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Published: March 17th 2008
During our spanish adventure we decided to go over to Portugal to explore Lisbon and the surrounding areas. On the 31st of January we took an overnight train to Lisbon and arrived the morning of the 1st of February in Lisbon. After getting settled, we explored Rossio Square where the Teatro Nacional is. Next, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Oceanaria de Lisboa, or the Lisbon Aquarium. The aquarium has a huge tank (the size of four football fields) where the animals of the world's oceans can interact just like they do in the wild. Otters as you can see are also a big hit at the Oceanaria. We then treated ourselves to a movie and pizza!
On Saturday the 2nd of February, we headed down to the water and the harbor exploring the Baixa district. On the way we came up to Praca do Comercio, one of the most popular squares in the city. King Jose I has sat proudly on his horse in the middle of the square overlooking the city and the harbor since 1755. From the Praca do Comercio, we headed uphill to the Se, or the Cathedral. This cathedral was built in 1147
to commemorate the taking back of the city from the Moors. Next, we continued up the hilly, winding streets to the ruins of the castle that in its lifetime has been used by christians and moorish invaders, the Castelo Sao Jorge. The remains are now from the Moorish fortification and were built in the 12th century. We spent a couple of hours exploring the ramparts and the towers of the castle. After the castle, we took Tram 28 on its route as it wound through the steep, narrow streets. If you put your hand out the window you could touch the storefronts! On Sunday the 3rd, we took the street elevator up to the Barrio Alto area to take a look at the Convento do Carmo, the ruins of the convent at the top of the elevator. The elevator is a free standing, large, metal elevator that takes you up to the streets above the lower ones that otherwise you have to reach by hiking up the streets! After the elevator, we headed to Belem, a small town on the outskirts of Lisbon on the coast. First, we explored the Torre de Belem, which was built around 1520 to guard
Lisbon's port. Its a beautiful old tower that has a great view from the top. We also went to the Monument of Discoveries, which is a stone monument near the tower built in 1960 to commemorate the Portuguese explorers, most notably, Henry the Navigator. It started to pour rain, but we did get a quick glimpse of the Monastery of Jeronimos, which is a beautifully ornate building that also has figures on it depicting Portugal's ocean explorers. That night at 3am we watched the Superbowl live!
On the 4th of February, we headed to Sintra, a town a little bit outside of Lisbon. First, we went to the Castle of the Moors in Sintra. The castle was built in either the 9th or 10th century and was built up on the hills overlooking Sintra so they could watch over their fertile valley. Next, we went to the amazing Palacio de Pena, Pena Palace, which was built in the 19th century and it really is like a fantasy palace of domes and towers on the outside. What is cool is that the inside has been left exactly as it was when the Royal family fled Portugal in 1910 during the revolution.
That night we headed back to Madrid on the overnight train to continue our Spanish adventures!
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