Blogs from Lisboa, Portugal, Europe - page 10

As it was to be very warm again today we decided to go to Cascais, a town about 20 miles from Lisboa, and 40 minute scenic train ride away. We had thought we would avoid the crowds since it was Thursday, but after seeing so many families heading to the beach, we realized that it must be a holiday, and it was! We walked about 15 minutes from our apartment to the Gloria Elevator, which carries people up and down a very steep hill. Since the fare was about $4.00/each, we decided to walk down; a good decision! We then went to the subway, where we bought cards that can have money added to them (it's called "zapping" here) that give you a lower fare on public transportation. We successfully took the correct subways to the ... read more

We arrived in Lisboa this afternoon, after a long, 24 hour voyage that started at 7:00 am Monday morning (and we had not slept well, having heard of the Las Vegas shootings just before we went to sleep...) It began with a drive to Kirkland (complete with a blocking accident on I-5), to leave our car with with my son. He drove us to the airport after we dropped my daughter-in-law off at work in Seattle. At 1:45 Seattle time, we took a crowded Norwegian Air flight to London (Gatwick). There were at least 3 screaming toddlers on the flight and they screamed intermittently all night... Everything was a la carte on the flight and we had to request water! It was about 11:00 pm our time once we cleared immigration and began our 3 hour ... read more

It has been a while since our last entrée but bad internet and face book take the blame for that. .We arrived late in Alcobacal but we found the small hotel easy. We quickly installed and being so long light we went for a walk to inspect the place. It has an enormous monastery with a large square in front that is ringed by lots of little restaurants and cafe's . Most were closed for they eat late here in Portugal. We had time to have a shower and go out again for a meal. Next day we visited the Monastery. Very interesting building. It was build in 1138 and consecrated in 1250. We also went to the museum that is separate of the Monastery. It is an impressive building but not as nice as some ... read more

It was a beautiful day in Lisbon today and lots of people were out enjoying the nice weather. This morning I took a taxi to the National Tile Museum to learn a bit about how decorative tiles are made and see some historical examples. Tiles are a sort of national obsession here in Portugal. One sees them on exteriors and interiors of many buildings, especially churches. The museum is housed in a former convent and there are quite a number of religious-themed tiles. I was particularly struck by the tile altarpiece (see photo). While I was there, a choir was singing polyphonic music in Latin (see photo). They seemed to be doing it for their own pleasure, i.e. it was not a performance nor a mass. It reminded me of when Cantores in Ecclesia toured in ... read more

I spent the morning at Sintra, a town located about 40 minutes outside of Lisbon. Sintra has several sights of historical interest, including the last royal palace of the Portuguese monarchy before it was replaced by a republic in 1910. The Pena Palace was built by a romantic monarch who mixed several different styles - Gothic, Moorish, Disney - to create an architectural confection that is fun to view from the exterior (see photo). Unfortunately the interior is soley viewable as a very crowded, one-way tour through only mildly interesting rooms. So I enjoyed seeing the outside of the castle, but the slow shuffle through the inside was a disappointment. Fortunately the cafeteria provided great views and a tasty lunch to make up for it!Also in Sintra, I visited the Moorish Castle (see photo). Mostly a ... read more