Given that neither of us had ever been to Portugal and we’ve heard many good things about it, we were looking forward to our 2-days in Lisbon. My initial plans was a 2-day exploration of the different neighborhoods and city center, but the one-day in Sintra throw the plan out the window. But our overnight stay on the ship gave us these views of the day ahead.
Our Scottish dinner friends (Alex and Evelyn) took a hop-on hop-off tour of Lisbon. It was a two-day ticket, and they unexpectedly gave it to us. The overview was good, and we still had some time to walk and explore. Here’s your quick tour of our beautiful day in Lisbon.
I’ve always thought Lisbon was on the coast, but it actually sits on the Tegas (Tejo) River, a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean. Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) is a grand square along the river leading to the gates of the city (Baixa district – BYE shah). On our walk to Rosario Station to get our train to Sintra, we saw a lively city center.
Of the neighborhoods, I was most likely forward to Alfama, on old neighborhood a small hill east of Baixa. Dating back to the 6th century, it remains a bustling neighborhood with narrow streets and alleys. Lisbon still uses a few classic trolleys, and one accesses Alfama. Although we got to Alfama, the time was too short for me.
Belem is a district 3 miles (5 km) west of city center. It served as the send-off point for sailors, many who prayed at Monastery of Jeronimos – a very long structure with a beautiful church that houses the tomb of Vasa da Gama.
Belem anchors one end of a bridge that resembles San Francisco’s Golden Gate – yes – the same architect. The Belem Tower guarded the port and the Monument to the Discoveries (a salute to the early Portuguese explorers) are in a park along the water. The large Praça do Império (Empire Square) with a beautiful fountain sits in front of the monastery.
At 5 pm on the second day, it was time to sail away. Great weather and great views touched the heart. Son long Portugal, and may we meet again.
I guess I mentioned to you before that I spent quite a bit of time in Portugal some years ago. While in Lisbon, we made it a practice to frequent the “fado” bars in the Alfama. Fado from the word “fate” are quintessential folk songs in which the singer sings about the twists and turns, good and bad, that fate has dealt him/her. Lisbon is a wonderful city.
So is the south of Portugal, on the Algarve, with its beaches of red sand. We rented a car and discovered that we shared the narrow, winding country roads with horse drawn wagons and that there was a law that you must beep your horn whenever you approach a curve in the road. Unfortunately, the car we rented was a British model, unfamiliar to us and we couldn’t find where the horn was, for several days. We bought a plastic bike horn and took turns tooting it out the window! Do go back, sometime; you’ll love it!
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Cynthia,
Love your endorsement of the southern region … and I would love to see the north as well … especially Porto. Did you go there? Meanwhile, do love your horn story!!!
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Yes, Porto–or Oporto, as it is sometimes called–is also a beautiful city..the very birthplace of port wine…if you like port wine….and I do!
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… and I love port wine too! Cheers … and someone on the cruise gave of a bottle of wine port (which I didn’t know existed) … but I understand it is a different drink.
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I’ve never been to Portugal. Looks lovely. I like the pavement in that city center pic. Looks a bit like waves!
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Carrie,
First time for us, and we’ve heard good things about other regions of the country! The waves on the flat square were awesome.
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Fabulous photographs!
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MeRaw,
Thanks … it was a good city. We were short on time … but got a good overview.
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Would love to spend time threre. My son and girlfriend are only a two hour drive, eastward from Lisbon, so who knows?
x
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MeRaw,
It seems you have a chance of getting there!
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Another beautiful stop. Go Steelers
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John,
We enjoyed this stop … but didn’t have enough time for Lisbon. Oh well … Meanwhile, Steelers defense havoc and Bengals implosion when inside the 30 make it a difficult uphill climb.
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Lovely picture gallery, Frank. Somewhere I haven’t been, so I was interested to see what it’s like. That monument is so amazing. 🙂
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Sylvia,
Wow .. a place you haven’t been! 😉 You may want to consider it as a stopover to/from the UK.
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Beautiful, Frank. It seems like such a wonderful trip.
I also liked the square with the wavy looking surface.
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Merril,
That square is Praça Dom Pedro IV, so you may enjoy a search of it on Google Images. … and yes, it was well done, and to think it’s flat!
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Great photos Frank. I’d go back to Europe in a heartbeat!
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Pauline,
There is something about Europe that seems to capture my heart, wonder, and imagination … so yes … I look forward to my next trip there.
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Thanks for sharing Lisbon with us!
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Crone,
One day there was unfair … well, I actually had two but went to Sintra one day. Glad you enjoyed this post – and I encourage you to see the previous four posts.
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Looks like a lovely place. Melanie pesters me often that we should go. She is probably right.
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Jim,
The entire Iberian Peninsula is a wonderful place .. so I encourage you to go and enjoy.
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Wonderful! More days would have been nice, but you sure got a lot in!
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Resa,
More days were needed for sure. Guess I have reason to go back … cruise again, but get other ports as well. 🙂
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Looks like a beautiful city, I found that pavement very interesting. Looks like rolling waves. Of course the architecture is amazing.
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George,
That pavement is so well done, I visually expected dips while walking .. but it was flat.
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It’s crazy how they create that effect. No motion sickness?😊
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Amazing work indeed … and of course no motion sickness from the visual, I was on the meds! 🙂
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Lisbon looks amazing. It appears we are both are the travel circuit right now. Be safe and enjoy the trip.
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Its not Cinci, is it. From a visitant view point, looking at the images and I imagine for the two you experiencing for the first time, the white of it all is very inviting and striking. A warm and friendly feeling comes to mind.
BTW, I was on a Equinox’s sister ship a year +++ ago, while I was away to parts unknown.
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Calvin,
Interestingly, your eyes caught the white building, but mine catch the contrast with the terracotta roofs … and warm & friendly it was. If you ever make it, get a serving of Ginjinha (a local drink).
This was my first time on this class of ship. Enjoyed it, but may enjoy the other class that Celebrity has more. Besides, I knew were the ship was going on both counts. 😉
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I had Ginja once, along long long time ago in the only local Portuguese restaurant that tried to make ago of it. They served as part or prior to the meal of seafood paella I see commercial versions at Christmas time in the LCBO’s. But local anything always remarkably superior. I take you had more than one.
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Awesome story. I only had one … actually toward the end of the second (last) day, I realized that I hadn’t had it yet. Good news is I had it in a neighborhood bar. Bad news is the day before (in Sintra), I passed having it served in a chocolate cup. …. now that’s a dumb move.
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I hope to visit Belem someday and the Monastery of Jeronimos with the church that houses the tomb of Vasa da Gama. Da Gama’s famous voyage around Africa, I just found out on Wiki, was in 1497-99 – five years AFTER Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the “New World.”
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Tim,
The Monastery is quite large, and the church is quite the sight … and Vaso is in clear display. While in Belem, also get a custard tart and some ginjinha.
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Frank, you know that WW and study your travel logs in great detail and take notes. I never thought of going to Lisbon . . . until now. Looks fabulous.
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E-Tom,
This was a great itinerary! … When in Lisbon, a side trip to Sintra (previous post) is worth the time … but do it my way (not the ship’s) … However, that meant we had to short-change Lisbon.
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Spectacular — I’ve never been there, either. It looks wonderful. Thanks for taking me along!
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Elyse,
Glad to take you along this pleasant journey. Only two more posts … then back to normality.
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Don’t rush on my account. I’m loving the travel posts!
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I just don’t want it to drag on … thus I have two more planned, but that doesn’t mean I won’t return later with some sort of theme. I’ve tried to keep the narrative with a manageable number of pics. (One be long winded and irrelevant with too many images.
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I took a hop on hop off bus tour when I was in Ireland years ago, it is a wonderful way to see a city. I’m glad you enjoyed your time there. The pictures are beautiful.
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Catherine,
Hop-on hop-off tours are great overviews … plus one gets ideas on where to return if they want. Cheers to your Irish visit.
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So many beautiful old buildings. So much nicer than what they build now.
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LB,
The oldness of Europe tugs on my heart.
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Lisbon has to be one of my favorite cities. The old neighborhoods, the architecture, and the people. A difficult place to leave. Thanks for letting us walk along. Such lovely pictures of such a charming place
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Mouse,
Woo hoo! … you’ve been there … so you know. Glad to serve as a good reminder.
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It’s definitely a beautiful city! I have some lovely pottery from Lisbon. My mother-in-law didn’t travel much over her 90 years, but in her 60s had a rare opportunity to take a trip with a friend to Portugal and she jumped at it. I still have her photographs and the items she brought home with her. It pleased me to see your photos and to see the city through your eyes. It definitely holds appeal for me…maybe one day. 🙂
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Debra,
Amazing how special links can happen through stories. With that in mind, Lisbon has to be high on your bucket list! Thanks for sharing.
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This looks like a fabulous city. I believe it must go on my bucket list. Beautiful pictures as always Frank along with your wonderful narrative.
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Val,
Given that you’ve been close, Lisbon would be a good city for you. Just don’t rush it like we did. Thanks for coming along.
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Looks to be a wonderful place… 🙂
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Sue,
Absolutely … but to be honest, we only had a touch, so we tried to maximize the time into an overview. The church interior in Baixa is that of the old Lisbon Cathedral. Maybe you can find cheap airfare to Lisbon!
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I can totally understand why my friend, Paul, has gone back many, many times to Portugal.
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Dale,
I’ve heard some say that the prices are reasonable there … what does Paul say? We only had two days, and there is so much more … thus I would like to cruise further north.
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I’ll have to ask him (though we don’t live in the same budget!!)
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They are mesmerising!!
Such intricate structures!! And a lovely view 🙂
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Mithai,
Lisbon was a treat. Wish we had more time, but we gave up a day to get to Sintra (prior post) … which was worth it.
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Yes Lisbon and Sintra were indeed a treat……definitely on my list to visit after reading these, thank you 😀
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We love Europe as it captures both of us. Hope you get there many times in your future.
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An Europe tour is definitely on the plans. Its just so serene and beautiful!! Would love to go through all the places you mentioned 🙂
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So much there captures me … I love the oldness. … The Baltic is wonderful .. Italy is over the top! … and much more to visit.
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Looking forward to read about more of your journeys!! 🙂
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FYI: I’m going to revise the posts in the Travel category … so watch the subdivisions.
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The detail of the buildings is something else!
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RoSy,
Absolutely … and that seems to be true throughout Europe.
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Wonderful. There is never really enough time to explore all there is to see. Thank you, Frank for taking me along for the ride today. 🙂
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Sarah,
Well stated .. never enough time to truly experience the place and the sights.
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Oh Frank, There never is. I am so glad you both got the chance to see all that you did; Hugs
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