Lisbon

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I spent today touring Lisbon, mostly on foot. The central old part of town is fairly compact and not hard to navigate except when you need to go up one of the steep hills. I started the day by taking a taxi to the top of one hill to see the Castle of Sao Jorge (pronounced "sow zhorzh"). Although St. George is better known to English-speakers as a slayer of dragons, he was a popular saint among Portuguese Christians who asked his help in driving out the Moors. I enjoyed the panoramic views of the city (see photo) and a pleasant amble back down the hill to the waterfront. I wandered through the lower town and stopped in one church with a Fatima chapel (see photo). Note the Virgin and two of the three children of Fatima. The third was still alive when the chapel was built, so she was not included. In the afternoon I climbed one of the other hills, but this time I had help from a funicular (see photo). It was covered in graffiti and filled with tourists, but apparently locals use it too. I visited an archeology museum that includes the walls and pillars of a convent church that was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake that leveled Lisbon (see photo). The government decided to leave the walls and flying buttresses standing as a reminder of the terrible damage done to the city. I have been looking forward to visiting Lisbon and all that it has to offer. I saw a lot today, but there is plenty more do, so I'll tell you about it tomorrow!

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