Lisbon - Day 6

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Now I am prepared to admit that I have no sense of direction and my ability to navigate anywhere – home or away – is seriously impaired, so I have always relied on Bernie to find our way around. And Bernie’s navigational ability has served us well in the past. However, at some point in time Bernie stopped trusting his own ability to read a map and navigate and put all of his trust in Google Maps.

Now that is all well and good, provided Google Maps is playing nicely. This morning Bernie asked for directions to Praça da Figueira which is a four minute walk from our apartment so pretty much out our door, turn left, turn left again at the second street and walk straight along that street until you get there. Ahem, Bernie pressed ‘something’ on his phone and it stopped showing the moving blue dot that tells you where you are on your route. OMG! Bernie was completely discombobulated and of course, I had no idea at all but, fortunately, we did manage to get to the bus stop in Figueira Square!

Arriving in the square we found that they were setting up the Sunday craft market. What, at 10.00am? At home the market would be all but over by 10.00am! It turns out ten minutes waiting for a bus is plenty of time to check out the stalls AND buy a (ridiculously priced?) necklace. No idea if we should have haggled or not?? But … I like it!

Bus 759 arrived and whisked us to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (hand-painted tile) in no time at all. We are definitely finding the public transport around Lisbon to be efficient. This museum paying tribute to 500 years of Portuguese tile-making is housed in the former Convento da Madre de Deus that was founded by the queen Dona Leonor (wife of John II) in 1509. The collection of tiles is huge and showcases the different colour palettes and styles over the centuries.

The attached Mannerist church is decorated in high baroque style and features azulejos alongside artworks in gilt frames on the walls and ceiling. There is not an inch of the church that is not elaborately decorated. Above the church is a chapel dedicated to Franciscan preacher St Anthony of Lisbon. The chapel was commissioned by Dom João V and is a excellent example of Portuguese baroque with parquetry flooring, intricate wood carving and more blue-and-white azulejo panels featuring the miracles of St Anthony.

Up on the 2^nd floor we found the Sala de Grande Vista de Lisboa which features tiles depicting a grand panorama of the city before the earthquake struck in 1755. The epic work is attributed to Spanish tile painter Gabriel del Barco.

Off to the Oceanário next, Europe’s largest indoor aquarium. But first we had to get there. Google Maps had us head down the hill and across Avenida Infante Dom Henrique. There was a bus stop right there on the other side of the main road BUT I was told that Google Maps said that it is not ‘the one’ - we had to walk to the next one. OK, the bus stop was near an intersection so it seemed plausible that it was for a bus that would turn left and go up the hill rather than along the river??

So we plodded along to the next stop where we were able to sit at the bus stop waiting for our bus while Bernie confessed that maybe Google Maps stuffed up again and we could have caught the correct bus at the earlier I stop. I am getting to be a bit over Google Maps!!

At Oceanário we purchased combined tickets for the aquarium and Telérifico, the cable car ride linking Oceanário to Torre Vasco da Gama. After a quick lunch in the cafeteria we ventured in to view the 8,000 marine creatures swimming around in seven million litres of seawater! There were sharks, stingrays and all sorts of fish, jellyfish, sea dragons and seahorses, but the highlight was the Pacific sea otters. So cute!

We caught the Telérifico from behind the museum and rode to the Torre Vasco da Gama where we alighted from our cable car. Although our guidebook says that the tower is closed to the public, unless you have a reservation for the Michelin-star restaurant ‘Fifty Seconds’, we were able to ride up the 145 metre-high tower for an outstanding view over the Rio Tejo and the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

Back at ground level we walked along the river towards the bridge for a couple more photos and then returned to the cable car for our return journey to the back of the aquarium. We had been able to see Gare do Oriente from the cable car and even I thought I had a pretty accurate idea of how to walk from the riverside to the station. But, no, Google Maps HAD to be consulted because it would prevent us from walking into any dead-end streets??!!

Sight of the day as we were walking to Gare do Oriente, was an the elderly couple dressed in matching outfits featuring blue-and-white striped Mickey Mouse T-shirts!! OMG, I wonder if they have matching tops for every day that they are on holidays?

Two buses this morning to bring us all the way out to Oceanário and two trains to take us back to our apartment. Both modes of public transport easy to use and efficient. And of course we had to buy ice-creams as we walked past the gelato shop!

The plan for dinner tonight was to go to the restaurant that had lamb chops garnished with Greek yoghurt on the menu. Bernie booked while he was out buying some more supplies from the supermarket. At the appointed time we headed downstairs and around the corner to the restaurant which, as it turned out, was not the restaurant with lamb chops on the menu. Not to worry, Bernie ordered a surf and turf (prawn and veal) skewer and I ordered pork tenderloin. Our table featured a serious amount of metalwork. In the centre was a carriage light along with all sorts of other wrought iron hooks, etc.

Aha, it turns our the hooks are for hanging the skewers on when they are brought to the table. Much easier to pull your meat downwards off the skewer rather than trying to push it onto your plate while risking shooting it across the restaurant! Both our meals were delicious so not at all bad for an accidental booking. We can always try those lamb chops another night.



Steps: 12,097 (8.24 kms)

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