da Gloria where it reaches Bairro Alto At the top, we worked our way through the bottleneck; people waiting to board the funicular as well as a swarm of people at the market being held at what we later discovered is The Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara; it was seriously busy up here, so we decided to explore the Miradouro another day. After a bit of confusion we found the near empty Gandhi Palace, where we had a peaceful and tasty dinner (€24). Afterwards we backtracked, walking down that steep-assed alley again, enjoying the street art (sponsored by the City Council) along the way. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...df92746df5.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28ec2c85f6.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b68f9b45aa.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2300dca4fa.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...920bce38f3.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0b92e34428.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d7c54f366f.jpg Bairro Alto Street Art Gallery So far we were finding Lisbon difficult to navigate; not knowing quite where or when we crossed into a different neighborhood. Had our waiter at Gandhi not told us we were in Bairro Alto, we’d have had no idea. When we said we were surprised that the restaurant was deserted, he told us that we were in a clubbing area and in the summer the streets and the restaurant were packed. In retrospect, we would have benefited from a walking tour of some kind. We were also finding Lisbon less friendly than other areas we’d visited this trip, although I suspect it was tourist-burnout, which I can totally understand. To be continued... |
Originally Posted by thursdaysd
(Post 17381810)
Wow, Lisbon has certainly changed!
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What a bummer that you had so many crowds to deal with during your visit to Lisbon. I always dread when a city gets inundated by cruise ships and try to plan around it, although not always successful. I had no idea that there is so much to keep one occupied in Sintra, so I appreciate you broadening my perspective of the town.
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I found this Rick Steves Lisbon Citywalk podcast helpful to follow for orientation to Lisbon. The map was especially handy.
https://podcasts.ricksteves.com/walk...isbon-city.mp3 |
I had no idea that there is so much to keep one occupied in Sintra, so I appreciate you broadening my perspective of the town.
We barely scratched the surface. Missed more castles/monuments than we saw. |
Love the street art! So interesting. Somehow we missed it when we were in Lisbon.
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Boy, are those so-called ships ugly!
Google maps knows about public transport. It will show you where the bus stops are, tell you how much the ride costs, and you can watch your progress to see where to get off. (Click on the little train/bus icon between the car and the pedestrian.) |
Fascinating read, Mel.
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"So far we were finding Lisbon difficult to navigate;"
In researching, I find Lisbon confusing, too. Love your report! Hopefully it eon't be 116 like it was today in September. Look forward to the rest. |
We experienced the same crowd level when we went in May 2018. Rossio, Sintra and central Lisbon were all very busy. And your waiter was right about the clubs in the Bairro Alto. We wandered into the area looking for a meal on a Saturday night and the whole area was humming and all of the shuttered buildings were open with bars and eateries.
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When in Rome
We’re not really museum people, but when in Rome… We took the train from Rossio to São Sebastião, changing trains at Alameda. From there we walked to the Gulbenkian Museum, which I’d been told was a must do while in Lisbon (€10 each). It took a little doing to find the entrance, as we had to weave around quite a few barricades; renovations for the rooms housing the 18th century French Art and silver collections as well as the Modern Art Museum; neither of which would be fully opened until May 2022. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f24c6c65a0.jpg Gulbenkian Museum construction area We arrived shortly after the museum opened, hoping to miss the crowds. This worked for the most part, but the place was pretty busy by the time we left a few hours later. As museums go, it was a good choice, and I found the Greek coins and medallions particularly interesting. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e41c99fb06.jpg Gulbenkian Museum https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bf53e097b8.jpg Gulbenkian Museum After the museum we meandered through the gardens a bit, and then went across the street so the chocoholic (that would be me) could peruse the offerings at the Leonidas Belgian chocolate shop. Suffice to say I was in there a long time and came out with an assortment of chocolate filled Easter eggs. Lovely. We also tucked into a Lidl store, Bill finding the same Calem tawny that we’d purchased in Porto, but on sale; so naturally he picked up a bottle, knowing full well he’d be carrying it around all afternoon in his backpack. We eventually worked our way down to Parque Eduardo VII - named after the King of England who visited in 1903. We wandered the beautiful grounds, took in the monuments and statues and stumbled upon a gorgeous building, which I’m guessing is a theater? I couldn’t get enough photos of this place. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b606daaad6.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a579eb8416.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d0fd6ad3b.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...378d4596f3.jpg Parque Eduardo VII - theater? https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8064ff1552.jpg Parque Eduardo VII - theater? https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7472e1d1bc.jpg Parque Eduardo VII - theater? https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2760693f77.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...655a74fa59.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b908cae644.jpg Parque Eduardo VII https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...85e874afb4.jpg Foot of Parque Eduardo VII After exploring the park, we worked our way back down Avenida da Liberdade again. The wind was blowing a gale and those beautiful trees on Liberdade were wreaking serious havoc on contact lenses and noses – everyone we passed was sneezing and coughing, which probably gave others pause in these COVID times. The wind had been a constant since arriving in Portugal. As we walked past the Tivoli Hotel we popped in hoping to get clarification on that €250 cover charge (never did). A bus load of old folks on a Viking tour had just arrived and were being briefed in the Tivoli’s lobby, so Bill took the opportunity to pick the brains of one of the tour representatives. We’d been curious about the tours since seeing all the cruise boats on the Douro, wondering if that was our future. The guy as very helpful, as had been every single Portuguese we’d encountered thus far. We took an alfresco mojito break at a random bakery/café not far from our apartment, surprised once again that bakeries served drinks – and in this case a very good one. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f8dc109c90.jpg It’d been a much quieter day, a nice reprieve from the past several days. Later we trudged back up that enormous hill for an encore dinner at Gandhi Palace, but not before taking in the fabulous views from the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, lovely. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d3d538bcf.jpg Street art https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7cc158a56f.jpg Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b23797cce9.jpg Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara We were the only customers, so we had a nice chat with the same waiter from last night, and he surprised us by giving us a repeat customer discount (€24 with a massive glass of wine each). After dinner we took a different route home, winding through the narrow steep streets of Chiado, not knowing where we were going, passing sex shops, cafes, bars and an interesting assortment of apartments and businesses. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7cdbef7856.jpg Wandering https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30d1c23e88.jpg Wandering I’m not sure how we got there, but we eventually ended up in Baixa near the Santa Justa Lift, surprised that the streets were so much quieter than yesterday, the jam-packed areas of Saturday practically deserted, restaurant wait staff lounging outside the doors, looking bored to tears. Perhaps those massive cruise boats had moved on. Whew. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...146ccbcf6c.jpg Santa Justa Lift https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4e0a3fc34e.jpg Santa Justa Lift https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...820e63a152.jpg Queue for Santa Justa Lift https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5fb9cd59e0.jpg Baixa https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f30b460f1.jpg Baixa To be continued... |
"The Theatre" at Parque Eduardo II was never a theatre (I confirmed with my dad, Lisbon is his city). He said a lot of things and I miss most of them, it was created for a purpose and then it was "moved?" there but it was never a theatre, as far as I remember (and he confirmed) it was a sports place, that's why it has now the name of a portuguese athlete (Carlos Lopes) and is now used for expositios/exhibitions.
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Ah-ha! Thanks for that Helena. It's a beautiful building.
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I love your photos! We stayed near the Eduardo VII Parque and walked through there several times. It is a lovely oasis. You took more photos than we did of the park. The Gulbenkian is one of my favorite museums. Too bad the Modern Art Museum was closed when you were there. I am usually not a fan of modern art, but I really, really enjoyed their collection.
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