Lisbon - Day 2

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I woke up once in the middle of the night, which is pretty usual for me, and then slept through until 5.00am which wasn’t too bad. I tried to doze off again thinking just one more hour of sleep would be good. However, when it ticked over to six o’clock, I gave up and decided I might as well be writing the blog for yesterday and posting it.

After breakfast it was time to head out to see some of Lisbon’s many attractions. We walked back out into Praça (square) Dom Pedro IV which is only a couple of minutes from our apartment. We are very well located with the square, dubbed The Rossio by Lisboans, considered to be the heart of Lisbon. After taking photos of the fountains and the monument to Dom Pedro it was time to tackle our first hill. Our perambulations last night were around the flat area between The Rossio and Praça do Comércio by the Rio Tejo. However, Lisbon is not a flat city. Once you start exploring it is HILLY!

We clambered up to the Convento do Carmo & Museu Arquologico for our first stop this morning arriving just before opening time at 10.00am. The convent was founded in 1389 for the Carmelite Order and must have been an impressive sight soaring above Lisbon. Unfortunately the earthquake that devastated Lisbon in 1755 shook the convent to pieces. At one time there were plans to rebuild the convent, but the 19^th-century taste for romantic ruins meant that it was never restored to its former glory. Nestled behind the ethereal ruins of the nave is the archeology museum which is housed in what was formerly the main chapel. The museum houses a collection pre-Colombian treasures, a Roman and Moorish collection and some prehistoric finds. The convent is also home to a black and white cat that was very like the black and white cat that can often be found at the coffee shop near where we live.

From the convent we ventured around the corner to check out the view from the top of the Elevador de Santa Justa. Well, almost the top as the stairs to the very top are currently closed temporarily. Not to worry, the view across to Castelo de São Jorge was still outstanding from the platform that we were able to access.

Continuing ever upwards on the cobbled streets that Lisbon is famous for we found our way to the Igreja (church) and Museu São Roque. With a walking tour group about to enter the church we opted to visit the museum first. The museum is packed with elaborate sacred art and holy relics, which was amazing, but paled (almost) into insignificance when compared to the church itself. Although it has a rather plain façade, the interior of the16^th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque is astonishing. Each chapel is more elaborate and more beautiful than the one beside, with the star attraction being the Capela de São João Baptista. The chapel was built in Rome using amethysts, alabaster, lapis lazuli and Carrara marble and then transported to Lisbon for installation. The dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos throughout the church was paid for with Brazilian riches.

Staggering still further up the hill (in the increasing heat!) we made our way to Miradouro (viewpoint) da São Pedro de Alcântara. I believe at one time during the planning phase that there was talk that it would be better to ride to the top of the hills (by bus, train, tram or funicular) and then wander back down the hills at our leisure. I’m not sure quite why it came to pass that we were slogging our way up the hill in 33°C heat??!! Still, after all that effort, not to mention sweat, the view was pretty outstanding.

We were going to eat at the café at the miradouro, but they seemed reluctant to acknowledge us and seat us so we cracked the sads and left. As we wandered back across the miradouro the vintage Ascensor da Glória arrived at the top of its run. We got all excited and decided to ride it down to Praça dos Restauradores. Back down the bottom of the hill we realised we had made a gross error of judgement as there were still things that we wanted to see up the hill. So we queued up to take the next car back to the top of the hill. What a rookie error!!

Back up the hill – and heading even further up the hill – we found the charming Pastelaria – Padaria São Roque. The café has an ornate domed ceiling and honey-coloured columns topped with capitals adorned with angels and fruit. It also features colourful azulejos (hand-painted tiles) in green and orange geometric patterns. We ordered their signature sandwich which turned out to be a ham and cheese toastie on oregano bread. Yum! Even better was downing some iced water (me) and a Coke Zero over ice (Bernie). Googling the café now I have learnt that it ranks No. 4 on a Best Cafes in Lisbon list. What a good find.

Fed and watered our next stop was at the Convento dos Cardaes where our €5.00 entry fee entitled us to a guided tour. Once again the exterior was very austere and if you weren’t looking for it you could easily miss it. On the inside the blue-and-white tiles and gilded carvings are much more elaborate. The convent was built in the 17^th-century by a rich widow. The guide told us that she entered a convent following the death of her husband. Finding it not to her liking, she decided to build her own. The convent was one of very few buildings to survive the 1755 earthquake and as such is a rare example of the Portuguese baroque style in Lisbon.

Next we made our way to the Jardim Botânico hoping for a green oasis in Lisbon on a hot day. Well, it was green, but still pretty hot in the gardens. We entered the gardens from the top (uphill side) with a plan to walk down through the gardens and exit via the bottom gate which would have had us close to the Avenida Metro Station to catch the train towards Parque Eduardo VII. Ahem, the best laid plans and all that. It turned out that the bottom gate was locked so we had to walk all the way back to the top of the gardens to exit by the same gate that we had come in. Then, instead of a short three-minute walk to the station, we faced a hot and sweaty 15-minute slog over hilly, cobbled streets to the station. Groan!

And wasn’t Parque Eduardo VII a massive disappointment when we finally got there! In the pictures it looks magnificent with acres of parterre gardens sloping downhill towards Lisbon’s busiest roundabout at the Praça Marquês de Pombal. First disappointment, we found the plaza/viewpoint at the uphill end wrapped in scaffolding so we couldn’t take a photo from the highest point looking down over the parterre. Our second disappointment was when we ventured down into the park to discover that the box hedges are in desperate need of some weeding and pruning with weeds so tall they are growing out the top of the hedges. That really spoils the finely manicured effect you are going for in a parterre garden!!! We were really rather underwhelmed by both of the gardens that we visited this afternoon.

At the bottom of the hill we found the Praça Marquês de Pombal which is inaccessible because it forms the centre of a massive roundabout! At its center is has a column featuring Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo … and a lion. The 1^stMarquis of Pombal and 1^st Count of Oeiras was a Portuguese statesman and diplomat who effectively ruled the Portuguese Empire from 1750 to 1777 as chief minister to King Joseph I. A liberal reformer much influenced by the Age of Enlightenment, Pombal led Portugal’s recovery from the 1755 earthquake. He did much to modernize the kingdom’s administrative, economic, and religious institutions.

We caught the train from Marquês de Pombal Station and headed back to our apartment after a long day of sightseeing where we ventured much further afield than I thought we had intended?? At dinner time we managed to stumble out our front door to an al fresco table attached to the restaurant opposite! Somewhat fortified after dinner we were able to walk around the corner to buy gelato for dessert. We are already regulars with the lady running the gelateria saying that she will see us again tomorrow!



Steps: 15,760 (10.16 kms)

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