The morning started with a bus ride to Lisbon to see some of
the historical sites in the center of the city. The first stop was at Parque
Eduardo VII, a park named in honour of England’s Edward VII when he
visited. A view from a fountain gave an
extended look down to the river.
Sidewalks decorated in cobbled designs added to the exotic feel.
We then disembarked
in Alfama, an extremely old district in the middle of Lisbon, which withstood
the 1755 earthquake. The district is
Moorish in design, with extremely narrow alleys.
As you can see, the good weather finally deserted us, and it
poured for most of the day.
Our next stop was a huge church, Santa Egracia. As usual, the carvings and furnishings were sumptuous.
A cenotaph devoted to Vasco da Gama, a famous Portuguese
navigator, was one of the highlights of the displays.
Lunch was thankfully indoors in one of the many little cafes
available everywhere. Cultural food
note: if you order “Coffee” you get a
little cup of expresso. White coffee Americano means you will get a larger cup
with coffee and lots of milk (heated).
It takes a bit of experimentation to find the brew you like, but there
is no lack of variety.
In the afternoon, we went to the Monument to the
Discoveries, built in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary to the
death of Henry the Navigator. Henry
financed expeditions along the African coast.
The monument is quite striking, but the most fascinating aspect of the
display was a giant marble map laid on the outline of a compass, noting
Portuguese expeditions to Africa and Asia, for example.
Finally, we trailed back on the bus to go back to the hotel
and dry out. At least we weren't out on muddy trails! And street vendors pushing umbrellas had a great day!
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